Dagduseth Halwai Ganpati Temple is one of the oldest Ganpati temples in Pune,Maharashtra.Dagduseth Temple was Established in the year 1893. The temple is located close to Shaniwarwada in the heart of Pune city.
A halwai or sweetmaker called Dagdusheth is credited for constructing this temple. It is believed that he lost his son in a plague outbreak which plunged him and his wife in a state of depression. To bring him out of this state, his Guru advised him to make idols of Lord Ganesha and Shree Datta Maharaj and take care of them like he would father his son. It was then that the very first idol of Ganesha was made.
Dagdusheth's good friends, Lokmanya Balgandharva Tilak- associated with the independence movement in the late 1800s, came up with the idea of transforming Ganesh Chaturthi into a public festival. The main ideology behind this decision was to bring the people together and unite them against the British. In this way this festival came to be celebrated at a community level every year rather than being restricted to a household affair.
The simple construction of the Ganpati temple allows the devotees to catch a glimpse of the Ganesh idol even from outside the temple.The Dagduset Ganpati temple is visited by hundreds of devotees on a daily basis, this simple yet beautiful architectural design of the temple helps people watch the daily proceedings like the aarti and thepooja from well outside the entrance of the temple.
The beautifull idol of Ganesha is adorned with gold and precious jewellery which have been offered to the Elephant God by the devotees as a token of their love and affection. The idol of Ganpati has a solid gold ear and is decorated with nearly 8 kilos of gold
Pooja is performed twice everyday and people visit the temple in large numbers to pray. Heaps of coconuts are offered to the Hindu God on a daily basis. Especially during the Ganesh Chaturthi the demand of coconut reaches nearly five lakhs per day
The best time to visit the temple during the morning hours because of less traffic. But there is no escaping the crowd if you wish to pay your homage to Ganesha during Ganesh Chaturthi festival when lakhs of people from all over Maharashtra and other part of India flock down to the city to catch a glimpse of their favourite Ganesh idol.
