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We started Top Travel Bloggers in India as an informational list, but it turned out to be inspirational as we got to know more about each of these amazing India Travel Bloggers. The individuals interviewed here have diverse backgrounds – some of them left their corporate jobs to pursue travel full-time, some of them found meaning to their lives through travel and some of them started blogging to inspire others to travel more.

However, there is one thing common among these bloggers – They love India and they glorify our country with their inspirational travelogues! Get Inspired from these blogger stories, connect with them and above all START TRAVELING! You never know who you will meet on your next journey!

Note: This is by no means a comprehensive list. We might have missed some amazing India travel bloggers. Please contact us If you think that you should be featured on this list.

Top Travel Bloggers in India in 2022

1. Sharell Cook – TripSavvy

Blog: TripSavvy India

What is it about: 

It’s an informational website, an online travel guide, about what to see and do in India, where to stay, and other travel tips.

Author Bio:

Sharell was born and raised in Australia and first visited India in 2000. She came back again in 2002, and again in 2005 to do some community work in Kolkata. After that, she never permanently left! She fell in love with an Indian guy and eventually married him. A friend of hers also offered Sharell a job looking after her guest house in Varkala, Kerala for a season — and that’s what made her decide to quit her job in Australia and move to India. She has lived in Mumbai since 2008. So far she has visited most states in India, but there will always be many more amazing destinations remaining.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

Sharell was very keen for a career change (She previously worked as an accountant) and after spending substantial time traveling around India, she realized that she wanted to write. In particular, she wanted to write about India’s travel because it’s what really inspired her and made her feel so alive. India is such a diverse and fascinating country, with so many treasures, and she wanted to share them with the world. She started out by writing India travel articles for an article library website and then not long after, she joined About.com in her current role, which is writing and managing all the content for their India travel website. When Sharell started working for About.com six years ago, the website had zero content and zero readers. So, she had to create it all from scratch, and she has gradually built it up to be what it is today. She feels so blessed to have discovered her passion, and that it is now her job.

Sharell certainly finds a place in the list of Top Travel Bloggers in India.

2. Ajay Jain – Kunzum

Blog: Kunzum

What is it about:

We travel. What do you do? This sums up the spirit at Kunzum, where traveling is a way of life. Enabling them to bring stories in the form of blog posts, paper and electronic books, photos and videos.

Author Bio:

Ajay Jain is a writer and a photographer, focused mainly on travel. He has authored eight paperback books and over 40 e-books.

Inspiration to start blogging:

Having worked for newspapers and magazines, Ajay realized that their formats and agendas were very limiting. And traditional content is not available to readers when they want it, in a form they prefer. Nor did it allow interactivity with the author. Blogging addressed all these issues – and allowed him to define his own templates and editorial plans.

3. Arun Bhat – PaintedStork

Blog: India Travel & Photography Blog

What is it about: 

India Travel & Photography Blog is a regularly updated collection of stories and visuals of places and people across India and nearby countries. Updated by professional travel photographer and writer, this blog is now on its tenth year and has reported stories from every corner of the country.

Author Bio:

Arun Bhat is a photographer and travel writer based in Bangalore. He spends much of his time traveling through the country, documenting its riches with his writing and images. He is also a founder at Darter Photography, which nurtures photography enthusiasts through tours and workshops.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

India Travel & Photography Blog first began as a space to document my journeys, which had then just started becoming frequent (in 2005). The response and the involvement of the audience were surprising as well as encouraging, which allowed me to convert the space from a personal journal of journeys to a meticulously maintained travel blog.

4. Mridula Dwivedi – TravelTales

Blog: Travel Tales from India

What is it about: 

As the name suggests the blog is about Mridula’s travels both within India and abroad.

Author Bio:

Mridula loves to trek and travel, in that order. In her day job, she is a professor in a private college in Gurgaon. She did her Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

Her sister and her brother-in-law started blogging before her, and they did not give her any peace till she too got a blog!

Mridula finds a place in the list of Top Travel Bloggers in India.

5. Mariellen Ward – BreatheDreamGo

Blog: BreatheDreamGo

What is it about: 

Breathedreamgo is a travel blog about “meaningful adventure travel”. It is inspired by founder Mariellen Ward’s extensive travels in India over the past nine years. Though Canadian by birth, Mariellen considers India to be the culture of her soul. On Breathedreamgo, Mariellen shares tales of travel and transformation, photos, videos and tips and advice on traveling, blogging, and writing.

