The Siddhi Vinayak temple at
Prabhadevi in Mumbai is a well visited one attracting thousands all through the year.
The Temple: The known history
of the temple dates back to early nineteenth century. This temple has been renovated
thoroughly in the late 1900s in order to accomodate the needs of the surging crowds of
devotees that throng the temple during festive occasions.
The sanctum here houses a small mandapam enshrining
Siddhi Vinayak. The inner roof of the sanctum is plated with gold, and the wooden doors to
the sanctum are carved with images of Ashta Vinayak.
Siddhi Vinayak: Most icons of
Ganapati depict the elephant faced God with his trunk curled towards his left. Siddhi
Vinayak in Mumbai, Siddhi Vinayak at Siddhatek
in Maharashtra as well as Karpaka Vinayakar
at Pillayarpatti in Tamilnadu are depicted with a trunk pointing to the
right (Valampuri).
Ganapati here is depicted with four
arms bearing a lotus, an axe, modakas and a garland of beads, flanked by his consorts
Siddhi and Riddhi.
Festivals: Hundreds of thousands of
devotees throng the temple, especially during Angaraki and Sankashti
Chaturti days, when there is a continuous stream of visitors for as long as a 24 hour
period.