Mahakumbhnagar/Prayagraj, Amrit Vichar. Tirtharaj Prayagraj is one of the oldest cities of faith and belief. Many temples of very ancient and special beliefs are situated here. Whose description is also shown in Vedic literature and Puranas. One of those temples is the Omkar Adi Ganesh temple located in Daraganj. Which was established by Raja Todar Mal in the 16th century i.e. 1585 AD. Nothing can be said correctly about the antiquity of the Ganesh idol installed in the temple, but yes, the temple is being renovated and beautified for Mahakumbh-2025.
Talking about mythological belief, when Lord Adi Ganesha came into creation, he first took the banks of Ganga here in the form of an idol. For this reason he was called Adi Ganesha. It is also said that Omkar himself was established here in the form of Adi Ganesha. This is the original and first Ganesha of the universe. It is believed that after his darshan and worship, the work started is completed without any hindrance.
According to the Puranas, Tirtharaj Prayagraj is the yagya place of the creator Lord Brahma. Brahma performed the first yagya of creation in Prayagraj itself. Due to which this area is known as Prayagraj. In this same area, on the banks of Ganga, Omkar, the combined form of the trinity Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, had taken the form of Adi Ganesha, after worshiping which Brahma performed ten Ashwamedha Yagya on this earth. That is why this bank of Ganga is called Dashashwamedh Ghat. This idol of Lord Ganesha is called Adi Omkar Ganesha.
Temple priest Sudhanshu Aggarwal says that in the Ganesh issue of Kalyan magazine, it is described that in the beginning of Adi Kalpa, Omkar took the form of Ganesh. The work of creation started only after his first worship. He told that according to Shiva Mahapuran, Lord Shiva had also worshiped Adi Ganesha before killing Tripurasura. In the Adi Ganesha form, both the destroyer and Vinayak forms of Lord Ganesha are worshipped.
Temple priest Sudhanshu Aggarwal said that nothing is clearly known about the antiquity of the Ganesh idol installed in the temple. But, the documents of his ancestors show that the temple was renovated by Akbar’s Navratna Raja Todar Mal in 1585 AD. When King Todarmal was constructing Akbar’s palace in the 16th century. During the same period, he got the idol of Adi Ganesh ji restored on the banks of Ganga and got the temple renovated. Adi Ganesh is worshiped especially on Chaturthi Tithi of Krishna Paksha of Magh month. Any work started after worshiping him is completed without any hindrance. Devotees also come from far and wide for special worship on completion of the recognition. In the event of Mahakumbh 2025, the work of painting and beautifying the Adi Ganesh temple is being done under the guidance of CM Yogi.
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