Author Bio:

Mariellen Ward is a professional travel writer, blogger, editor and content and social media marketing expert based in Toronto (and sometimes Delhi). BreatheDreamGo, her award-winning travel blog about “meaningful adventure travel” is inspired by her extensive travels in India. She writes for many print and online sites; self-published a book of travel stories, Song of India; co-founded the Toronto Travel Massive and the Delhi Travel Massive; and started the WeGoSolo online community for female solo travelers. Mariellen is a Kensington Tours Explorer-in-Residence and the recipient of an Explorer’s Grant, which she will use to trace the life of Mirabai in north India in October 2014.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

About a dozen years ago, she was trying to recover from grief and depression, and she threw herself into yoga. While studying yoga, she suddenly felt compelled to go to India. She planned, saved, packed up and left Toronto for Delhi on December 5, 2005, for a six-month trip. She kept a travel blog during the entire trip, and that was how it all started: her passion for travel writing, blogging, and India. Since then, her casual blog for friends and family only has morphed into a professional level blog — She launched Breathedreamgo on Ganesh Chaturthi, August 23, 2009 — and she has been back to India about six times. Now, she is “following her bliss” and doing what she loves fulltime – Travelling in India, writing, studying yoga and spirituality and engaging online with like-minded souls.

6. Sankara Subramanian – BeOnTheRoad

Blog: Be on the Road

What is it about: 

Travel Blog of an Indian Globetrotter who indulges in Adventure Travel, Wildlife Holidays, Unique Cultures, Backpacking, Budget Travel, and Vegetarian Food.

Author Bio:

Sankara is a traveler at heart who left his white collared corporate IT job to explore the world and make a career in blogging.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

Sankara never had an inkling of an idea that he would start a blog, but a lot of his friends and family were keen to know more about his travel stories and thus began his travel blog. Hence, his inspiration has been his family and friends.

Shankara certainly finds a place in the list of Top Travel Bloggers in India.

7. Shivya Nath – ShootingStar

Blog: Shooting Star

What is it about: 

The Shooting Star is the home of all Shivya’s travels, and she hopes to inspire you to step out of your comfort zone and discover the world.

Author Bio:

Shivya quit her corporate job in 2011, at age 23, and decided to travel the world. She has lived with the White Thai tribe in a remote Vietnamese village, hitch-hiked along Turkey’s Black Sea coast, swum with black-tip sharks on Malaysia’s east coast, spent a night in the highest inhabited village of the Himalayas, and fallen in love with so many people and places.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

Shivya grew up in a protective Indian family in Dehradun, a small town at the base of the Himalayas, and spent her childhood wondering what lay beyond the mountains she could see from her roof. Upon finishing high school, she went to Singapore to study, with big dreams and a big student loan. As luck would have it, she graduated in the middle of the financial recession of 2009, when most companies she wanted to work with had ceased their hiring. She landed a job with the Singapore Tourism Board, where she learned everything she knew about social media and started following the journey of travel bloggers across the world.

It was impossible to tame her restless cubicle-bound soul, so in 2011, she took a 2-month sabbatical from work. She went flash-packing across Western Europe with a friend and volunteer-traveled in the high Himalayas of India. In those two months, she saw, experienced and lived more than she ever had before, and decided to quit her first and only corporate job with the dream of traveling the world on her own terms.

8. Siddhartha Joshi – SidTheWanderer

Blog: The Wanderer

What is it about: 

The Wanderer is a Travel and Living blog from India, though it’s not bound by any boundaries. It’s a space to share stories to inspire and provide practical tips on traveling across the globe.

Author Bio:

Siddhartha is a designer, traveler, and travel blogger who loves people more than anything else. He derives his passion for interacting with the people for whom he designs the products as well as from the people he meets with during his travels.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

It was Siddhartha’s inherent desire to share what he had learned through traveling with the world and also to inspire others to travel and explore the world more. He truly believes that only traveling can break barriers and make us more tolerant and accepting of our differences. He hopes that sometime in his lifetime, there would be a world without visas and boundaries and perhaps travel blogging can help in that.

Siddhartha is one of the Top Travel Bloggers in India.

