In the heart of Pune, Maharashtra, stands the beloved Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati temple, home to one of the most famous and richly adorned images of Lord Ganesha in India. The temple owes its origin to the nineteenth-century sweet-merchant Dagdusheth Halwai, who, grief-stricken at the loss of his son, was counselled to devote himself to Ganesha — and installed here an idol that has since become an object of immense devotion.
Crowned in gold and lavishly adorned, the Dagdusheth Ganpati is thronged by devotees through the year and, above all, during the ten days of Ganesh Chaturthi, when Pune celebrates the Lord with unmatched fervour — a festival tradition dear to the city since the days of the freedom movement. Dagdusheth Ganpati is a guardian deity and beloved heart of Pune.
