Siddhivinayak Mahaganapati Temple (Titwala)

Siddhivinayaka Mahaganapati Temple
Siddhivinayaka Mahaganapati Temple Location in Maharashtra
Name
Other names	Titwaleshwar Ganpati
Proper name	Shri Siddhivinayaka Mahaganapati Temple, Titwala
Marathi	श्री सिध्दीविनायक महागणपती मंदिर
Geography
Coordinates	19°18′02″N 73°13′18″E / 19.30056°N 73.22167°E / 19.30056; 73.22167Coordinates: 19°18′02″N 73°13′18″E / 19.30056°N 73.22167°E / 19.30056; 73.22167
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
Location	Titwala
Culture
Primary deity	Ganesha
Architecture
Architectural styles	North Indian Architecture
History and governance
Date built	original structure: Ancient (unknown) present structure: 1965–66
Creator	Shakuntala on sage Kanva’s directive

The Siddhivinayaka Mahaganapati Temple is a Hindu temple located in Titwala, a small town in the Kalyan taluka of Thane district – near Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu, elephant-headed god of wisdom Ganesha. Titwala is believed to be the putative site of the hermitage of sage Kanva, foster parent of Shakuntala who was born here. The place is steeped in ancient legend and the temple is frequented by a very large number of devotees on account of the belief that separated married couples could be united and marriages of desired people could be fixed easily if the Ganesha image installed in the temple is worshipped with devotion.

According to legend, this village was part of Dandakaranya forest where the Katkari tribe lived (the tribal hamlets are located even now close to the town across the Kalu river, approached only by boats).Sage Kanva had his hermitage here. Kanva was the author of several hymns of the scripture Rigveda and one of the Angirasas. He had adopted Shakuntala, who was abandoned immediately after her birth by her parents, sage Vishwamitra and the celestial damsel Menaka. Shakuntala’s story has been narrated in the Hindu epic Mahabharata and dramatised by Kālidāsa, considered the greatest poet and dramatist in Sanskrit language, in his play called the Abhijñānaśākuntalam (“The Recognition of Shakuntala").

King Dushyanta of Gandhara Kingdom while on a battle campaign was passing through the forests when he and Shakuntala fell in love with each other and got married according to the Gandharva rite (exchanging garlands as a marriage vow) in the hermitage. Since Dushyanta had to leave Shakuntala after some time due to unrest in his capital city, he gave Shakuntala a royal signet (a ring) as a sign of their love, promising her that he would return for her.