The Girijatmaj Ashtavinayak Temple Lenyadri is one of the Ashtavinayak temples located in the vicinity of the historical city of Junnar. The temple is named Girijatmaj after one of the names of Ganesha as Girija (Parvati’s) Atmaj (Son).

Districts/ Region

Pune district, Maharashtra, India.

History

The temple of Girijatmaya is situated in the cave. Junnar is a city in the vicinity of which around 200 Buddhist caves were excavated from 1st century BCE to 6th century CE. The present temple of the Vinayaka Ganesha is a 2nd century Buddhist Cave. The central cells were modified during the medieval period to convert the Buddhist monastery into the shrine of Ganesha.

The temple has an elaborate rock cut verandah with decorated octagonal pillars. The large hall has a low bench running parallel along the side walls. There are numerous rock-cut cells made for Buddhist monks when the cave was functioning as a Buddhist Monastery. SIde walls of the hall have some medieval carvings of memorial stones or hero stones. The central cells are converted into a shrine in which the back wall has an image of the Vinayaka. Vinayaka is a form of Ganesha or Ganapati. This temple is a monolithic shrine.

There are few other Buddhist caves in the vicinity of this cave-temple. One of the inscriptions in the group of these caves mentions this place as ‘Kapichitta’.

Geography

The temple of Lenyadri is located around 8 KM from the city of Junnar.

Weather/Climate

The region has a hot-semi arid climate year-round with an average temperature ranging from 19-33 degrees Celsius.

April and May are the hottest months in the region when the temperature reaches up to 42 degrees Celsius.

Winters are extreme, and the temperature can go as low as 10 degrees Celsius at night, but the average daytime temperature is around 26 degrees Celsius.

The annual rainfall in the region is around 763 mm

Things to do

One has to climb around 300 steps in order to reach this temple. This temple is situated in the cave next to the famous Buddhist prayer hall cave (chaitya).

Nearest tourist place

There are many places of tourist attraction that one can visit.

• Shivneri Fort ( 8.1 KM)
• Malshej Waterfall (26.4 KM)
• Ashtavinayak Ozar Temple (14.6 KM)
• Naneghat Fort (34 KM)
• Hadsar Fort (17.3 KM)
• Kukadeshwara Temple (27 KM)
• Nimgiri Fort (25.1 KM)

Special food speciality and hotel

Maharashtrian Cuisine can be found in the local restaurants here.

Accommodation facilities nearby & Hotel/ Hospital/Post Office/Police station

There are various accommodation facilities near the temple and in Junnar city.

• The nearest police station is Junnar Police Station (4.8 KM)
• The hospital near to this temple is Rural Hospital Junnar (4.8 KM)

Visiting Rule and Time, Best month to visit

• The temple is open from 5:00 A.M to 8:00 P.M .
• The entry ticket price may vary.
• There are paid parking facilities available for people coming from private vehicles.
• Photography is not allowed inside this temple.

The best time to visit this temple is from June to March.

Language spoken in area 

English, Hindi and Marathi.