Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai is one of the most-renowned Hindu temples of Maharashtra, India. Here, Ganpati or the Lord Ganesha is the prominent deity who is worshipped by people from all parts of India. The foundation of this famous religious architecture was dated back to the earlier parts of the nineteenth century. This temple was constructed by Mr. Laxman Vithu in association with Mrs. Deubai Patil in the year, 1801. Situated in Mumbai at Prabhadevi, the Siddhivinayak temple is visited by thousands of devotees from all parts of the city and various other parts as well.

There is a Mandapa or hall of small size inside the Siddhivinayak together with the shrine and from this place the image of Siddhivinayak or the Lord Ganesha is clearly visible. It is believed that Siddhivinayak provides good wishes to his devotees. There are several images of Ashtavinayak carved on the main doors of the shrine made of wood. The images carved on the wooden doors of the temple symbolize the eight different manifestations of the Lord Ganesha in the state of Maharashtra. The entire roof or ceiling is enclosed with gold sheet, which makes Lord Ganesha’s crown, inside the sanctum. In the Siddhivinayak temple, the major deity, the Lord Ganesha is displayed having four arms. With the four hands the lord holds an axe, a lotus flower, garland of beads and a plate of modakas, in each hand. The statue of the Lord Siddhivinayak was engraved on a single black stone and is 600mm wide and 750mm high. The peculiar form of this deity is that the trunk of Ganesha is towards the right. A snake is hanging from the left shoulder of the lord towards the right side of the belly, depicting the sacred thread. There is an eye on the forehead of Siddhivinayak looking like the third eye of Lord Shiva, the father of Lord Ganesha. The two companions or wives of the Lord Ganesha, Riddhi and Siddhi, grace the spiritual surrounding with their presence in both sides of the main deity. The image of the Lord hanuman is also there in the main entrance of the Siddhivinayak temple. The auspicious day of worship in the Siddhivinayak temple is on Tuesday, and devotees in large numbers visit this spiritual place on every Tuesday to worship the Lord Ganesha. People visit the Siddhivinayak temple on Tuesdays much before the scheduled time of the opening of the temple in order to have a glimpse of the Lord. There is a major belief that the Lord fulfils each and every prayer of his true devotees.

The Siddhivinayak temple is exactly located on the corner of S.K.Bole Marg and Kakasaheb Gadgil Marg in Prabhadevi. The temple was founded by Late Mr.Laxman Vithu Patil, a professional contractor along with the financial assistance of Late Mrs.Deubai Patil, a rich lady having no child. The idea to build the Siddhivinayak temple came into the mind of Late Deubai while she was praying. She asked God to let other women to have children, who are childless, by visiting the Siddhivinayak temple and praying before the deity. Thus the temple was constructed. This temple in Mumbai was revamped in the year, 1994 in order to facilitate the presence of a large number of devotees. On Ganesh Chaturthi, the most prominent festival at the Siddhivinayak temple, a large number of devotees move into the temple premises to offer their holy prayer. Out of the temple, there is a narrow lane close to it by the name of Phool Gali. There are several stalls available in this lane selling tulsi flower garlands, coconut and a variety of sweets. Among the variety of sweets to be offered to the Lord Siddhivinayak, the Modak or Ladoo is the most sought after since it is the much loved sweet of Ganesha.

As per the available source of information, the area of the Siddhivinayak temple complex was around 2550 square meters. Towards the southern and eastern parts of the temple there was a lake constructed by Nardulla during the earlier parts of the 19th century. The aim of the construction of the lake was to meet the water scarcity of that area. Later, the lake was filled up and today the place has made way for a part of Kakasaheb Gadgil Marg and children’s playground. Previously, there was also a pair of stone masonry, a dharmashala or rest house and a place of residence for the complex owner.

While the road extension work of the Sayani Road close to Elphinston Road of Mumbai was underway, the workers of the municipality found an idol of Shree Hanuman. The workers put the idol by the side of the road and continued with their work. Devotees to the Shree Siddhivinayak temple told the then head priest of the temple Shree Govind Phatak regarding the idol of Hanuman. The head priest, without delay, brought the idol and constructed a compact temple where he kept the idol of Hanuman somewhere in the year 1952. The reformation of the Lord Hanuman mandir gave a new appearance to it. From the starting of the day with the rise of the Sun till the closing hours, this temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman possesses its specific list of naivedya, pujas & aartis. On every Saturday, the devotees of Lord Hanuman get traditional offerings of Rui garland and oil in a cheaper rate on the basis of coupons.

The Siddhivinayak temple one of the major religious places for the Hindus in Maharashtra and devotees from various parts of Mumbai and several other parts of India visit this temple on auspicious occasions. With this in mind, the Indian government has made arrangements for tight security outside the temple premises in order to facilitate the devotees a calm and peaceful environment to worship. During Sankashti Chaturthi and Angaraki, there are large gatherings of devotees.