Conserving the constant

The interesting history behind the temple that dates back to over 350 years ago is that Adil Shah,the emperor from Bijapur had devastated Pune during one of the wars thus destroying the temples with a plough pulled by donkeys- a ritual that meant that the civilisation of a particular place was destroyed completely. It was then that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his mother re- erected the temple and garnered the land here with a golden plough- the indicator of prosperity. “Kasba means small civilization and the place was named so by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Not only that,the actual name of the deity here is Jayati Gajanan meaning god of the win. It was called Kasba Ganpati by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,” smiles Shete.

The interiors of the temple that belong to the Peshwa era while the exteriors are of the Hemadpanthi style of architecture. “Both these aspects have a great historical significance and are going to be kept intact even post renovation. The management plans to landscape the open spaces outside the temple,” smiles Shete adding,“Countless people come to the temple every day. I personally know so many of them for whom coming to the Kasba Ganpati mandir is the first thing they like to begin their day with. Not only that,even today,whenever there is a marriage or a house warming or for that matter a mangal karya,the first invitation is sent to the Kasba Ganpati. They say that every village has a Ganesh Mandir of its own,which is considered the deity of the place. Pune might have grown in multiple folds in the past few years,but Kasba still remains the nucleus,from where it all began and Kasba Ganpati—the deity of Pune.”

While the status of teerthakshetra will not make much of difference to the native devotees,who have been already worshipping the deity,but it might make some difference for the tourists,who might feel drawn to see the temple because of its interresting history. Thus it might find a place in list of famous tourist destination. The funds allocated for the rennovation of the temple will also help in developing the surrounding areas to make it more accessible and appealing for the devotees.