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Lenyadri · Maharashtra

Sri Girijatmaj Ganesha Temple

Sri Girijatmaj Ganesha Temple — Lenyadri Cave 7, Sulaiman Pahar, Junnar Taluka, Pune District, Maharashtra

Girijatmaj — sixth tirtha of the Ashtavinayaka; 'Girija' (Parvati) + 'atmaja' (son) = 'son of Parvati'; the only Buddhist-cave Ashtavinayaka and the only hilltop tirtha in the Ashtavinayaka

अन्य नाम: Girijatmaj · Ganesh Lena · Ganesh Pahar Caves · Suleman Caves

  • Sixth tirtha of the Ashtavinayaka…
  • The only Buddhist rock-cave Ashtav…
  • The only hilltop tirtha in the Ash…
  • The only Ashtavinayaka where Parva…
Sri Girijatmaj Ganesha Temple
दर्शन समय
05:00 – 20:00
स्वरूप
Monolithic
स्थान
Lenyadri · Maharashtra
उत्तम ऋतु
October-February best weather
काल
Original Buddhist architecture 1st-3…

इस मन्दिर की विशेषता

  • Sixth tirtha of the Ashtavinayaka yatra
  • The only Buddhist rock-cave Ashtavinayaka temple (Cave 7 of the 30 Lenyadri caves); the other 7 are plains temples
  • The only hilltop tirtha in the Ashtavinayaka — on Sulaiman Pahar about 30 m above the plains; ~283 stone-step climb
  • The only Ashtavinayaka where Parvati performed a 12-year tapasya to obtain Ganesha as her son — a mother-son sentiment tirtha
  • The only monolithic (single-rock) Ashtavinayaka idol — cannot be moved; carved from the cave wall
  • The only Ashtavinayaka where the sanctum is lit entirely by natural sunlight — no electric lamps
01
मूल विग्रह

मुख्य देव एवं स्वरूप

Sri Girijatmaj Ganesha — swayambhu naturally occurring rock-Ganesha; north-facing (back to the worshipper); left-trunk (vamamukhi, with the trunk pointing east); carved into the rear cave wall — only one eye is visible (the other is partly hidden in the wall); historically covered with brass-plated wooden armour over the image and smeared with sindur; depicted in infant form

Monolithic (single-rock) Ganesha carved out of the cave wall — cannot be moved; emerged from a natural rock formation — unique among the Ashtavinayaka

सम्प्रदाय: Ganapatya sampradaya — sixth tirtha in the Ashtavinayaka yatra order; a Hindu reconsecration of an ancient Hinayana Buddhist cave

02
स्थल-पुराण

कथा, इतिहास एवं महत्व

Ashtavinayaka sthala-purana (derived from the Mudgala Purana + Ganesha Purana)

Parvati performed a 12-year tapasya on the Lenyadri mountain to obtain Ganesha as her son; on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi (Ganesh Chaturthi) she shaped a clay/uptan-oil image of Ganesha which came alive — Ganesha's birth-site; Ganesha is said to have spent his childhood (~15 years) here.

संत एवं परम्परा

  • Devi Parvati (Girija, daughter of Himavan) — 12-year tapasya and birth-site of Ganesha as her son
  • Bal-Ganesha — Girijatmaj (the son of Parvati); per tradition his childhood was spent here
  • Satavahana dynasty (2nd century BCE - 3rd century CE) — patronage of the original Buddhist caves
  • Brahmi-inscription donors (Sulasadata from Kalyana; Ananda — donor of Cave 14) — Buddhist-lineage donors
  • Shri Lenyadri Ganpati Devasthan Trust (Reg. A-833; Golegaon, Junnar Taluka) — modern administration of the Ganesha temple
  • Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) — centrally protects the Buddhist cave complex (Mumbai sub-circle)

ऐतिहासिक घटनाक्रम

  1. 200Hinayana/Theravada Buddhist cave excavation period; Satavahana-dynasty patronage; the 30-cave south-facing complex — Wikipedia + ASI + Native Planet + LiveHistoryIndia multi-source
  2. Date unknown — two central cells of Cave 7 (a vihara) were appropriated as the Ganesha shrine; Hindu reconsecration — Wikipedia + ASI
  3. A centrally protected monument (ASI Mumbai sub-circle); a ticketed monument; the Ganesha temple is run by a separate trust — ASI official
03
नित्य उपासना

