The Mahaganapati temple at Ranjangaon, in Shirur taluka, is one of the eight Ashtavinayak temples and lies about 50 km from Pune on the Pune Ahilyanagar highway. According to legend Shiva worshipped Ganesh here before defeating the demon Tripurasura. The temple faces east, with a nagarkhana over the main gate, and the present structure dates mostly from the Peshwa period; Madhavrao I had a room built below the sanctum. Tradition holds that the original idol, called Mahotkat, with ten trunks and twenty arms, is kept hidden below the one worshipped today. It combines easily with Theur on a half day trip east of the city.
- Address: Ranjangaon Ganpati, Shirur, Pune district, Maharashtra 412209
- How to Reach: About 50 km north east of Pune on the Pune Ahilyanagar highway via Shikrapur, 21 km before Shirur. Buses for Ahilyanagar and Shirur stop at Ranjangaon.
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