Trishund Ganapati Temple, Pune

Trishundya Mayureshwar Ganapati temple is a small but beautiful temple located in Somwar Peth near the Kamala Nehru Hospital. There is a stream called as Nagazari which is very close to it. In fact when the temple was constructed there was a direct approach to the banks of the Nagazari from this temple. The construction of this temple was started on 26th August 1754 C.E. by a person called as Bhimjigiri Gosavi from Dhampur near Indore and was completed in 1770 C.E. There are three inscriptions on the wall of the sanctum of the temple, two of them are in Devanagari script and Sanskrit language and the third one is in the Persian script and language. The first inscription refers to the foundation of Rameshwara and the construction of this temple in 1754 C.E. The second Sanskrit inscription gives a verse from the Bhagvad Geeta. The third inscription that is in Persian informs that a temple of Gurudevadatta was constructed. Presently the temple houses an image of Ganesh with three trunks and six hands and seated on a peacock, which in fact is a rare depiction of this deity. The temple is constructed on a high platform and has a small courtyard from where the entrance to the shrine can be made. The façade of the temple is highly decorated with the depictions of different real and mythological creatures. The entrance is topped by a sculpture of Goddess Lakshmi flanked by two elephants that are shown pouring water from their trunks. The entrance takes one into a hall which further leads one to a passage opening in front of the sanctum. The entrance of the sanctum has many sculptures including a couple of ascetics practising penance. The temple has a basement which can be entered through the staircases constructed in the thick walls of the main entrance. There is an open hall with a couple of platforms and pillars in the basement along with a Samadhi (a memorial) of a Gosavi. There is an inlet for the stream of water also in the basement and hence the basement is generally filled with water. It is not open for everybody except on Gurupournima day, when the basement is cleaned and dried and people can pay homage to the memorial of the ascetic. It is believed that the basement was used as a school for the ascetics who practiced the tantric form of Hinduism. The exteriors of this temple are also well decorated with the images of Shiva, Vishnu, and the Longodbhava depiction of Shiva, as the original plan was to dedicate this temple to Shiva. There are some unique sculptures carved on the façade of this temple, a rhinoceros being tied with iron chains by a British soldier is one of them. This is a clever depiction of the historical fact that after the battle of Plassey in 1757C.E. the British had captured Bengal and Assam. A rhinoceros symbolizing Assam was used by the artist to give this suggestion. The architecture of the temple is a mixture of Rajasthani, Malwa and South Indian styles, but the Shikhara (tower over the sanctum) is missing today. This is a living temple and is looked after by a trust. It is open from 7am to 12noon and from 5pm to 9pm.