Atop a hillock in the tiny village of Siddhatek, off the Pune-Solapur highway, sits Siddhivinayak. The power of Siddhi (which loosely translates from Sanskrit as “accomplishment” or “perfection” ) is Ganesha’s domain. Vishnu, who unsuccessfully battled the demons Madhu and Kaitabh for 5000 years, was reminded of this by Brahma, who advised Vishnu to propitiate Ganesha if he wished to fulfill his purpose. Upon invoking the elephant-god, Vishnu is said to have attained siddhi on the Siddhatek hill and vanquished the baddies.
While most Ganesha idols have left-turning trunks, the Siddhivinayak idol, with its right-facing trunk is rare and therefore, special. Such idols require rigorously implemented rules of worship. This arises from the Hindu school of thought in which invisible “channels” of energy govern our well-being. While the left side of our bodies symbolizes the moon, femininity, coolness and relaxation, the channel on our right side corresponds with the sun, masculinity, aggression and energy. A Ganesha with a right-facing trunk is extraordinarily powerful, to be worshipped with care and restraint, in much the same way that one would handle fire!
Nice Lord Ganesha Blog and great post on Siddhivinayak temple.
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Posted by: Sooraj | 05/23/2009 at 04:19 AM