दर्शन समय एवं आरती

05:00 से 20:00 तक

Kakad Aarti05:30
Daily
Shree Darshan06:00-07:30
Daily
Abhishek Puja07:30-08:00
Daily
Darshan08:00-12:00
Daily
Naivedya Puja12:00-12:30
Daily
Darshan12:30-20:00
Daily
Shej Aarti20:00
Daily

विशेष नियम: Foot-access only (~283 stone steps); the sanctum is lit only by natural sunlight — no electric lamps; the idol is integral to the cave wall — pradakshina is impossible; the ASI-protected Buddhist cave complex — moving or altering the idol is forbidden

04
दर्शन

दर्शन के प्रकार

General Darshan (~Rs.25 entry reported)₹25
समय
05:00-20:00 (daily)
उपयुक्त
All devotees

Climb ~283 stone steps to Cave 7 sanctum; darshan in natural sunlight.

Doli (palanquin) service (~Rs.1,000)₹1000

Doli service for the elderly and physically challenged for the step climb.

Abhishek Puja (morning 07:30-08:00)

Book via the temple trust.

30 Buddhist caves darshan (ASI-protected)

Beyond Cave 7 (the Ganesha shrine) — Cave 6 + Cave 14 are Buddhist chaityagrihas (Ajanta-style-inspired); the remaining 26 are viharas. A centrally protected monument.

Shivneri Fort pair yatra (~5 km; Chhatrapati Shivaji's birthplace)

Lenyadri + Shivneri Junnar-area pair yatra.

05
उत्सव

प्रमुख पर्व एवं उत्सव

Ganesh Chaturthi 2026 (Ganesha's birth-site)Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi

Monday 14 September 2026 — per the sthala-purana, Parvati shaped the infant Ganesha from clay/uptan-oil on this very tithi and brought him to life; the direct birth-site of Ganesha in the Ashtavinayaka — the highest significance; Anant Chaturdashi on 25 September 2026.

Maghi Ganesh Jayanti 2026Magha Shukla Chaturthi

Thursday 22 January 2026 — Ganesha's rebirth; Akhand Harinaam Saptah in Magh month.

Holi + DussehraSpecial tithis

Annual observances.

Monthly Sankashti ChaturthiKrishna Chaturthi (every month)

Special abhishek and puja.

06
आस्था

मनोकामना एवं फल

Putra-prapti / progeny sankalpa (the Parvati-tapasya tradition)

The only Ashtavinayaka where Parvati performed a 12-year tapasya to obtain Ganesha as her son; a tirtha for childless couples and especially for mothers desiring a son

स्रोत: Ashtavinayaka sthala-purana (Wikipedia + Maharashtra Tourism + Temple Guru multi-source)

Bal-Ganesha darshan and child-health sankalpa

Darshan of Ganesha's infant form; the childhood-residence site of Ganesha; a sankalpa for child health and child welfare

स्रोत: Sthala-purana + Temple Guru

Mother-son sentiment Girijatmaj sankalpa

Per the name 'Girija-atmaja' (Parvati's son), a tirtha dedicated to the mother-son relationship; a matri-vatsalya sankalpa

स्रोत: Wikipedia + ashtavinayak.net

Tapasya-firmness and long-term sankalpa

The 12-year tapasya archetype; a sankalpa for long tapasya and firmness in tapasya

स्रोत: Sthala-purana

30-cave multi-faith convergence darshan

Buddhist (Hinayana, 1st-3rd century CE) + Hindu (Ganapatya, Ashtavinayaka) — a rare two-faith convergence at one site

