Sri Mayureshwar Temple – Where Lord Ganesha is seen on the Peacock!!
We all know that the Mouse (Moshaka) is the conveyance of Lord Ganesha and peacock is the conveyance of Lord Muruga. But we have a unique temple where Lord Ganesha is seen on the peacock. The temple that we are talking about is Sri Moreshwar or Mayureshwar Temple, Morgaon.
Sri Moreshwar or Mayureshwar Temple is located in a place named Morgaon that is 70 km from Pune. This place was once abundant with peacocks and hence the name Morgaon (Mor = Peacock Gaon = Village). This temple is considered as the first temple to be visited in the Ashta Vinayak yatra (Covering the eight holy temples of Ganesha which are situated around Pune).
The main idol of Lord Ganesha is three-eyed and is seen riding on the peacock. Hence, He is called by the name Moreshwar or Mayureshwar (Mayur means Peacock). It is believed that Lord Ganesha took the form of Mayureshwar to slain the demon Sindurasura.
The idol is facing the east and the trunk of the Lord is seen turned towards Left. The eyes and the navel of the deity are studded with precious diamonds. On the head, we can see the hood of Cobra (Nagaraja) forming the shelter to the Lord. The deity of Ganesha is flanked by the brass idols of Siddhi (Capability) and Buddhi (Intelligence) who are considered the consorts of the Lord.
The original idol is a Suyambu Moorthy and it was actually much smaller in size than it seems to be today. It is said that the continuous anointing of the idol with the vermilion has increased the size. It is also believed that this layer of vermilion falls down on its own every 100 or 150 years, revealing the actual idol.
The temple is believed to have been built by Morya Gosavi before the 17th Century AD during the Bahamani reign. It has four gates and it is covered from all sides by four Minarets and gives the feeling of a mosque if seen from a distance. This may have been done to prevent attacks on the temple during Mughal periods. The temple has 50feet tall wall around it.
When we enter the temple, the first thing that we will see in the front is the 6-Feet Moshaka (mouse – Ganesha’s conveyance or Vahana) holding two laddoos between his paws. There is a huge Nandi (Shiva’s bull) that is positioned facing the Lord. This is considered very rare since Nandi is normally seen in front of the Shiva temples. In this temple, both the Nandi and the Mooshaka are considered as the guardians of the entrance.
Temple timings: 5.00 AM to 10.00 PM
Pooja Timings:
5.00 AM.: Prakshal Puja
7.00 AM : Shodashopachar Pooja
12.00 PM: Shodashopachar Pooja
8.00 PM : Panchopachar Puja
10.00 PM : Shej-Aarti
