At Shri Kshetra Lenyadri, devotees gathered in large numbers for the darshan of Lord Ganesha on the occasion of Sankashti Chaturthi.

At Shri Kshetra Lenyadri, devotees gathered in large numbers for the darshan of Lord Ganesha on the occasion of Sankashti Chaturthi.

On Monday, March 17, 2025, thousands of devotees visited the Shri Girijatmaja Ganapati Temple at the Ashtavinayak pilgrimage site of Shri Kshetra Lenyadri (Tal. Junnar) to receive darshan on the occasion of Sankashti Chaturthi. There was a massive crowd of devotees throughout the day, and the Lenyadri area had taken on the form of a pilgrimage. On this occasion, the idol of Shri Girijatmaja and the temple were beautifully decorated with flowers.

At 5:30 AM, the temple’s president, Advocate Sanjay Dhekne, and trustee Sadashiv Tamhane performed the abhisheka (ritual bath) and the maha puja (grand prayer) of Lord Ganesha. Afterward, devotees had the opportunity to take darshan. The idol of Shri Girijatmaja Ganapati and the temple area were adorned with attractive flower decorations for the occasion of Sankashti Chaturthi. For the offerings to the deity, Pralhad Bandu Mankar from Mankarwadi donated 111 dozen bananas. The temple conducted maha aarti at 6 AM, 12 PM, and 6 PM.

Various religious rituals were performed throughout the day by the temple authorities for Sankashti Chaturthi. The temple trust provided various facilities and amenities for the devotees. There was a significant crowd of devotees and tourists throughout the day. To manage the crowd and ensure smooth darshan, the temple trust took steps for crowd management.

The event saw the presence of temple president Advocate Sanjay Dhekne, vice president Govind Meher, secretary Shankar Tamhane, treasurer Bhagwan Hande, trustees Prabhakar Jadhav, Machhindra Shete, Sadashiv Tamhane, Kashinath Lokhande, Jaywant Doke, Jitendra Bidwai, office secretary Rohidas Bidwai, manager Nilesh Sarjine, employees, and the villagers of Golegaon, along with a large number of devotees.

In the evening, the Shri Muktai Prasadic Bhajani Mandal from Shivechiwadi performed devotional music. At night, during the Chandrodaya (moonrise), the maha aarti of Lord Ganesha was performed. Following this, Mahaprasad (community meal) was organized by Vinayak Jadhav, Ganesh Dhekne, Akshay Mali, Sachin Gavade, Mayur Thombare, and Shubham Batwal from Golegaon and Ballalwadi for the devotees.

Throughout the day, various dignitaries from different fields took the darshan of Lord Ganesha. Devotees from Junnar and from Pune, Ahmednagar, Mumbai, Thane, and Nashik also visited in large numbers to receive darshan. This information was provided by Advocate Sanjay Dhekne, the temple president, and Shankar Tamhane, the secretary.