Dagdusheth Halwai Ganesh

When I first came to Pune for the interview I was astonished by the beautiful lamination of Lord Ganesh adorning the wall in my brother's house. I asked my s-i-l about it and she said that it was the Dagdusheth Halwai Ganesh. It was completely different from the normal Ganesh that I was used to seeing. I wanted to pay a visit to that temple immediately. The visit kept postponing from one weekend to the next.

It has been 3 months now. Finally I was able to pay the Lord a visit yesterday night. Yesterday being Gudi Padwa ("Ugaadi" for us) the temple was thronging with people who wanted to pay homage to the Lord of good times. The temple itself is tucked away in the middle of one of Pune's busiest markets near Laxmi road. We had to park the car at Shanivarwada fort due to the dearth of parking space near the temple. All this strain and stress vanished once inside. I have never seen a better Ganesh temple neither have I ever seen the Lord better adorned. This Ganesh was different. His temple (fit enough to be called a palace) was lavish, large and grand. The ornaments were shining bright in the arclights. The pomp and splendor of the temple increased because of the devotees who chanted the "aarthi" along with the usual accompanying musical instruments like drums and cymbals. I was really fortunate to be there at the aarthi time that lasted nearly 30 minutes. It was one of the joyous 30 minutes of my life! The visit was memorable indeed.