9. Arti S – MyYatraDiary

Blog: My Yatra Diary

What is it about: 

Arti’s blog is focused primarily on her yatras and chronicles her travel experiences that cover an array of articles right from where she stayed, what she ate, the places she visited, the people she met, etc, It is almost like embarking on the same journey again! Her main aim is to help people plan their trips better. In addition to all the information, she also makes sure to supplement the posts with a lot of pictures in an endeavor to inspire more and more people to pack their bags, set out and travel.

Author Bio:

Arti is a 20 something girl with an inherited travel gene, thanks to her beautiful wanderlust parents. She is on the pilgrimage of her life, learning different values, discovering new cultures, breathing life into experiences, talking to wonderful people, walking the roads and above all, trying to find the right direction for herself.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

The inspiration came to her from the yatras she took with her family. Whenever they made any travel plans, she would find it difficult to get the relevant first-hand customer experience details on hotels and food on the web. Google would throw up loads of links but what was missing were first-hand user reviews and even if they existed, they were few and far between. She had the names and the tariffs but what she wanted were the photographs and personal evaluation from credible sources that would help her decide if she really wanted to stay in that hotel. Absence of that information inspired her to fill a gap that possibly existed and this is what paved the way for the creation of ‘My Yatra Diary’.

However, since then, it’s gone on to become something more and is now helping her grow in her personal journey as well.

10. Ruchika Vyas – TravellerStories

Blog: Traveller Stories

What is it about: 

Converting strangers into friends, uncovering lesser-known places, trying something scary, breaking the rules and simply saying “Forget it, let’s go, we’ll see what happens.”—that for Ruchika is what traveling is all about, and that is what the blog reflects. Traveller Stories is a platform to share tips and anecdotes about destinations, information that is useful for readers, and updates on ‘happenings’ of the travel world.

Author Bio:

Ruchika has been a writer and editor for eight years, owner of a chocolatier for two years, a TV show addict for six years, and a happy traveler since the day she hopped into the general compartment of the Kanyakumari Express on a RAC ticket. Her work has been published in Conde Nast Traveller.in, Mumbai Mirror, CNNGo.com, and Femina. She is also one of the contributing writers of Outlook Traveller Getaways’ book – Driving Holidays Across India.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

When Ruchika first began traveling, most of her friends were very surprised because she wasn’t one of those people who had always harbored the desire to explore the world. It literally just happened one fine day. When she returned from her first solo trip, she was bombarded with questions about traveling alone, about the destination she visited and, of course, photographs. She simply wanted to collate all her travel experiences on one platform to be able to share them with anyone who was interested in traveling. And so, Traveller Stories began.

Ruchika certainly finds a place in the list of Top Travel Bloggers in India.

11. Shrinidhi Hande – eNidhi

Blog: eNidhi India

What is it about: 

A personal blog by Shrinidhi Hande, focusing on travel, automobiles & reviews.

Author Bio:

Shrinidhi Hande is a full time IT professional and has been blogging since 2006. He enjoys travel, long drives, chess, reading and photography.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

Earlier Shrinidhi used to send articles to print media. It used to take a long time to get published, if at all. The blog was an instant medium with better reach, quicker feedback, and more freedom.

12. JD Viharini – EnjoyingIndia

Blog: Enjoying India

What is it about: 

Insights, tips, photos and news to enrich your experience of India.

Author Bio:

Viharini is a single woman who has lived and traveled alone extensively in India. She was born in California but has spent more than two-thirds of her life in other states and other countries. Having earned an MS in Vedic Studies in Europe, she came to India in 1980 and loved it immediately. Now she has been living in India for several years.

Although Viharini has an apartment in a remote village high in the Himalayas that’s her home base, she tends to move around India with the seasons. Over the years, she has traveled around India first-class, sardine class, and everything in between. She has made many friends and has come to regard India as her home.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

When Viharini launched her book, Enjoying India: The Essential Handbook, she felt that she needed to start a blog to go along with it. Her whole thing is helping people enjoy their time in India, and blogging is just another way to do it.

Viharini finds a place in the list of Top Travel Bloggers in India.

13. Srinivas Kulkarni – TravelTales

Blog: Travel Tales

What is it about: 

To traverse beyond the limitations of his mind, Srini travels to look upon the journey within himself. His blog is the place to share that journey with you. He writes mostly stories about people, places and the journey that he encounters. The Himalayas are a place which is close to his heart and he has been going there for 5 years and has made it a ritual to go every year. You’ll find a lot of blogs from the Himalayan region on his website.