स्रोत: Wikipedia + ASI + LiveHistoryIndia

07
जप

मन्त्र एवं स्तोत्र

  • Om Gam Ganapataye NamahBija mantraGanapatya tradition
  • Om Girijatmajaya NamahNama mantraGanapatya traditionइस मन्दिर हेतुThe Girijatmaj-specific nama mantra
  • Sankatnashana Ganesha StotraStotraNarada Purana
  • Ganapati AtharvashirshaUpanishadic stotraAtharvaveda
  • Akhand Harinaam Saptah parayanNama-sankirtanLocal traditionइस मन्दिर हेतुLenyadri's signature anushthan in Magh month
08
तीर्थाटन

समीप के तीर्थ एवं परिपथ

Buddhist cave complex (30 caves; ASI-protected)100 मी

1st-3rd century CE Hinayana Buddhist architecture; Cave 6 + Cave 14 are chaityagrihas (Ajanta-style-inspired); the remaining 26 are viharas; Satavahana patronage

Kukadi (Kukdi) river500 मी

Flows between Junnar and Golegaon; a sacred-bathing tirtha

Shivneri Fort (Chhatrapati Shivaji's birthplace)5 किमी

Birthplace of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (1630); a principal Maratha fort; UNESCO-nominated ('Maratha Military Architecture')

Junnar taluka HQ5 किमी

The northernmost taluka HQ of Pune district; a historical-archaeological centre

Ozar Vighneshwar Temple (Ashtavinayaka #7)14 किमी

The next tirtha in the Ashtavinayaka yatra order; the Junnar-taluka Ashtavinayaka pair; a natural one-day combination

Manmodi cave complex (Junnar Buddhist group 2)10 किमी

Another Buddhist cave complex of Junnar; Satavahana-era

Tulja Leni and Naneghat cave complex20 किमी

Additional Buddhist cave complexes near Junnar; Naneghat is an ancient trade-route pass

Ashtavinayaka yatra shastrokt order — sixth tirtha

Sixth tirtha; order: 1. Morgaon → 2. Siddhatek → 3. Pali → 4. Mahad → 5. Theur → 6. **Lenyadri (this)** → 7. Ozar → 8. Ranjangaon → return to Morgaon

8 मंदिर · 3 दिन

Junnar-taluka Ashtavinayaka pair yatra (Lenyadri + Ozar)

Lenyadri (Girijatmaj) + Ozar (Vighneshwar) — Junnar-taluka Ashtavinayaka pair (~14 km); a one-day combination

2 मंदिर

Junnar multi-faith heritage yatra (Lenyadri + Shivneri + Manmodi + Naneghat)

Lenyadri Ganesha + Shivneri Maratha fort + Manmodi Buddhist + Naneghat ancient trade-route — a single-taluka multi-faith heritage convergence

4 मंदिर

09
मार्गदर्शन

यात्रा एवं संपर्क

पता
Shri Lenyadri Ganpati Devasthan, Cave 7, Sulaiman Pahar, Golegaon, Junnar Taluka, Pune District, Maharashtra (on the north-west bank of the Kukadi river; ~5 km north of Junnar town)
हवाई अड्डा
Pune International Airport (PNQ, Lohegaon) — ~88 km
रेलवे
Pune Junction Railway Station — ~94 km; Talegaon Dabhade — ~82-85 km (alternative)
बस-स्टैण्ड
Junnar bus stand (MSRTC) — ~5 km; near Golegaon; MSRTC and Ashtavinayaka yatra packages from Pune city
उत्तम ऋतु
October-February best weather (for the step climb); Ganesh Chaturthi 14 September 2026 (special significance as the birth-site); Visarjan 25 September 2026; Maghi Jayanti 22 January 2026 + Akhand Harinaam Saptah; monsoon (June-September) carries step-slip risk
वेबसाइट
https://shreelenyadriganpati.com/en ↗
5 किमीJunnar
5 किमीShivneri Fort
95 किमीPune
88 किमीPune Airport
94 किमीPune Junction
84 किमीTalegaon Dabhade Railway
193 किमीMumbai
14 किमीOzar
100 किमीRanjangaon
100 किमीTheur
← सभी मंदिर निर्देशिका
Sri Girijatmaj Ganesha Temple — दर्शन, आरती, इतिहास एवं यात्रा | Pauranik | Pauranik