Festivals

Festivities & Pilgrimages at Śrī Kṣetra Morgaon

Dvārayātrā (Pilgrimage) at Śrī Kṣetra Morgaon

Dvārayātrā Pilgrimage to Morgaon is mainly performed in the months of Bhādrapada, Māgha and Jyeshtha from 1st day i.e. Pratipada to 4th day, Chaturthi. A pilgrim coming from outside can come and do the Yātrā on any of the four days.

On the first day Nityayātrā should be done after completing daily bath-chanting etc. rituals in the morning. Then, according to the instruction of Guru – Master, one should make the Sankalpa (Vows) of Dvārayātrā. Then take a bath on the occasion of the pilgrimage, worship Śrī Mayureśvara with 16 Upacharas (ceremonial rites). Then take a bath again & walk to the east gate or DharmaDvāra of the place which is 5 miles from Mayureśvara where Śrī Viṣṇu with Goddess Lakshmi is worshiping Gaṇeśa.

There resides Goddess Mahabuddhi in the Sanctum Sanctorum which bestows Knowledge of Gaṇeśa & Ultimate knowledge upon worshiping. Hence one should worship there. This place is 1 mile from Śrī Mayureśvara. 1.5 miles from there is the place of Kṣetra Rakshaka deity Nagnabhairav whose task it is to bring the devotees to Moreshwar Kṣetra, protect them, make them enjoy the auspicious fruits according to their karma and drive them out of the Kṣetra. One should Worship him here. At the end, go to the main gate Mahadvāra and do the worship of Śrī Manjari Dvāradevata Entry Deity and Lakshminarayan along with Gaṇeśa . It is called Dharmadvāra. This gate is 2 miles from Nagnabhairav. After worshiping the Dvāra Devata (deities at the gateway), return by the same road. Bathe in the Karha river and visit the temple to have darshan of Śrī Mayureśvara and end the Dvārayātrā of the first day. In this way one has to take four baths every day.

On the next day, one should take a southward journey. After Daily bath-chanting etc, After daily pilgrimage, one should worship Śrī Mayureśvara & take a bath again. 1.5 miles south, there is a place of Gaṇeśa Gaṇas (demigods) along with the Main demigods i.e. Mukhya Gaṇa viz. Mod-Pramod. Their darshan destroys many troubles of the people living in the area. Then 1.5 miles from there is the place of Lord Śrī Nilkaṁtheśvara Śaṁkara. It is experienced by many people that his darshana removes the poisoning effects.
4 miles from there is the temple place of Śaṁkara and Pārvatī. There is a two armed Gaṇeśa with Śakti called Viraja on his lap. This door is called ‘Artha Dvāra’ because the wealth is obtained through this gate. After this one should come back and take a bath and worship Śrī Mayureśvara.

The third day’s Yātrā is called Paścima Dvāra Yātrā. 2.5 miles to the west of Śrī Mayureśvara is the place of Bhagwati Devi and Śrī Siddhimata where Jagadamba resides along with the entire Navakoti Siddhi, Aṣṭa Maha Siddhis (Eight Supreme Divine Powers). Everything is achieved by her grace. Krittivaseśvara Śaṁkara is situated 3 miles further from there. Devotees are freed from witchcraft by his grace. 5 miles from there is Bhagwati Adiśakti Bhuvaneśvari, Rati-Madana and two armed Gaṇeśa reside here with Āśrayaśakti. This is the ‘Kama Dvāra’ of the area and all kinds of wishes are fulfilled by this Dvārayātrā. After this one should come back and take a darshana of Śrī Mayureśvara.

The fourth day’s Yātrā is called Uttar Dvārayātrā. After following the usual course of rituals, one should go 2.5 miles to the north of Śrī Mayureśvara, which is the place of Goddess Yogini. These were originally 64 in numbers but currently there are only two. They bless with opulence. Further 3 miles is the place of Bhīmeśvara Śaṁkara and his grace gives back the lost opulence. Four miles further, is the place of Varaha and Śrī Sūrya with Mahidevi and Dvāra Dvibhuja Gaṇeśa with Mukti Devi. It is considered as the ‘Moksha Dvāra’ of the place. Through this Dvārayātrā, the seeker gets guaranteed liberation.

These are the stages of each Dvāra-door/gateway and in the center on the south bank of Karha river, Lord Śrī Mayureśvara resides. Śrī Gaṇeśa Kuṁḍa is considered to be the best Gaṇeśa Tīrtha i.e. Holy Pond which is in Śrī Brahma Kamandalu Tīrtha (Karha River).

