Mangal Murthi Morya Ganapati Temple

The Mangal Murthi Morya Ganapathi  also know as Birla Ganapati is a staggering 54ft tall Ganapati statue just off the NH4, Mumbai road near to the Somatane toll gate. It's a difficult to miss statue as this place is well lit up at night too. The idol is visible from the NH 4\Old  Mumbai-Pune road to the left if you are travelling towards Mumbai just as you approach the Somatane tollgate.

The majestic Ganesh Idol

How to reach:

If you are travelling from Pune, take the old Mum-Pune road(NH4) and go till the Somatane tollgate. On the left hand side you should see the beautiful Ganesh Idol on a small hillock. The entrance to the temple is right after the tollgate and if you are travelling by car, you need to pay a toll of Rs.26.

The stairs to the temple

Right after you cross the tollgate , there is a left turn almost like a V-turn. You can see a big board for Prati Shirdi which is on the same road about 1.5 kms from this junction. After you take the turn, after about 500m there is a small road climbing up to the left leading to the parking lot of the temple. There is a board with 'Mangal Murthy Morya Temple' indicating the left turn. There is ample parking space once you make your way up and they charge some nominal amount for parking. I had to pay Rs.3 for my two wheeler. Then you have to walk up the stairs to the temple. The climb is pretty easy and even elders and children will enjoy it. The place is kept very clean and secured with cctv cameras.

View from different angle

Best Time to visit:

Morning or evening, any day of the year. Morning 10 am should be a good time as the Idol is facing North-east and the light conditions would be better to take a clear shot at this time. The idol is not covered so visiting the place is monsoons might not be a good idea. I went to this place at 5 in the evening and could not get clear photos as the sun shining right behind the Idol. However, it is a good peaceful place to be with your family in the evening.

Places nearby:
The Ghorvadeshwar Cave temple is just about a km apart and can be covered on the same day.
Pratishirdi at Shirgaon is on the same road some 3-4 kms ahead.

Route Map:

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Ghorvadeshvar Cave Temple

If you are looking for a quick trek to a nearby place, why not combine it with visit to a temple. Ghorvadeshwar Cave temple is a active Shiv temple on top of a hillock just before the Somatane Toll gate if you are going towards Mumbai. A short walk up the stair will take you to these old caves. The view from the top is quite nice and on regular days the number of visitors is also not high making it an ideal evening destination. I could not make it to Shiv temple on MahaShivratri hence had planned to go to this temple on Sunday.

Temple arch

Best time to visit:

Any day of the year, preferable morning or evening to avoid afternoon heat.

How to Reach:

The Temple is very near to Pune and just about 800m before the Somatane Toll plaza on old NH4 road. There is no distinct marker for this temple but if you are traveling towards Mumbai, the temple will be on the left hand side of the road. Look out for arch and stairs when you start approaching the Somatane Toll gate. Also there is a big water tank on the right hand side which is just a few meters after the temple entrance but to the left. There is ample space for parking your vehicle and there is a small dhaba where you can have snacks. The main stairway of the temple is a few meters away from this dhaba and is uphill. I parked my bike right next to the dhaba. An old man keep a watch on the bikes and charges Rs.5. You can also park your bike right next to the stairs leading to the temple but i preferred it next to the dhaba. Cars can park right next to the dhaba as there is enough of open space.

On way to top

The water tank on the other side of road- marker

 

Going to the top:

To reach the temple you need to climb the stairs which then lead to rough terrain again joining the stairs. The initials stairs are quite good but elders might find a difficult time as the steps are quite big. Once you reach the end of these stairs there is a small flat top from where you can see the highway and the Birla Ganapati at some distance. Good place for few snaps. There are no stairs here. Climbing uphill you will eventually get to the stairs but this time the stairs are not that good. I followed the stairs whic lead me to a path, quite easy to follow and not that difficult and eventually got to the temple.

Birla Ganapati as seen from top

On the kutcha stairs, flat top seen below

Once you reach the top there is a junction and here is where there are two ways- left Vitthal Temple and right Shiv temple. Though I am not 100% sure of which deity was in the temple to the left but as far as my knowledge in mythology and gods it was Vitthal. 

Cave next to Shiv temple

Shiv temple

You can either start you way back after seeing the temple or make your way to the top. There are different routes you can take, one is right next to the temple a small narrow path. There is also a way marked with arrows right at the junction of two temples. This one is a bit difficult to climb as there is no clear path, just rocks. I made my way up this path and reached a point from where I could see the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and the new stadium. The way up is however steep and families definitely need to avoid it as the descent is a bit tricky. The view from this place is awesome but the time I went, 4 p.m. was wrong and I had the sun shining at my lens, so could not get clear shots. After seeing around and getting a couple of shots I made my way down, a bit tired but happy to have visited the Shiv temple and I could not go to a Shiv Temple on Mahashivratri.

The marked path up the hill

This is how it looks like once you climb up

The Xpressway and Stadium from the Top

Places Nearby:

• Birla Ganapati
• Pratishirdi

Route Map:


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