At Morgaon on the bank of the Karha river, the Mayureshwar temple is the starting and concluding point of the Ashtavinayak pilgrimage — the eight self-manifested (swayambhu) abodes of Ganesha celebrated in the Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana. Here Ganesha is worshipped as Mayureshwar, the Lord who rides the peacock: tradition tells how, mounted on a peacock, he descended to slay the demon Sindhu, who had grown invincible through a boon and terrorised the gods, and so restored cosmic order.
The temple is the foremost seat (adya pitha) of the Ganapatya tradition, which reveres Ganesha as the Supreme. Its striking black-stone enclosure, ringed by a tall wall with four corner minarets and four gates, gives it the look of a fortress; within, the swayambhu idol is flanked by images of Siddhi and Buddhi.
As the first darshan of the Ashtavinayak circuit, and the seat honoured by the saint Morya Gosavi, Morgaon draws every pilgrim who sets out to seek the blessings of the eight Ganeshas — returning here at the end to seal the yatra.
