Located in the crowded and narrow by lanes of Somwarpeth is a small yet beautiful Trishundaya Mayureshwar Ganpati Mandir (near Kamla Nehru Market on the banks of Nagazari). It was constructed way back in 1754 by Bhimjigiri Gosavi who was from Dhampur near Indore. When the temple was constructed, the Nagazari River could be reached directly from the temple.

The construction of the temple was completed in 1770. The temple has withstood the harshness of time and is still in very good condition. The whole temple is made of black stone. The outer lining of the temple is square in shape, while the roof is in dome shape. On the wall of the sanctum of the temple there are three inscriptions, one is in Persian script and the other two are in Devangiri and Sanskrit language.

The Persian script tells us that the temple of Gurudevdatta was constructed. Inscription in Sanskrit language gives a prose from Bhagwat Gita. The Devnagri inscription tells us about the foundation of Rameshwara and the construction of this temple in 1754. The temple has rare depiction of Lord Ganesha, he is incarcerated with three trunks, has three hands and is seated on a peacock. The statue of Lord Ganesha is made out of wood.

Trishundaya Ganpati temple has a small courtyard from where visitors can enter the shrine and it is built on a high platform. The highly decorated façade of the temple depicts various mythological and real life creatures. The sculpture of Goddess Lakshmi is at the top of the entrance with two elephants. Once you pass through the entrance you will reach a hall which leads you to an opening at the front of the sanctum.

There are many sculptures at the entrance of the sanctum which include a couple ascetics practicing reparation. Constructed in the thick walls of the main entrance, the temple has a basement. You can reach the basement through the staircases. In the basement there is a samadhi of Gosavi in the open hall along with a couple of pillars and platforms. The basement is usually filled with water as there is a water inlet which is streaming all the time.

One cannot visit the temple on any normal day, except for on Gurupournima day, when the basement is dried and cleaned and visitors can come to pay homage to the ascetic. As per stories, there was a school in the basement for the ascetics and tantric form of Hinduism was practiced there. The exteriors of Trishundaya Ganpati temple are decorated with the images of Vishnu, Shiva and the Longodbhava depiction of Shiva. At the time of construction, it was planned to dedicate this temple to Lord Shiva. On the façade of this temple, there are some unique sculptures have been carved out, for example, a rhinoceros is being tied with iron chains by a British soldier. This temple is looked after by a trust.

Best Route to Visit Trishundaya Ganpati Temple

Air

You can come here by air, the nearest airport to this temple is at Pune.

Rail

You can come to this place from all corners of India through rail.

Road

Pune is a major commercial hub in and around this place, so it is well connected by road from all corners of Maharashtra and other places of India.

Local Transport

You can easily reach this place through autorickshaw.