Those who perform Dvārayātrā should fast for all the four days. All Yātrās should be done with the purest possible manner without any impure acts. Spend time in Gaṇeśa Bhajan (A hymn to be sung to a god). All other rules should be followed. Avoid gossip. Keep chanting the name of Gaṇeśa. If there is a desire to do this Dvāra Yātrā and there is no physical strength, then one should sit in a vehicle and do the Yātrā. One should follow the rules of fasting.

Śrī Gaṇeśa Janmotsav (Bhādrapada and Māgha Yatra)

The fourth day of bright half of the Bhādrapada Month (Bhādrapada Shuddha Chaturthi) marks the birth of Śrī Mayureśvara which incarnated in Treta Yuga to Śrī Śiva-Pārvatī while the fourth day of Māgha Month (Māgha Shuddha Chaturthi) marks the birth of Śrī Vinayak which incarnated in Krita Yuga at the place of Maharishi Kashyap and Aditi. Apart from this, various birth festivals like Seshatmaja Janmotsav on Jyeṣṭa Shuddha Chaturthi (The fourth day of bright half of the Jyeṣṭa Month), Śrī Pushtipati Janmotsav on Vaishakh Shuddha Purnima (Full moon day of bright half of the Vaishakha Month), and Śrī Umangmalaj Janmotsav on Kartika Shuddha Chaturthi (The fourth day of bright half of the Kartika Month), are celebrated with great enthusiasm in Śrī Mayureśvara Temple.

At all these festivals Lord Śrī Maṁgalamūrtī which was received by Mahasadhu Śrī Morya Gosavi Maharaj in Śrī Gaṇeśa Kuṁḍa comes from Chinchwad to Śrī Kṣetra Morgaon in a palanquin with pomp and show.

Pleased with the penance of Mahasadhu Morya Gosavi Maharaj, Gaṇeśa had appeared to him and blessed him with an idol in the form of Tāṁdalā. He consecrated this Tāṁdalā at Chinchwad and Every 4th day of Bhādrapada and Māgha Month he used to do pilgrimage to Morgaon with this Tāṁdalā. The same tradition continues today. For the Yātrā in Bhādrapada and Māgha months, devotees depart on the first day (Pratipada) from Chinchwad ceremonially and arrive at Morgaon on the night of third day (Tritiya), staying at certain places viz Pune, Saswad, Jejuri. Pilgrims are accompanied by Śrī Deo Maharaj of the Chinchwad Deosthan, the current pontiff in the lineage of Śrī Moraya Gosavi Maharaj. Śrī Maṁgalamūrtī is welcomed with a grand salute on the third day. The Palanquin ceremony which is conducted at night is called Chhabina. At noon, on both the Fourth (Chaturthis) days, Śrī Deo Maharaj performs Mahapuja (Special worship) of Lord Śrī Mayureśvara, at the time when Śrī Mayureśvara and Śrī Maṁgalamūrtī meet.

On the fourth day of Māgha month (Māgha Shuddha Chaturthi), after the Chhabina, the marriage of Lord Śrī Mayureśvara with Goddess Adimaya is performed at a pavilion of Nagnabhairav.

On the morning of Chaturthi, Śrī Maṁgalamūrtī is taken through the palanquin to the Gaṇeśa Kuṁḍa for divine bath in the grand procession. Many devotees participate in this divine bath with him. Śrī Gaṇeśa Chaturthi, the birth time of Śrī Gaṇeśa is in the noon. At that time Śrī Deo Maharaj himself performs Mahapuja and Maha Abhisheka through Brahmins. Later, both the idols Śrī Mayureśvara of Morgaon and Chinchwad’s Śrī Maṁgalamūrtī with Goddesses Siddhi-Buddhi meet and Maha Naivedya is offered to both of them.

The moment of supreme joy in this Yātrā is to have darshan of both the idols. This ceremony is a delight to the eyes. Many devotees from various remote places with great efforts gather at Śrī Kṣetra on this occasion only to take darshan of these two idols. They take darshan of both the idols together and offer their gratitude. Then Śrī Maṁgalamūrtī is placed back in its place. Later at night Śrī Mayureśvara is bathed with Abhyanga (Inunction prior to ablution) and smeared with shendur (A red lead minium).

After that, Śrī Deo Maharaj along with all the devotees starts to sing compositions (Padas) composed by Śrī Morya Gosavi Maharaj in the Assembly hall. These verses are filled with devotion. After distributing Khirapat (Sweetmeats in the form of powder), this program ends.

On the morning of the fifth day (Paṁcami), the Śrī Maṁgalamūrtī residing in the western side of the temple is decorated with flowers and ornaments. This is followed by a program of singing compositions in which various types of compositions such as Khelya, Balsantosh, Jogwa, etc. are presented. Devotees dance with Tipari (a small piece of stick) by showering Gulal (a red powder). After this program ends, the second half of the festival begins. Śrī Maṁgalamūrtī is brought to the palace of the Chinchwad Deosthan which is below the temple. Worship takes place there and food is offered. 34 years ago the same ceremony used to take place in the ground of Śrī Chiṁtāmaṇī in a grand manner across the Karha river. Thus the three days of celebration ends on the sixth day and Śrī Maṁgalamūrtī starts return journey to Chinchwad after puja & naivedya offerings.

