Ashta Vinayak Darshan-Varada Vinayak,Mahad

Our next visit will be to Mahad where Varada Vinayakji is waiting to give His boons to the Devotees coming to Him. From Pali we have to take the road to Khopoli which is 40 Kms. away from Pali and Mahad is 10 Kms. from there. Mahad is situated in the hilly regions of Konkan , in Khalapur Taluka of Raigad district of Maharashtra. During monsoon times this place is very picturesque and green. From Mumbai the distance to this temple is 84 Kms. one can travel to Karjat railway station and then travel by road to Mahad.
One devotee of Ganesha, named Dhondu Paudkar found this idol in a lake in 1690 AD and the Idol was kept in the nearby Goddess temple for some time. In 1725 the Varada Vinayak Mandir was built by Peshwa Sardar Ramji Mahadev Biwalkar and he gifted this temple to the Village. The old temple was with tiled roof and it was renovated by the trustees recently. There is a Gomukh in the north and Holy water comes out from the Gomukh the Lake is in the West. Temple is 8 ft. long and 8 ft. broad and there is 25 ft. high Dome with Golden Pinnacle. The original idol of Varadavinayak can be seen outside the Sanctum, since it was not in condition the trustees madr a new Idol and consecrated it in the temple. Two stone idols od Siddhi and Riddhi are in the Sanctum. Two Ganesh Idols are there in the corners, one smeared with vermillion and the other in white marble with trunk turned to the right. The main Idol is in the sitting posion facing east and it's trunk turned to the left. All corners of the temple have pair of elephants with sections scrolled in gold. There are festivals in the Hindu Holy months of Badrapath and Magh, on the 5 th day of those months. The most unique attraction of this temple is that there is a lamp lit in 1892 and still burning today. This Varad Vinayak is the most favourite God for millions as He bestows all the boons prayed for.

SRI VARAD VINAYAK MAHARAJJI KI JAI.