Author Bio:

Srini is a Wandering Thinker, Pondering Writer, and an Avid Traveler. He has traveled to various parts of India and writes interesting stories of people and places that he experiences. He aspires to be a travel author one day and hopes to write a magnanimous journey of his sojourns across the world!

Inspiration to start blogging: 

Srini has always enjoyed writing! It has been his first love. Back in 2006, he had this thought of becoming a better writer, but to do that, he believed that it was important to broaden his horizons. To be well-traveled is to be well-read! And that’s when he decided to take up traveling and slowly and steadily started working towards taking as many trips as he could and write about them. His goal is to travel the world and weave stories about his sojourns to leave a legacy behind when he is gone.

14. Sudha Ganapathi – Sudhagee

Blog: Sudhagee

What is it about: 

My Favourite Thingsreflects Sudha’s multiple interests in travel & photography, books, music, Mumbai, and much more. It is a blog on topics that matter to her, on topics that interest her, and on topics that she wants to contribute her two cents to.

Author Bio:

Sudha is one of the founders of #TSBC (The Sunday Book Club), an armchair and actual traveler, an editor, a communications consultant, a click-happy photographer, classical music (Indian, Western and Arabic) lover, a mythology enthusiast, a closet graphic designer, a foodie… She is all that, this and more!

Inspiration to start blogging: 

It was sheer boredom that made her start blogging. Sudha certainly finds a place in the list of Top Travel Bloggers in India.

15. Prasad Np – desiTraveler

Blog: desi Traveler

What is it about: 

A family travel blog from India with stories and pictures about destinations that desi families love visiting together like beaches, wildlife sanctuaries, pilgrimages, etc.

Author Bio:

Prasad is a corporate executive who has worked at C level for more than a decade in Fortune 100 companies, managing the India Operations. He now invests in Start-ups and advises them on strategy. He would love to travel more than he does currently.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

India.

16. Puru Ekta – ShadowsGalore

Blog: Shadows Galore

What is it about: 

Shadows Galore is a weblog, where Puru and Ekta share their travel experiences, photographs, lifestyle ideas, memoirs and more.

Author Bio:

Puru and Ekta are IT professionals based in Pune. They love traveling to new destinations in their free time. Apart from travel, Puru loves photography and blogging while Ekta enjoys planning their trips and adventure sports.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

Shadows Galore started as a photo-blog on Blogspot to fulfill the requirements of a photography competition sometime back in 2010. As they were traveling to a lot of interesting places during their college days, they decided to record their experiences in the form of a blog.

Puru and Ekta find a place in the list of Top Travel Bloggers in India.

17. Dheeraj Sharma – DevilOnWheels

Blog: Devil on Wheels

What is it about: 

It’s all simply about Traveling to the Himalayas and you can expect travel updates, news, experiences, pictures, learning, thoughts, tips, guides, routes, maps, suggestions, reviews, etc.. all under one place. That is what is DoW (Travel, Off The Road…..).

It is an effort to create a travel community of likeminded people dedicated to the Himalayas. They share practical and insightful travel information related to the Himalayas that may help others to enjoy what nature offers us but with ease and with a difference and in turn giving the actual benefit back to the Himalayan Lives by their Responsible Travel Initiatives such as DoW Causes, Drivers Portfolios, etc.

Author Bio:

Dheeraj Sharma is an avid Traveler, a rookie shutterbug, a die-hard Leh – Ladakh lover, with a strong passion for driving whilst exploring new places & sharing those experiences with fellow Travelers. Lately, he found that using your passion to dive into the unknown and testing your limits of soul and body really boosts your individuality. Since then he never looked back. He loves to capture the beauty of nature in his camera or simply say “Nature/Landscape Photography”. Frequently, he gets on his wheels to hunt this unsatisfied hunger of capturing & learning from the endless things which nature offers us.

Before he dies, he would love to summit at least 5 peaks starting from 5000-7500 Meters or maybe more if god, luck and physical fitness allow him to do so. Just as everything starts with a cause, so do this whole chapter of Traveling in his life.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

For Dheeraj, Travel is a Reason to Believe, Smile, Love, Learn, Connect and Feel ALIVE!!

