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The Ganapati temple situated on banks of river Krishna at Sangli is most beautiful temple in south Maharashtra. It is a tutelar deity of Sangli. Thorle (elder) Chintamanrao Patwardhan consecrated the idol in 1843.
This
temple is very famous for its artistic construction. It is built out of
black stone made available from the hills of Jyotiba. The temple has a
large premise, covering a sprawling two acres. It comprises of a platform,
an excellent hall and a "Nagarkhana". The door of the sanctum is
carved out of different coloured natural wood. The temple is located on
eastern bank of river Krishna.
The idol of the Lord Ganapati is made out of copper and is astride a lion. The idol used during the festivals, which is called, as "Utsavmurti" is very beautiful and taller than the idol placed in the sanctum. It is located in such a way that it is visible from any road in Ganapati Peth. The dawning sun's rays illuminate the idol's face on some specific days.
Ganapati festival is celebrated with great religious fevour for five days from Bhadrapad Shuddha Chaturthi. Large number of devotees come from neighbouring villages to attend this festival.
Rail: The city of Sangli is a major railway
junction with 2 major railway stations. The Miraj junction railway station
is the busiest railway junction in the country, connecting the South
Central railway to the Central, Western, Northern and Southern railways.
Road: Sangli is connected to all major cities like Mumbai, Pune,
Delhi, Agra, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, etc. by road.
So tourists can easily access this temple either by road or train.
Local Transport: For local transportation city bus services are
available between Sangli-Miraj twin cities and nearby circle of about
20-km. Auto rickshaws are also found in plenty in the city.
Dharamshalas and small budgeted hotels at Sangli are available for accommodation.
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