Siddhi Vinayak Temple, Mumbai
Mumbai has many old temples, but few attract the kind of continuous stream of devotees seen at Siddhivinayak Temple in Prabhadevi.
The temple itself is not enormous when compared with many famous temples elsewhere in India. Yet, on most days, devotees wait patiently for darshan, and the shrine has gradually become one of the religious landmarks most closely associated with Mumbai.
Its history goes back more than two centuries.
From a Small Shrine to a Mumbai Landmark
The Siddhivinayak Temple was consecrated on 19 November 1801.
The original structure was quite small. At its centre was the black-stone murti of Ganesha that continues to be worshipped today.
What we see now is very different from that modest nineteenth-century temple.
A major reconstruction began in 1990 and continued for about three years. Importantly, the original Ganesha murti was kept intact during the rebuilding. The temple was transformed into a multiangular, six-storeyed structure built largely with marble and pink granite.
Above the sanctum rises a gold-plated central dome or kalash. Several smaller crowns surround it, giving the upper part of the temple its distinctive appearance.
The reconstruction was followed by the Kumbhabhishekam in June 1994.
Look Closely at Siddhivinayak
The principal murti is much smaller than one might expect from the fame of the temple.
Siddhivinayak is carved from a single piece of black stone and measures about two and a half feet in height and two feet in width.
The first detail to observe is the trunk.
It curves towards Ganesha's right side. Most commonly encountered Ganesha images have the trunk curving towards the left, making this right-curving form immediately distinctive.
Siddhivinayak has four arms. The upper right hand holds a lotus, while the upper left carries an axe. A rosary is held in the lower right hand, and the lower left contains a bowl of modaks.
There is another small detail that can easily be missed.
An eye resembling Shiva's third eye is carved on the forehead of Ganesha.
Riddhi and Siddhi
Look to either side of Siddhivinayak and two female figures appear almost as though they are peeping out from behind him.
They are Riddhi and Siddhi.
They represent prosperity, fulfilment and success and form an integral part of the composition rather than functioning merely as unrelated subsidiary deities.
This arrangement gives the murti a very different appearance from the many standalone images of Ganesha we encounter in other temples.
Why Does the Black Murti Look Different?
The original murti is carved from black stone, although during darshan its natural stone colour may not always be immediately apparent.
Flowers, ornaments, sacred substances and elaborate decoration can cover much of the murti. Depending on the particular alankara during the visit, one may notice the decoration before noticing the black stone underneath.
Knowing the material in advance makes us look at the murti differently.
Hanuman Shrine
There is also a separate shrine dedicated to Hanuman within the temple complex.
It is easy for the principal Siddhivinayak shrine to take all our attention, particularly when the crowd is large, but the smaller shrines are worth noticing before leaving the complex.
The present temple is therefore more than the single sanctum that most photographs and descriptions concentrate on.
The Temple and Mumbai
Siddhivinayak has gradually become part of Mumbai's public life.
Devotees from different parts of the city visit the temple regularly, and the shrine is particularly well known for attracting people before important beginnings in their personal or professional lives. Public figures, film personalities and sportspeople are also frequently seen visiting the temple, which has added to its visibility beyond Mumbai.
But celebrity visitors are not what explain the temple.
Stand in the queue and look around. Most people waiting for darshan are ordinary devotees. Some have travelled across the city, some come with families, and others arrive simply because Siddhivinayak has become part of their personal religious routine.
That continuing devotion has transformed what began as a small Prabhadevi shrine into one of Mumbai's best-known temples.
My Visit
Photography inside the temple was not permitted during my visit, so unfortunately I could not photograph the murti or the interiors.
Perhaps that also meant I spent more time simply looking.
The murti is not monumental in scale, and the temple does not depend on centuries-old stone architecture to impress us. What stays in memory instead is the unusual right-curving trunk, Riddhi and Siddhi appearing beside Ganesha, the constant movement of devotees and the contrast between the small original murti and the large temple that has grown around it.
If you are exploring the temples of Mumbai, Siddhivinayak deserves a place alongside the city's other important shrines.
Happy travelling.
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