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Top 20 Ganpati Temples of India (Beyond Ashtavinayak)
This guide brings together 20 well-known Ganpati (Lord Ganesha) temples across India, beyond the eight Ashtavinayak shrines of Maharashtra covered in a separate series on this site. Each entry below links to a full guide with history, timings, how to reach and travel tips. Wherever a temple's story is scripture, that is stated plainly; wherever it rests on local tradition, that is stated too.
Clockwise from top-left: Trishunda Ganapati (Pune), Kottarakkara Mahaganapathy (Kerala), Pazhavangadi Ganapathy (Thiruvananthapuram), Kadalekalu Ganesha (Hampi), Idagunji Mahaganapati (Karnataka), Anegudde Vinayaka (Kumbhashi). Images via Wikimedia Commons, credited on each temple's own page on this site.
West India
- Shree Siddhivinayak Temple, Prabhadevi (Mumbai, Maharashtra) — Shree Siddhivinayak Temple is in Prabhadevi, Mumbai. It was built in 1801 and is known as the temple of the wish granting Ganesha. It is one of the richest and most visited Hindu temples in India.
- Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Temple (Pune, Maharashtra) — Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Temple is in the centre of Pune city. It was founded in 1893 by a sweet shop owner after the death of his son, and later became linked with the public Ganeshotsav started by Lokmanya Tilak.
- Shree Swayambhu Ganpati Temple, Ganpatipule (Ratnagiri, Maharashtra) — The Ganpatipule temple sits on the Konkan coast in Ratnagiri district. The idol here is believed to be swayambhu, or self manifest, and faces west, which is unusual for Hindu temples.
- Shree Kasba Ganpati Temple (Pune, Maharashtra) — Kasba Ganpati is regarded as the gramadevata, or presiding deity, of Pune city. Tradition connects the temple to Jijabai, mother of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
- Shree Siddhivinayak Mahaganapati Temple, Titwala (Titwala, Thane district, Maharashtra) — The Siddhivinayak Mahaganapati Temple at Titwala is near Kalyan in Thane district. It is widely visited by families seeking blessings for marriage and family happiness.
- Shree Trishunda Ganapati Temple (Pune, Maharashtra) — Trishunda Ganapati Temple in Pune houses a rare three trunked Ganesha idol seated on a peacock. It was built in 1754 and is known for its unusual cave style stone carvings.
South India
- Shree Varasiddhi Vinayaka Temple, Kanipakam (Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh) — Kanipakam temple is in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. It is famous for its swayambhu idol that devotees believe grows larger every year, and for its old tradition of taking oaths of truth before the deity.
- Shree Ucchi Pillayar Temple, Rockfort (Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu) — Ucchi Pillayar temple sits atop the ancient rock of Rockfort in Tiruchirappalli. Its name means the Ganesha of the summit, and it stands above the historic Thayumanaswami Shiva temple built into the same rock.
- Shree Karpaka Vinayakar Temple, Pillayarpatti (Sivaganga district, Tamil Nadu) — Pillayarpatti temple in Sivaganga district houses Karpaka Vinayakar, a large Ganesha idol carved directly into a natural cave rock. It is one of the oldest Ganesha shrines of Tamil Nadu, going back to the Pandya period.
- Shree Manakula Vinayagar Temple (Puducherry, Puducherry) — Manakula Vinayagar Temple is in the heart of Puducherry town. It is an ancient temple that continued to function through the period of French colonial rule.
- Shree Anegudde Vinayaka Temple, Kumbhashi (Udupi district, Karnataka) — Anegudde Vinayaka Temple stands on a small hill at Kumbhashi in Udupi district, Karnataka. Local tradition connects it to a story of the Pandava Bhima receiving a weapon from Lord Ganesha.
- Shree Idagunji Mahaganapati Temple (Honnavar, Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka) — Idagunji Mahaganapati Temple is in Honnavar taluk of Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka. It houses a rare standing form of Ganesha and its sacred history is described in the Sahyadri Khanda section of the Skanda Purana.
- Shree Kadalekalu and Sasivekalu Ganesha, Hampi (Hampi, Karnataka) — Hampi in Karnataka has two large monolithic Ganesha statues, Kadalekalu Ganesha and Sasivekalu Ganesha, both carved during the Vijayanagara period within the ancient region known as Kishkindha Kshetra.
- Shree Mahaganapathy Temple, Kottarakkara (Kollam district, Kerala) — Sree Mahaganapathy Temple is in Kottarakkara, Kollam district, Kerala. It is an old shrine linked historically with the nearby Sree Kandeswara temple complex of the same town.
- Shree Pazhavangadi Ganapathy Temple (Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala) — Pazhavangadi Ganapathy Temple stands in the busy centre of Thiruvananthapuram city, Kerala. It is known for its large sitting Ganesha idol and is believed to be several centuries old.
North India
- Shree Trinetra Ganesh Temple, Ranthambore Fort (Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan) — Trinetra Ganesh Temple is inside the historic Ranthambore Fort in Rajasthan. It is famous for its rare three eyed form of Ganesha and for the custom of sending the first wedding invitation card to this temple.
- Shree Moti Dungri Ganesh Temple (Jaipur, Rajasthan) — Moti Dungri Ganesh Temple is in Jaipur, at the base of a small hillock topped by a palace built in Scottish castle style. The idol was installed here in 1761.
- Shree Dhundiraj Vinayak Temple, Kashi (Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh) — Dhundiraj Vinayak temple stands right beside the Kashi Vishwanath temple entrance in Varanasi. It is described in the Kashi Khanda of the Skanda Purana as the chief among the 56 Vinayaka shrines of the holy city.
Central India
- Shree Chintaman Ganesh Temple (Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh) — Chintaman Ganesh Temple stands on the banks of the Kshipra river in Ujjain. It is regarded by local tradition as one of the oldest self manifest Ganesha shrines in India.
- Shree Khajrana Ganesh Temple (Indore, Madhya Pradesh) — Khajrana Ganesh Temple is in Indore. Local history says the idol was buried underground to protect it during a difficult period and was rediscovered later, becoming one of the city's most visited temples.