Varadavinayak Temple

A comparatively modest, small-domed shrine whose golden kalash (pinnacle) is a distinctive landmark, Varadavinayak (‘Ganesha who grants boons’) is associated in local tradition with a lamp said to have been kept continuously burning since 1892. Tradition also links the site to a legend involving the sage-king Rukmangada, who is said to have been cursed with leprosy after refusing the advances of the sage Vachaknavi’s wife, prompting Vachaknavi’s son Grutsamad to propitiate Ganesha in the forest at this spot. The present temple structure was built in 1725 CE by Ramji Mahadev Biwalkar, the Kalyan subhedar under the Peshwa administration, who also founded Mahad village itself; the idol venerated here is traditionally said to have been recovered from an adjoining lake in 1690 CE, which local tradition offers as the reason for its weathered look.

The temple’s hall measures about 8 feet by 8 feet, beneath a 25-foot dome decorated with cobra motifs and topped in gold; four elephant images stand at its corners. The east-facing idol, trunk turned left, is unusual on the Ashtavinayak circuit in that devotees are permitted to approach and pay respects in its immediate vicinity rather than viewing it from a distance.