Sankashti Chaturthi Mandal
Photo: PrasadhBaapaat at English Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
In the village of Mahad, in Raigad district, stands the temple of Varadvinayak — the boon-granting form of Shree Ganesh. Its history begins not with a demon or a battle, but with a royal family's longing for a child, a young man's difficult trial, and one sage's long road back from shame to grace.
A Prince Born of Penance
King Bhima of Kaundinyapur and his queen were childless for many years, until they met the sage Vishwamitra during a period of penance in the forest. Vishwamitra taught them a sacred mantra dedicated to Shree Ganesh, and through its devotion, a son was born to them: Prince Rukmangad.
A Test of Virtue
Rukmangad grew into a righteous young man. On a hunting expedition, he came to the hermitage of the sage Vachaknavi, whose wife made an improper request of him. Rukmangad, holding fast to his principles, refused her and departed at once. What followed was not of his doing: Indra, king of the gods, took on Rukmangad's likeness and deceived the sage's wife, and a son was born to her — Gritsamada — who believed himself Rukmangad's child.
A Curse, and the Truth Behind It
When Gritsamada later learned the true circumstances of his birth, he cursed his mother in his anguish, and she, in turn, cursed him. In that same moment, a voice from the heavens revealed what neither had known: that Gritsamada was truly the son of Indra. The truth came too late to undo what had already been spoken, and Gritsamada, ashamed and grieving, withdrew from the world.
Penance in the Pushpak Forest
Gritsamada retreated to the Pushpak forest and turned his sorrow into devotion, undertaking deep penance to Shree Ganesh. Pleased by his sincerity, Shree Ganesh appeared before him and granted him a boon — that his son to come would be undefeatable by anyone but Shiva. Gritsamada, in gratitude, asked Shree Ganesh to bless the forest itself, so that all who prayed there in earnest would find success, and to remain in that place forever.
The Boon-Giver of Mahad
Because Shree Ganesh granted this request and chose to stay, this form became known as Varadvinayak — the giver of boons. The self-manifested (swayambhu) idol now enshrined at Mahad was found in a nearby lake and installed in the temple in 1690, and devotees continue to seek Varadvinayak's blessing for exactly what Gritsamada once sought: release from sorrow, and the fulfillment of sincere prayer.