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Siddhtek is a remote little village along the river Bhima,
located almost 200-km from Pune in Ahmednagar district housing one of the
Astha Vinak shrines of Maharashtra. It is also believed
to be a holy place where Morya Gosavi did penance but Ahilyabai Holkar
constructed the main temple. The Siddhivinayak at Siddhtek is considered
an especially powerful deity. There is a popular belief that Vishnu
acquired Siddhi on the Siddhtek Mountain.
Vishnu had once waged a war with demons Madhu and Kaitabh. The battle
went on for many days, but Vishnu failed to defeat them. Lord Shankar
advised him to appeal to Ganesha. Ganesha appeared on the battlefield and
provided more strength and spiritual power to Vishnu and he succeeded in
defeating the demons. Since Vishnu attained strength and spiritual power
here, the place is called Siddhatek, and the Ganesha is called Shri
Siddhivinayak.
This temple is located on the top of a hill. A new temple was built during the reign of Peshwa. Peshwa's Senapati Haripant Phadke built the road from the temple to the village while Ahilyabai built the shrine. The idol is three feet high and has Riddhi-Siddhi sitting on its lap.
Tourists can take bus from Ahmednagar. There are also special buses, which are called Astha Vinayak darshan, which takes tourists to all the eight temples, run by government of Maharashtra and also private operators.
Accommodation is available in the Dharamshalas and rooms let by local people and hotels at Pune .