Down, out, alone and almost surrendered to the most difficult phase of his life, he suddenly thought of pursuing his passion of driving and traveling to re-start his life again, take it a step further and explore if nature has the magic to can save him and turn him into the person he once was as a child. The Himalayas always had a history of being associated with peace and calmness, so he decided to have a treatment called “Nirvana @ Himalayas”. He went out into the wild to find out answers to many disturbing questions which haunted him every moment, top of the list being “Me or Devil??” The answer lies in his transformation as a person after traveling over the last four years which allowed him to look @ LIFE so beautifully, making fun of every moment without considering the days passed or the days ahead. There is only one Life and now he feels that it should be ALIVE and AWESOME, always.

Dheeraj is one of the Top Travel Bloggers in India.

18. Lakshmi Sharath – TravelWithLakshmi

Blog: Travel Blog of an Indian Backpacker

What is it about: 

A travel blog of an Indian Backpacker.

Author Bio:

Lakshmi is a media professional, a traveler, travel writer, blogger, and photographer. After 15 years of sitting beside a desk in several media organizations, she decided to travel and see the world. She has covered five continents and been to over 25 countries and her passion lies in exploring the nooks of India as well.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

Lakshmi’s mother always used to say that as a child she used to run around like as if she had wheels on her feet. Eventually, the desire to step outside her comfort zone, to meet people and lose herself in different landscapes – both culturally and naturally, is what got her to travel. She started blogging to share her experiences and to meet like-minded people. She was in a corporate job when she first started blogging but eventually, she got so addicted to the same, that she quit her media career of 12 years to blog and travel.

19. Anuradha Shankar – AWanderingMind

Blog: A Wandering Mind

What is it about: 

A Wandering Mind is mainly about Anuradha’s travels, but as the name suggests, she wanders every now and then to other topics too, such as her son and the happenings around her.

Author Bio:

Anuradha was one of those who was very sure what she wanted to be – a scientist. The road seemed clear ahead as she completed her Master’s degree in Physics and enrolled for a Ph.D. That is when life took one of its sudden turns, and she found herself abandoning her choice of career and looking for something to keep her occupied.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

While Anuradha was still exploring her options, she got married, and re-discovered the joys of traveling, especially since her husband loved getting out of the city as much as she did! Soon, however, came the joys (and travails) of motherhood, and life took another turn as she found that everything for her now revolved around her son. Being the kind of person who cannot stay put in one place for too long, she was keen on doing something which would help her express herself, and that is when her sister-in-law suggested that she write a blog. She was skeptical about it at first, but once she got on to the bandwagon, she was hooked!

Anuradha certainly finds a place in the list of Top Travel Bloggers in India.

20. Anuradha Goyal – IndiTales

Blog: Indi Tales

What is it about: 

This blog is about sharing Anu’s travel stories with a hope to hear back many more.

Author Bio:

Anuradha Goyal is the author of  ‘The Mouse Charmers – Digital Pioneers of India’ and India’s leading travel and book blogger.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

An instinct to experiment with the just-launched medium that blogs were when she started way back in 2004.

21. Niranjan Das – TalesOfANomad

Blog: Tales of a Nomad

What is it about: 

‘Tales of a Nomad’ is a travel blog where Niranjan pens down his travel experiences. It has articles about places traversed, blissful roads are taken, interactions with strangers, exhilarating adventures and frames captured.

Author Bio:

Niranjan is passionate about travel, be it long bike rides or treacherous trekking or leisure holidaying or backpacking through the countryside or an engrossing train journey. He dreams of setting foot on every single country on planet earth, meeting adorable strangers and learning about new cultures.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

Tales of a Nomad started off as a personal blog where Niranjan could pen down his travel memories. Now, this blog has become his travel diary where he writes almost every day, to inspire people to travel to all the lovely destinations out there. The inspiration to start a travel blog is undoubtedly traveling itself.

Niranjan finds a place in the list of Top Travel Bloggers in India.

22. Rachel Jones – HippeInHeels

Blog: Hippie in Heels

What is it about: 

Hippie in Heels is the go-to website for showcasing India’s fun side. With a focus on glamorous travel without spending a fortune, this is the site to find luxury guides, boutique hotels, fabulous meals, packing tips, and local designers- all while balancing the beautiful chaos of India. Rachel gives tips to females who are nervous to come and eases fears. Rachel tells about the secret trendy places in the other 24 countries she’s been to. In under a year, Hippie in Heels has taken off as a travel blog inspiring people to come to India and make people laugh with her Friday story series, “This is India!”

