Siddhivinayak Temple Mumbai

The city of Mumbai is known for its cultural blend and unique historical architectures which not only include ancient structures and beautiful edifices but also some of the most significant religious structures of the country. Out the many important religious structures belonging to different religions, Siddhivinayak Temple is one of the most revered and magnificent shrines in the heart of the city of Mumbai. Being home to Lord Ganesh or Lord Vinayak, the Destroyer of Obstacles (Vighnaharta), who is the first to be revered before starting a venture or any kind of auspicious ritual, Shree Siddhivinayak Ganpati Temple, located at Prabhadevi, is visited by thousands of devotees every day and is famously synonymous to the city of dreams .

The temple was conceptualized in 1801 by a contractor LaxmanVithu and was funded by DeubaiPatil who couldn’t bear her own children due to infertility and decided to construct a temple togive the other infertile women a place to wish where their desires can be fulfilled. The interesting part about the temple deity is that the statue of Lord Ganesh here is considered to be self-manifested, and grants wishes if desired from heart. The six-storeyed temple houses a small sanctum which has the deity of Lord Ganesh that is 2.5 feet wide and is built out of a single piece of black rock. The temple got its fame not only because the statue of Ganesha here is specially revered, but because it gets visited by many big celebrities and its popularity with the Film fraternity. Shree Siddhivinayak Temple is also the richest temple of Mumbai with an annual donation of over 100 million rupees it gets every year from devotees around the world.

Siddhivinayak Temple was constructed on 19 November 1801 by a contractor called LaxmanVithu and was funded by a rich Agri woman named DeubaiPatil. It is said that she was childless due to infertilityand decided to get the temple built so that other infertile women or childless couple can pray to Lord Ganesha to grant them children. Siddhi Vinayak means "Ganesh” who grants your wish" so this way the temple is dedicated to the Vinayak or Ganesh’s deity that will grant your wishes.

The original structure of the Siddhivinayak Temple was a square brick structure of 3.6-meter x 3.6 metre with a dome-shaped brick. The 2550 temple complex had two 3.6-meter Deepamalas, a rest house and living quarters for the caretaker.

Ramakrishna JambhekarMaharaj, who was a disciple of the Hindu saint Akkalkot Swami Samarth, buried two small idols in front of the existing idol of Ganesh after being instructed by Swami Samarth. As prophesied by Swami Samarth, a Mandar tree got sprouted from the buried idols with an image of Svayambhu Ganesh in its branches after 21 years. In the 1950s and 60s, the fame of the temple spread, and a significant number of devotees began visiting, and in the 1970s, the number of devotees increased dramatically.

Siddhivinayak Temple had been to several renovations in the past decades which has left the temple to a magnificent edifice we now see. The imposing structure comprises primary ‘Kalash’ which is 12 feet high along with 3 Kalash reaching up to 5 feet high and 33 others stand at a height of 3.5 feet which makes a total of 37 gilded domes that adorn the main temple complex. The old part of the temple complex consists of a hall, the main sanctum, a verandah, and a water tank as well.

The new temple complex was made by extensive research of the temples in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu by architect Shri SharadAthale and the design was finalized to be commenced in the year 1990. Keeping the old idol intact, a multi-angular six-storey structure was constructed over the gold-plated domes. The crown of the temple was redesigned along with three main entrances leading up to the interior. The meticulous architecture and the work that led to the magnificent structure of Siddhivinayak temple we see today took over 3 years to get finished and is the definition of artistry and reverence.

