Shri Ganesha Temple Palaj, Bhokar, Nanded

The ten-day Parthiva Ganeshotsav in the month of Bhadrapada is a popular festival in Maharashtra. This festival is celebrated from Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi to Chaturdashi, during which clay Ganesh idols are consecrated in homes, temples, or public spaces. Often, such Ganeshotsav celebrations begin as a result of a vow (navas) and continue as a permanent tradition. Many such Ganeshotsav celebrations have been ongoing in Maharashtra to this day. It is often observed that the temporary structures (makhar) used for these celebrations have evolved into permanent Ganesh temples. There is a Ganesh temple of this nature in Palaj village of Nanded district, which is approximately seventy-five years old.

This temple was built in 1948. The legend associated with this temple is that in 1948, a terrible plague epidemic spread through Palaj village. People were dying in large numbers. The village head prayed to Lord Ganesha for help. Lord Ganesha appeared in the village head’s dream and gave a divine vision, stating that if a wooden Ganesh idol were crafted and a ten-day Ganeshotsav were celebrated, the epidemic would vanish. Following the divine vision, the village head had a wooden Ganesh idol carved in a single night by a sculptor named Gundappa from Nirmalgram, Karnataka. He then built a temple for Ganesha in the village and began the ten-day Ganeshotsav. As per the divine vision, the epidemic in the village disappeared. Thereafter, instead of immersing this idol, it began to be consecrated every year during the Ganeshotsav. This Ganeshotsav has been continuing uninterrupted to this day. After the Ganeshotsav, a photograph of the Ganesh idol is kept in the temple and worshipped throughout the year.

The temple is situated in an open ground at some distance from the village. Surrounding the temple are a community hall (mangal karyalaya), a free food distribution center (annachhatra), a kitchen, residences for the temple staff and priests, and the temple office. During the Ganeshotsav, a ten-day fair (jatrotsav) is held in this ground, and a market is set up for ten days. At other times, this ground is used as a parking lot. The temple courtyard, covered with paver blocks, features a queue-management pavilion (rangmandap) with a corrugated metal roof supported by iron pillars.

The temple structure consists of a front pavilion (mukhamandap), a main hall (sabhamandap), and the sanctum sanctorum (garbhagriha). The main hall is elevated above the courtyard, with seven steps leading to the entrance. There are safety railings on both sides of the steps, each featuring an ornate pillar. These pillars support the roof of the front pavilion. The main hall has two additional doors on the right and left sides, facing newly constructed queue-management pavilions.

All three queue-management pavilions are equipped with stainless steel railings to manage the queues. The door frames of the main hall are adorned with floral carvings, and there is an idol of Lord Ganesha at the lintel (lalatbimba). The enclosed main hall has windows for light and ventilation. In front of the sanctum sanctorum entrance, an anteroom (antarala) has been created using stainless steel railings. The sanctum is an open-door structure where four pillars at the corners are connected by arched toranas. The back wall, doors, and ceiling of the sanctum are decorated with glass enamel work (minakari). During the festival, the wooden idol of Shri Ganesha is seated on a vajrapitha (throne) in the sanctum. At other times, a photograph of the idol is placed on the vajrapitha. Behind the vajrapitha is a golden prabhavali (halo) with floral carvings and a kirtimukh at the top. There is a circumambulation path (pradakshina marg) around the exterior of the sanctum.

The roof of the front pavilion features five small domes (meghdambari). Each dome has a shikhara structure topped with three kalashas arranged in a horizontal row. The roof of the main hall is surrounded by a parapet wall (bashingi kathada). In the three niches on the front side of this parapet are idols of Ganesha, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. Other niches contain idols of various deities. The roof of the sanctum has a kalasha in the center.

The ten-day Ganeshotsav from Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi to Chaturdashi is the main annual festival here and is celebrated with great enthusiasm. Only during these ten days is the original wooden Ganesh idol installed on the vajrapitha. At other times, this idol is kept safely in a cupboard, and a photograph of the idol is worshipped. Along with this idol, a clay (parthiva) Ganesh idol is also installed. During these ten days, about three to four lakh devotees visit for the darshan of Ganesha and to fulfill their vows. During the festival, various religious programs such as bhajans, kirtans, discourses, and music are organized in the temple, and mahaprasad is distributed. On the final day, a procession is taken out with the wooden idol and the clay Ganesh idol placed in a chariot. The idols are taken to the riverbank. The wooden Ganesh idol is sprinkled with Ganga water and brought back to the temple, while the clay Ganesh idol is immersed. For ten days, shops selling various items are set up in the ground in front of the temple, giving the area the appearance of a marketplace. This includes entertainment games, clothing, household items, agricultural tools, and products. The buying and selling of these goods result in a turnover of crores of rupees.

Other religious festivals such as Ganesh Jayanti, Chaitra Padwa, Shravan month, Dussehra, and Diwali are also celebrated in the temple. Religious programs are organized during all these festivals. There is a daily crowd of devotees visiting the temple for darshan.

Sacred History & Spiritual Significance

This sacred temple stands as a testament to deep spiritual devotion, ancient architectural grandeur, and rich local cultural traditions.

Temple Sanctum & Architecture

The sanctum sanctorum houses the divine idol consecrated according to ancient Vedic traditions, surrounded by serene courtyards and traditional temple architecture.

Sacred Darshan Gallery