The eight temples in
Maharashtra dedicated to
Lord Ganesh are related to various episodes from the
Puranas and other legends - and these eight forms are collectively known as Ashta Vinayaka.
‘Ashta’ means eight and ‘Vinayaka’ is another name for Lord Ganesh. These temples enshrine the eight self-formed effigies of the lord, at the respective places where the idols were first discovered. These places are Morgaon, Ranjangaon, Lenyadri, Ojhar, Theur, Mahad, Pali and Saddhatek, all located within a range of 20 to 110 km from Pune. Mayureshwar at Moregaon, Mahaganapati at Ranjangaon, Girijaatmaja Vinayaka on Lenyadri Parvat, Vigneshwara at Ojhar, Chintamani at Theur, Varadvinayak at Mahad, Shree Ballaleshwar at Pali, and Shree Siddhivinayak at Saddhatek are the eight forms worshipped.