The worship of Lord Vinayak in the form of the grand aarti is a spectacular sight to behold and an experience to immerse yourself in. The aarti is performed at different durations of the day and differ according to the festivals as well. Here is a detailed guide about the Siddhivinayak Temple Aarti through which one can plan for the visit according to the day, season, or festival that are celebrated here –

WEDNESDAY TO MONDAY:

TUESDAY:

VINAYAKA CHATURTHI:

• KakadAarti or early morning prayer – 5:30am to 6:00am
• Shree Darshan – 6:00am to 7:30am
• Abhishekha, Naivedhya and Pooja Aarti – 7:30am to 1:00pm (Devotees are not allowed inside the temple during this time)
• Shree Darshan – 1:00pm to 7:20pm
• Aarti or evening Prayer – 7:30pm to 8:00pm
• Shree Darshan – 8:00pm to 9:50pm
• Shejaarti or last Aarti before the temple closes – 9:50pm

SANKASHTI CHATURTHI:

• Shree Darshanor the early morning darshan – 4:30am to 4:45am
• KakadAarti or the early morning prayer – 5:00am to 5:30am
• Shree Darshan or the early morning darshan – 5:30am to 90 minutes Before Moonrise at night
• Pooja, Abhishekha, Naivedhya - 90 minutes Before Moonrise (Devotees are not allowed in the temple during this time)
• Aarti or prayer at night - after Moonrise (Pooja after Abhishekha)
• Shree Darshan - after Aarti till queue lasts
• Shejaarti or the last Aarti before temple closes - after Moonrise 90 minutes Shejaarti

MAGHI SHREE GANESH JAYANTI:

• Shree Darshan or the early morning darshan – 4:00am to 4:45am
• KakadAarti or the early morning prayer – 5:00am to 5:30am
• Shree Darshan or the early morning darshan – 5:30am to 10:45am
• Pooja, Abhishekha, Naivedhya and Aarti – 10:45am to 1:30pm
• Shree Darshan – 1:30pm to 7:20pm
• Aarti or the Prayerevening – 7:30pm to 8:00pm
• Shree Darshan or the night Darshan – 8:00 PM till Shejaarti
• Shejaarti or the last Aarti of the day before temple closes - Shejaarti after Ratha-Shobhayatra finishes 

BHADRAPAD SHREE GANESH CHATURTHI:

• Shree Darshan or the early morning darshan – 4:00am to 4:45am
• KakadAarti or the early morning prayer – 5:00am to 5:30am
• Shree Darshan or the early morning darshan – 5:30am to 10:45am
• Pooja, Abhishekha, Naivedhya and Aarti – 10:45am to 1:30pm
• Shree Darshan – 1:30pm to 7:20pm
• Aarti or the Prayer at evening – 7:30pm to 8:00pm
• Shree Darshan or the Night Darshan – 8:00pm to 10:00pm
• Shejaarti or the last Aarti of the day before temple closes – 10:00pm

You can book your visits online through the temple’s official mobile application – the Siddhivinayak app or by visiting siddhivinayak.org/onlineand by entering your details to register on and selecting “Appointment Booking”. After this you need to mention the number of people who you’re booking tickets for, and select your date for the darshan, along with appointment type (free or for Rs.100) and then pick your time slot to get a QR code. The QR code is generated, which you can get scanned to enter the temple after sanitizing yourself.

One can also directly go to the Siddhivinayak Pooja booking office which opens at 6am to 9pm daily and is outside Gate No. 3.

To avoid excessive crowd, Siddhivinayak Temple is best visited during the daytime as devotees usually flock during evening or early morning. Apart from this, the best time to visit the Siddhivinayak Temple is during festivals such as VinayakiChaturthi, SankashtiChaturthi, Maghi Shree Ganesh Jayanti, and Bhadrapad Shree Ganesh Chaturthi, as special prayers take place during these times which is nothing less than a spectacle to behold.

• By Road: Siddhivinayak Temple can be reached by taxis, cabs, or B.E.S.T buses from all parts of the city which are easily available and will take you to Prabhadevi area where the temple is located.
• By Rail: The nearest railway station from Siddhi Vinayak Temple Mumbai is Dadar Railway Station which is just a 15 minutes’ walk to the temple and rickshaws are also available.
• By Air: The nearest airport from Siddhivinayak Temple is Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at approx. 11km. From here, one can find taxis, buses, or auto rickshaws to reach the temple.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)