Varadavinayak Temple, Mahad

वरदविनायक मंदिर, महड

Ganesha · Varadvinayak

Mahad, Khopoli, Raigad district, Maharashtra · Ganapatya tradition

Varadavinayak at Mahad is one of the eight Ashtavinayak temples, where devotees come to seek success.

Read the story
Directions

At the gate

Getting there
Train: PanvelAir: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai

Not yet confirmed: darshan hours, dress code, phone rules, entry for visitors of other faiths, walking distance. Ask at the temple office or enquiry counter — and if you know, tell us. hello@aalayakatha.com

Full visiting details

Sthala purana

The story of this place

Family note: this story includes adult themes.
Told in: The Mahad temple tradition, commonly attributed to the Ganesha Purana (the chapter is not yet traced)

Gritsamada's boon in the Bhadraka forest

Bhima, king of Kaundinyapur, and his queen are childless. In the forest they meet the sage Vishvamitra, who gives them a Ganesha mantra, and a son, Rukmangada, is born to them.

Rukmangada grows up and one day comes to the hermitage of the sage Vachaknavi. The sage's wife, Mukunda, desires him, and he refuses her. Indra then takes on Rukmangada's form, goes to Mukunda, and fathers a son by her. The child is Gritsamada.

When Gritsamada grows up and learns how he was born, he curses his mother to become a thorny plant. She curses him in return: a demon will be born from him. A voice from heaven declares that Gritsamada is Indra's son, but the curses have already been spoken and cannot be taken back.

Gritsamada goes to the Pushpaka forest and performs penance to Ganesha. Ganesha appears and grants him a son who can be defeated only by Shiva. Gritsamada asks Ganesha to remain in that forest, and Ganesha agrees. Gritsamada builds a temple there, and the forest becomes known as Bhadraka.

The god who stays to grant what was asked is Varada Vinayaka, Ganesha the giver of boons, and the Mahad tradition identifies its temple with the shrine Gritsamada built.

Where this account comes from

We have not yet found a text we can cite for this account. It is told here as it is told locally, and marked unverified.

In one minute

Why Varadavinayak Temple, Mahad matters

Each line says who it comes from and how settled it is. What the labels mean

  1. Varadavinayak at Mahad is one of the eight Ashtavinayak temples, where devotees come to seek success.

    Source for: Varadavinayak at Mahad is one of the eight Ashtavinayak temples, where devotees
    • Government: Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, Ashtavinayak: Mahad maharashtratourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  2. The temple was built, or restored, in 1725 by the Peshwa general Ramji Mahadev Biwalkar.

    Source for: The temple was built, or restored, in 1725 by the Peshwa general Ramji Mahadev B
    • Government: District Administration Raigad, Government of Maharashtra, Religious Places in Raigad raigad.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  3. Four elephant figures guard the four sides of the temple.

    Source for: Four elephant figures guard the four sides of the temple.
    • Government: District Administration Raigad, Government of Maharashtra, Religious Places in Raigad raigad.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  4. The temple draws large crowds at Magha Chaturthi.

    Source for: The temple draws large crowds at Magha Chaturthi.
    • Government: District Administration Raigad, Government of Maharashtra, Religious Places in Raigad raigad.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

Shilpa

When you visit, look for…

Architectural style not yet identified

Built or restored in 1725 by Ramji Mahadev Biwalkar, per the Raigad district administration. No architectural survey assigning it a style has been found.

  • Sculpture

    The four elephants

    An elephant figure stands guard on each of the four sides of the temple.

    Where to stand: Walk the outside of the temple; one faces each side.

  • Sculpture

    The Navagraha

    Images of the nine planetary deities housed in the temple.

  • Sculpture

    Mushaka and the Shivalinga

    The mouse, Ganesha's vahana, and a Shivalinga, both inside the temple alongside the main image.

Yatra

Plan your visit

Darshan times

We could not confirm the opening times from the temple’s own notice, so we are not printing any. Please check with the temple office or the devasthanam before you travel.

Before you go

  • No dress code or entry rules have been confirmed for this temple yet. Traditional, modest clothing is always the safe choice; ask at the entrance.

Walking, steps and access

We have not yet confirmed how much walking or climbing is involved, or whether there is wheelchair access. If you are travelling with elders, ask at the temple office or the devasthanam enquiry counter before you set out.

Crowds: Large crowds gather during Magha Chaturthi.

Getting there

  • By air: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, MumbaiPune (Lohegaon) is the other airport the district administration lists.
  • By train: PanvelThe district also lists Konkan Railway stations at Pen and Roha.
  • By road: KhopoliMahad is near Khopoli on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway and NH 4; Khalapur and Panvel are the nearby towns.

The order of darshan

No published source gives the order in which to visit the shrines here, so we have not invented one. Follow the queue and the temple staff.

Festivals

  • Magha ChaturthiMāghī Gaṇeśa Jayantī

    Jan–Feb · Magha, Shukla paksha, Chaturthi

    The temple's great festival, when large crowds gather.

  • Ganesh Chaturthi

    Aug–Sep · Bhadrapada, Shukla paksha, Chaturthi

    The main Ganesha festival of the year, observed at all eight Ashtavinayak temples.

Itihasa

Through time

Two registers, kept apart on purpose: what the Puranas tell, and what the historical record shows. They answer different questions and we do not force them to agree.

In the Puranas and tradition

  1. Gritsamada builds a temple in the Bhadraka forest

    The Mahad tradition's origin account. Neither a yuga nor the chapter of the Purana has been traced.

In the historical record

  1. 1690

    Image recovered from the lake

    The image is said to have been found submerged in the lake beside the temple in 1690. We have not yet found a reliable written source for this.

  2. 1725

    Temple built or restored by Ramji Mahadev Biwalkar

    The district administration records that the temple was built or restored in 1725 by the Peshwa general Ramji Mahadev Biwalkar.

    Source for: Temple built or restored by Ramji Mahadev Biwalkar
    • Government: District Administration Raigad, Government of Maharashtra, Religious Places in Raigad raigad.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

Around here

Worth the detour

Sources

Where this page comes from

  • Government: District Administration Raigad, Government of Maharashtra, Religious Places in Raigad raigad.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, Ashtavinayak: Mahad maharashtratourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

Cite this page

Aalaya Katha Foundation, “Varadavinayak Temple, Mahad”, Aalaya Katha, version last reviewed 2026-10-09. https://www.aalayakatha.com/temple/varadavinayak-mahad (accessed ).

Last reviewed 2026-10-09. How we label sources and confidence