Vighnahar (Vighneshwar) Temple

Tradition holds that Ganesha here defeated the demon Vighnasura, who had been disrupting the sacrificial rites (yajnas) of sages; before being vanquished, the demon is said to have requested that his name be invoked whenever Ganesha himself was worshipped, giving rise to the widely used epithet ‘Vighnaharta’ (‘remover of obstacles’). The temple, distinguished by a gold-plated dome, has historically been enclosed within moat-like fortification walls, and — like several of the Ashtavinayak shrines — received patronage during the Peshwa era.

The temple is thought to have been built around 1785 CE, possibly under the patronage of Chimaji Appa, brother of Peshwa Bajirao I, following his campaign against the Portuguese at Vasai and Sashti — though the attribution is treated as probable rather than certain even by the sources reporting it. The east-facing structure is ringed by a thick stone wall broad enough to walk along; its main hall runs about 20 feet with a 10-foot inner chamber, beneath a golden pinnacle. The idol, trunk to the left, has rubies set in its eyes, a diamond on its forehead, and a jewel at its navel, flanked by images of Riddhi and Siddhi.