Shree Siddhivinayak Temple, Prabhadevi

Two published days rather than one. Tuesday starts nearly three hours earlier and ends nearly two hours later than the rest of the week, and has a long evening break of its own.

The Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple Trust records that the temple at Prabhadevi was first consecrated on Thursday 19 November 1801, a date it says is noted in government records. Wikipedia and Maharashtra Tourism credit Laxman Vithu and Deubai Patil with building it. The first temple was a small structure housing the black stone idol that is still worshipped today.

The Trust describes that old temple as a hall and a sanctum, some open space, an administrative office to the right and a water tank in front. For an idea of what it looked like, it points visitors to the Kashi Vishveshwar temple near the Matunga signal, close to Citylight Cinema.

Siddhivinayak history turned a corner in 1990, when the Trust began rebuilding the temple around the idol without touching it. The architect, Sharad Athale of SK Athale and Associates, surveyed temples in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu but chose the stone Shiva temple at Ambernath as the model, because it had stood up to a hot, humid climate, a monsoon of nearly four months and the nearness of the sea. The work took three years, cost three crore rupees and used mainly marble and pink granite. The old Kalash was lowered with the proper rites and is kept on display inside the premises.

The rebuilding ended with the Kalash Pratishthapana and Kumbhabhishek on Monday 13 June 1994, Jyeshtha Shuddha Chaturthi, performed by the Shankaracharya of Sringeri, Bharati Tirtha Mahaswami. The temple has been governed since 1980 by the Shri Siddhi Vinayak Ganapati Temple Trust (Prabhadevi) Act, adopted on 11 October that year.

First consecrated

19 November 1801

Idol

Black stone, trunk turned to the right

Present temple

Rebuilt 1990 to 1993, consecrated 1994

Building

Six storeys, gold-plated central dome

Main Kalash

12 feet high, about 1,500 kg, gold plated

Tuesday crowd

Up to about 2 lakh devotees

Why Siddhivinayak matters to devotees

Ganesh is worshipped first before any new venture, as Vighnaharta, the remover of obstacles, and the Trust calls Siddhivinayak the temple that fulfils the desires of its worshippers. Maharashtra Tourism gives the name the same meaning, the one who grants wishes, and says devotees come from all over India to ask for success, prosperity and the removal of obstacles.

The idol itself is a large part of the pull. The Trust describes a four-armed Ganesh in black stone holding a lotus, a small axe, holy beads and a bowl of modaks, with an eye on the forehead like the third eye of Shiva, and Riddhi and Siddhi on either side. Its trunk turns to the right, which the Trust calls unique, since a Ganesh trunk usually curves to the left. By the Trust's own figures, Tuesdays and Angarak Sankashti Chaturthi, when Sankashti falls on a Tuesday, bring the largest crowds, up to about 2 lakh people.

Devotees who cannot reach the idol in the rush often take darshan of the gold-plated main dome instead. The Trust compares this to the way pilgrims at Pandharpur bow to the crown of the Vitthal temple on Ashadhi and Kartiki Ekadashi when they cannot get inside.

More facts about Siddhivinayak

Deity

Ganesh, as Siddhivinayak, flanked by Riddhi and Siddhi

The idol

Black stone, carved from a single stone, 2.5 feet high and 2 feet wide, with the trunk turned to the right

First consecrated

Thursday 19 November 1801

Built by

Laxman Vithu and Deubai Patil

Where

S.K. Bole Marg, Prabhadevi, Mumbai 400028, Maharashtra

Administered by

Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple Trust, regulated by the Shri Siddhi Vinayak Ganapati Temple Trust (Prabhadevi) Act, 1980

Present building

Renovation began in 1990 and took three years; crown installation and Kumbhabhishek on 13 June 1994

Structure

Six-storey multi-angular building with a gold-plated central dome

Also known as

Siddhivinayak Mandir, Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir, Siddhivinayak Temple Mumbai, Prabhadevi Ganpati temple

What the Trust itself publishes about entering and about the special days. Tuesday and Chaturthi arrangements are where most visits go wrong.

