Idagunji Maha
Ganapati
Lord Ganesha is known
as Aadi Poojya Deva – the auspicious Lord who is worshipped first. Legend
has it that when Lord Krishna prepared to leave the earth at the end of
the Dvapara Yuga, people were anxious about the upcoming Kali Yuga.
Rishis, led by
Valakhilya, began rituals in Kunjavana, a forest on the banks of the
Sharavati River.Faced with many obstacles, Valakhilya sought sage Narada’s
help. Narada advised him to pray to Ganesha and restart his rituals. He
also helped choose a place for it. A sacred place visited by Brahma,
Vishnu, Shiva. Where gods had created the sacred lakes of Chakratirtha and
Brahmatirtha.
It was there that
Narada helped build a new sacred pond known as Devatirtha.
He then requested
Parvati to send her son Ganesha. Delighted at their devotion, Ganesha decided
to stay there until the rituals were carried out without any
obstacles. This place is known called Idagunji.
Eda means ‘to the
left’ and ‘Kunj’ means a garden. The Idagunji Ganapati is known as Bala
Ganesha, The young form of the elephant-faced deity.
This deity has two
tusks, not ‘Ekadanta’ and he does not have a snake around his waist
either. This could, perhaps, mean he was the oldest Ganesha to be consecrated
before he wrote the Mahabharata.
Ganesha stands here holding a radish and
a laddoo in his two hands.
The temple is located
in Honnavara, in Uttara Kannada district.
It receives at least
a million visitors every year.
