Dholya Ganapati, Satara

Dholya Ganpati temple which is located in the city of Satara; the name itself has various meanings to it. This religious place is situated in Wai, which is an archaic location that was known as Virat Nagari, during Mahabharata. Dholya’ means huge or fat in Marathi language.

It is surrounded by seven Ghats- also known as Dakshin Kashi. Lord Ganesha’s Idol in the temple was structured and designed by Shri Ganpatrao Bhikaji Raste in the year 1762.

The Dholya Ganapati temple, situated on the banks of the Krishna river in Wai, known as Sri Tirthakshetra and South Kashi in Satara district. The architecture of the temple is beautifully designed. The courtyard of the temple is quadrangular to protect it from frequent river floods, the rear wall on the west side of the sanctum sanctorum is shaped like a median triangle and looks similar to a fishing boat.

In the sanctum sanctorum, on a half meter high quadrangle, there is a huge idol of Gajanan, one meter 80 cm high and two meters wide. It is carved out of a single black stone, brought from Karnataka. The grandeur of the idol can be seen from the first glance. Due to the magnificent and huge idol of Ganapati, this Ganapati is called as Mahaganapati or Dholya Ganapati. Currently the idol is painted saffron. So the original form of the idol is not visible.

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This Ganapati Ukidwa is sitting on both thighs. Ganapati in a happy posture is adorned with a few ornaments including Yajnopavita. It shows necklaces, armbands and leg breaks. The rear effect of the idol is crescent shaped 3 meters 63 cm high.

The roof of the sanctum sanctorum is an alchemy of the architecture of the time. The peak of Mahaganapati is the highest of all the temples in Vaiti and its height from the base to the crown is 24 meters.

History of Wai

Wai is a religious area on the banks of the river Krishna. Some consider Wai to be South Kashi. The famous temple of Wai Dholya Ganapati is famous for its continuous stone sculptures made by Sardar Raste in 1762. This is the village deity of Ganapati Vai. The village of Wai in Satara district was the cultural capital of Maharashtra in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and its traces can still be seen everywhere.

Situated on the banks of the Krishna, Wai is historically famous. It was once famous for its characteristic ghats and temples. Sanjeevan Samadhi of Shri Siddhanath is in the Siddheshwar temple in Vaitala, Ganga Rameshwar, Kashi Vishwanath, Lakshmi Narayan, Rokdoba Hanuman etc. temples established by Samarth Ramdas are here.

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Opening timings for dholya ganapati

All days of the week- 5:00 AM – 9:30 PM

How to reach Dholya Ganapati

Wai can be reached easily by train and the nearest railway station is Satara. From the station you can hire a taxi and reach this temple. If in Wai, than you can easily reach this place by taking an auto or rickshaw.

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Location

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