Ganapatipura (Gujarat) – Shri Ganesha worshipped by Shrikrishna!

History of the ancient Shri Ganesha temple

Shri Ganesha in the form of Siddhivinayak worshipped by Bhagavan Shrikrishna and Pandavas

Ganapatipura is a village situated 90 km away from Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujarat. This village the most ancient self-manifested Ganapati temple of Gujarat. The priest of this temple told us that 5500 years ago, Shrikrishna and Pandavas had worshipped Deity Ganapati at this place. It is stated that after worshipping this Ganapati, Shrikrishna had stayed in Dwarka and ruled for many years. This Ganapati is known as ‘Siddhivinayak’. Bhagavan Shrikrishna used to perform ritualistic worship of Deity Ganapati at this place and therefore, this place used to be called as ‘Ganesh Dwarka’. Whenever Pandavas used to go to Dwarka to meet Shrikrishna, they too used to visit this temple first and then proceed further after paying obeisance to Deity Ganapati.

Swayambhu idol of Shri Ganesha recovered in Kaliyug and He chooses His abode

For several years into Kaliyug, nobody knew anything about this temple. 800 years ago, a farmer from village Kot near Karnavati found the Swayambhu (manifested) idol of Shri Ganesha while ploughing his field. The idol was with a trunk turned on its right side.

This idol had an earring, gold anklets, a crown and a waistband. As soon as the idol was found, people from the surrounding villages gathered at this place. Everyone was feeling that the idol should be consecrated in a temple in their village. Later, it was unanimously decided to keep the idol in a cart without a bullock. As soon as the idol was kept, the cart started moving. It stopped at a particular place and the idol alighted from the cart, and that is where the idol was installed in a temple and the place got its name as Ganapatipura. The idol is smeared with vermilion and ghee; therefore, it is scarlet.