Author Bio:

Living in Goa year-round for two years, Rachel is an expert on travel within the state and has really dove into the culture of India as a whole.  After years of international travel from Africa to Europe, she left nursing to follow her dreams of living abroad after finally falling in love with Goa, and has since become a Thai masseuse in India. Knowing she’ll be in India a while, other than her blog, Hippie in Heels, she’s learning Hindi, loving the monsoons, studying yoga, traveling the world (especially India), and starting a small candle company.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

Rachel was inspired to start blogging when she realized that she couldn’t keep up with all the random people’s facebook messaging and e-mailing her for advice. Friends urged her to share her knowledge of India to a wider audience. Knowing she was a contradiction: hippie at heart, but the girly girl on the outside- Hippie in Heels was born.

23. Ankita Sinha – AnkiOnTheMove

Blog: AnkiOnTheMove

What is it about: 

Standing on the core foundation of Places, People, Adventure, Travel, and Style; Ankionthemove is a two and a half-year-old Blog where ‘India and Abroad’ are brought to the virtual world of travel enthusiasts with much love in the form of Self-descriptive 3-5 minute Travel Videos and Conversational Write-ups. The blog also contains information on the upcoming Adventure Sports scenario in the country and takes you to ‘behind the scenes’ about people who conduct them. Added to that are the various Travel Meetups, Colorful Events, Style While Travel and glimpses from her own personal life. Featured in Fox Traveller, Deccan Chronicle, Elle, 104.8 FM, and many others, this blog surely takes you to a fulfilled ride across 13 Countries, 24 states, 15 Adventure Sports and 115 Travel videos.

Author Bio:

Quitting her previous Software Experience of 5 years wasn’t a decision. It was a choice of passion for routine. Since then, the jobs changed to being a Marketing Professional in an Adventure Firm to now a Marketing Professional in Skyriders which conducts Skydiving in India. It is through her job, that she collects the insights on how Adventure has evolved over the years. The need to bridge the gap of not knowing where to find Adventure Sports is what makes both the job and the purpose worthwhile.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

The great satisfaction of being helpful to people who might dream of traveling but for some reason couldn’t is what made Ankita start a blog. It started off really small with capturing the essence of Bangalore, and capturing it in a way which is not just a random read, but a purpose which both her and her readers mutually share – a blog with a soul and a heart and plenty of information and experience as well as travel videos to simply “believe, plan, make and happen travel & sports”

Ankita is one of the Top Travel Bloggers in India.

For the viewers – Do you love traveling? Do you have an inspirational travel story to share with us? Please share it in the comments section

Ashtavinayak Temples are a group of eight holy temples situated in the state of Maharashtra. Each of these temples is associated with the legends of Lord Ganesha and is considered as a part of pilgrimage dedicated to Ganapathi.

The Ashtavinayak Temples should be visited in a pre-determined sequence. It should begin with Sri Moreshwar Temple followed by the Siddhivinayak Temple, Ballaleshwar Temple, Varadvinayak Temple, Chintamani Temple, Girijatmaj Temple, and the Vignahar Temple. The last temple in the list is the Mahaganapathi Temple at Ranjangaon, Pune. It is believed that the pilgrimage is complete only when the devotee visits the first time again after visiting all the other seven temples.

1.Morgaon Ganpati Temple

The primary temple that one must visit during the Ashtavinayak pilgrimage is the Mayureshwar Ashtavinayak Temple situated at Morgaon near Pune. This is the starting point as well as the ending of the journey. The temple is a black stone structure built during the reign of the Bahmani Sultanate (14th – 16th century).

The Temple has four gates built with a slight Islamic architectural influence. The four corners have minarets giving it an appearance of a mosque. Eight idols of Lord Ganesha grace the eight directions or corners of the Temple. They are of the form of Ekadanta, Mahodar, Gajanana, Lambodar, Vikata, Vignaraja, Dhumravarna and Vakratunda.

Legend of Morgaon Ganpati Temple

The King of Mithila, Chakrapani and his wife Ugra were childless for a long time. They prayed to Lord Surya for a child. He was appeased and blessed him with a child named Sindhu. He was blessed with the full bowl of Amrit as a boon and was reminded that he will remain immortal as long as the bowl remains unbroken.

Sindhu swallowed the bowl to protect it. He turned into a corrupt demon that terrorized and kept even the Gods as captives. The Gods approached Lord Ganesha for help. He descended to Earth on a peacock and slew the demon, took out the bowl from his stomach and broke it. Morgaon is believed to be the place where the head of the demon Sindhu fell on Earth.