Dussehra (Vijayadashami)

Vijaya Dashami festival is one of the biggest festivals of Śrī Kṣetra Morgaon of which the curiosity of all Gaṇeśa devotees is forever engraved in their minds. Villagers plan for this festival for several months in advance. Many households operate manufacturers of crackers that are duly permitted. Firecrackers include pipes, moon lights, trees, etc. that are mainly manufactured here. Vijayadashami is celebrated with great pomp and ceremony. Different types of decorative fireworks are the highlight of this ceremony. On the day of Dussehra, a cannon is fired early in the morning and the entire Morgaon wakes up. In the morning, Śrī Mayureśvara is worshiped with Abhyangasnana and sixteen Upacharas.

Later Aarti takes place with the percussion instruments. On this day, a Village council – Paṁcayat of villagers is held in front of Śrī Mayureśvara. A review of the previous year’s work and plans for further programs are decided in it. At that time food grains such as wheat, rice, etc. are distributed to everyone as Prasad. Along with this if there are any disputes, problems or complaints in the village, that are discussed and disputes are settled accordingly. At 9 PM, Nagar Pradakshina procession (City Circumambulation) of Lord Śrī Mayureśvara takes place in palanquine with all royal regalia such as flags, royal umbrellas, traditional lights, various musical instruments etc.

First this palanquin comes under the Shami tree (Prosopis cineraria/ Ghaf tree) in front of the Pawali across the Śrī Brahmakamandalu Tīrtha. There, after removing the ornaments of the idol, various games are played with the palanquin. After this the palanquin goes to the temple of Goddess Firangai Devi where people perform Gondhal – a tumultuous festival in invocation of Goddess. Later the palanquin is taken to the places like Śrī Buddhimata, Śrī Tukai Devi, Śrī Madhyameśvara Temple. In Madhyameśvara temple aarti of Śrī Śaṁkara, Śrī Hanuman, Śrī Bhairav, Śrī Kalika etc. is performed. Various games are played here as well. After this, the palanquin goes in front of Sonba Gaṇapatī temple in the south. The Apta tree (Bauhinia racemosa/ bidi leaf tree) is worshiped there. Around dawn, the palanquin arrives at Soneśvara’s temple in the south. There Apta tree leaves (gold) are worshiped and gold is distributed to all the entitled people. Later, the names of dignitaries are read out loud by the Mujumdar as per the traditional manner. Artillery accompanies all these journeys. Literally thousands of firecrackers are set off everywhere. Cannon balls are shot at every place. Then towards the west comes Śrī’s palanquin in the grove near the Brahma Kamandalu Tīrtha. After offering the ornaments there again, Śrī’s palanquin returns to Śrī Mayureśvara temple. This palanquin ceremony continues throughout the night.

Śrī Somvati Amavasya

There is importance of Somavati Amavasya in Śrī Kṣetra Morgaon. The new moon day falling on Monday is called Somvati Amavasya. On this day Lord Mayureśvara’s palanquin is taken to Śrī Gaṇeśa Kuṁḍa (Holy Pond). Divine bathe is performed to the Śrī Mayureśvara by taking the idol over head. The dry fruits are showered by devotees on Moraya’s palanquin while returning. There is a tradition of collecting it and giving it as prasad. This palanquin ceremony is very eye-catching as well.

Other Festivals at Śrī Mayureśvara Temple

Apart from the above festivals, and with both Chaturthis of each month, following festivals are0 celebrated every year according to tradition :

Kartik Vadya Aṣṭamī (Eighth day of Dark half of the Kartik Month) as Lord Śrī Nagnabhairav Jayanti,
Śravan Shuddha Paṁcami (Fifth day of Bright half of the Śravan month) as Śravani,
Chaitra Shuddha Pratipada (First day of Bright half of the Chaitra Month) as Gudhipadwa,
Chaitra Shuddha Poornima (Full moon day of Bright half of the Chaitra Month) is Śrī Hanuman Jayanti,
Ashwin Shuddha Poornima (Full moon day of Bright half of the Ashwin Month) as Kojagiri,
Kartiki Poornima (Full moon day of Kartika Month) as Tripuri Poornima,
Tulsi Vivaha (Marriage of Goddess Tulasi & Krishna),
Holika Pujan, Rang Paṁcami. In all these festivals there is a tradition of offering different foods depending on the occasion, e.g. Purāṇapoli on Holi, Sunthavada on Hanuman Jayanti etc. to Śrī Morya.

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