The Trust runs a standing notice to devotees on its website, in Marathi. These are its three requests, translated plainly.

• Devotees should wear clothing in keeping with the culture when entering the temple.
• Indecent, uncivil or revealing clothing should not be worn into the temple.
• Footwear should be removed and left at the stands outside the temple entrance.

The day of the week matters more than the season. Tuesday is the busiest day: the Trust estimates 1.5 to 2 lakh people use the common darshan area around the Gabhara every Tuesday, and on Angarak Sankashti Chaturthi common darshan runs from 2:00 AM until about 1:00 AM the next morning. If a quiet darshan is the aim, go on any day from Wednesday to Monday and avoid the Chaturthi dates the Trust lists on its important dates page.

On ordinary days darshan starts at 6:00 AM, straight after Kakad Aarti, and runs in long blocks to 7:00 PM with only a short break for Naivedhya from 12:05 PM to 12:30 PM. The evening is broken up by Dhup Aarti at 7:00 PM and the evening aarti from 7:30 PM, so the morning and afternoon blocks give the most time in the queue without interruption. On Vinayaki Chaturthi avoid the morning altogether, because devotees are kept out of the main temple from 7:30 AM to 1:00 PM.

Mumbai has a heavy monsoon of nearly four months, which is why the temple was rebuilt in stone to the Ambernath model. The Trust publishes no change to the schedule for the monsoon, but travel across the city is simpler outside the rains. Ganesh Chaturthi in Bhadrapad and Maghi Ganesh Jayanti are the great festivals of the year, with their own schedules, and are best for devotees who want the celebrations rather than a short darshan.

Tips before you go

• Check the day of the week before you go: the Trust runs a separate, much longer schedule on Tuesday.
• Check the Trust's important dates page for Sankashti and Vinayaki Chaturthi, which change the day's timings.
• Leave flowers and fruit behind on Vinayaki Chaturthi mornings; they are not allowed during the Maha Abhishek.
• Switch off your phone before entering, as the Trust asks.
• Wear modest clothing and leave footwear at the stands outside the entrance.
• If the queue to the Gabhara is too long, the common darshan platform and the mezzanine gallery also give a view of the idol.

Most visitors know Tuesday is busy. Fewer know that the Trust publishes whole separate schedules for it and for each kind of Chaturthi.

Tuesday, and Angarak Sankashti

Tuesday is the day the Trust opens earliest and closes latest, with darshan from 3:15 AM and Shejaarti at 11:45 PM. The Trust estimates that 1.5 to 2 lakh people use the common darshan area around the Gabhara every Tuesday.

When Sankashti Chaturthi falls on a Tuesday it is Angarak Sankashti Chaturthi. The Trust says common darshan then begins at 2:00 AM on Tuesday and runs to about 1:00 AM on Wednesday. The next Angarak Sankashti on its 2026 list is Tuesday 29 September, with moonrise at 9:05 PM.

Vinayaki and Sankashti Chaturthi

On Vinayaki Chaturthi the morning is given over to the Maha Abhishek: darshan runs 6:00 AM to 7:30 AM, devotees are kept out of the main temple from 7:30 AM to 1:00 PM, and darshan resumes at 1:00 PM on the usual schedule. The Trust lists Vinayak Chaturthi on 14 October, 13 November and 13 December 2026.

On Sankashti Chaturthi darshan opens at 4:30 AM and the evening is timed to the moon. The doors close for pooja, abhishek and naivedhya 90 minutes before moonrise, the aarti follows moonrise, and Shejaarti comes about 15 to 20 minutes after that aarti.

Ganesh Jayanti and Ganesh Chaturthi

On Maghi Shree Ganesh Jayanti and on Bhadrapad Shree Ganesh Chaturthi darshan opens at 4:00 AM, and the temple doors stay closed from 10:45 AM to 1:30 PM for pooja, naivedhya and aarti, with darshan possible only from a distance. On Ganesh Chaturthi the Trust lists Shejaarti at 10:00 PM; on Ganesh Jayanti it follows the end of the chariot procession.