Significance of Morgaon Ganpati Temple

• The Ganesha Purana mentions the legends and the significance of Morgaon in as much as 22 chapters. It is believed that Morgaon is one of the three highly sacred sites for Lord Ganesha, the other two being Mount Kailash in the Swargaloka and Adishesha’s abode in the Pataala Loka. It is also believed that at the time of Pralaya or the End of the World, Lord Ganesha will appear and take abode here.
• It is believed that the original idol of Lord Ganesha was consecrated here by Lord Brahma himself. The idol was small and made of sand, iron, and diamonds. Eventually, the Pandavas enclosed this idol in a copper sheet and placed it behind the currently worshiped idol for safekeeping.
• The idol of Lord Ganesha is unique. He is represented in a sitting posture with three eyes and the trunk facing the left side. The eyes and the navel are decorated with diamonds. The King of Snakes (Nagaraj) can be seen on top along with Buddhi and Siddhi on either side.

Morgaon Ganpati Temple Timings

The Temple is open to devotees from 5 AM till 10 PM. The Prakshal Pooja, Shodashopachar Pooja, Panchopachar Pooja, and the Shej Aarti are some of the rituals that are performed every day.

2. Siddhatek Ganpati Temple

The second temple in the Ashtavinayak series of Temples dedicated to Lord Ganesha is the Siddhivinayak Temple situated at Siddhatek in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra. The Temple is located on a hillock beside River Bhima.

Legend of Siddhatek Ganpati Temple

According to the legend, the demons Madhu and Kaitabha originated from the ears of Lord Vishnu during his Yoga Nidra (a state of consciousness between waking up and sleeping). The two demons obtained a boon from Goddess Shakti as per which they cannot be killed by any Deva or Asura unless they want to die willingly.

At that time, Lord Brahma was contemplating the creation of the universe and for which he required the Vedas. The demons stole the Vedas from Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma requested Lord Vishnu for help. Lord Vishnu woke up from his deep sleep and took the form of a Hayagriva (a horse-faced creature).

The battle between the Hayagriva and the two demons lasted five thousand years. Lord Vishnu realized that these demons were invincible until they were relieved of the boon granted by Goddess Shakti. He was also advised by Lord Shiva to see the blessings of Lord Ganesha before slaying the demons.

It is believed that Siddhatek was the place where Lord Vishnu asked for Lord Ganesha’s blessings which the later granted happily.

Significance of Siddhatek Ganpati Temple

• It is believed that Lord Vishnu himself constructed the original unique four-door temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha. However, due to natural reasons, the temple perished. Under the Peshwa rule, the temple was reconstructed and consecrated with the original idol.
• The idol of the deity is Swayambhu in nature, 3 feet tall and 2.5 feet wide. The trunk is turned towards right representing the fierce form of Lord Ganesha. The idols of Riddhi and Siddhi are placed on one lap. The idols of Jaya and Vijaya, who are the gatekeepers of Lord Vishnu’s abode Vaikuntam flank the Lord on both sides.
• This is the only temple among the eight Ashtavinayak Temples where the trunk of Lord Ganesha’s idol is turned towards the right. It is a belief that this Lord is difficult to please but grants Siddhi (Success) to the devotee.

Siddhatek Ganpati Temple  Timings

The Temple opens at 4:15 AM and closes at 9 PM daily.

3. Ballaleshwar Pali Ganpati Temple

The Ballaleshwar Temple situated at Pali Village in the Raigad district of Maharashtra. The Temple is the third in the sequence of which the Ashtavinayak Temples must be visited. The Temple was renovated and extended by Baburao Phadnavis and his son Morobo Dada Phadnavis in 1770.

The architecture of the Temple is exemplary. The Peshwas built the shrine in the shape of “Shri”. Two lakes are situated on the two sides of the Temple.

Legend of Ballaleshwar Pali Ganpati Temple

According to the legend, in the Treta Yuga,  a boy named Ballal was born to a businessman named Kalyan and his wife Indumati. The boy was an ardent devotee of Lord Ganesha and usually worshiped stones as the Lord along with his friends. One day, when he was roaming in the forests, he saw a huge stone. He decorated the stone and worshiped the stone after idolizing it as Lord Ganesha.

Ballal and his friends were so engrossed in the devotion that they forgot to return to their homes. The parents complained to Kalyan about Ballal. Kalyan in his anger caught hold of Ballal and tied him to a tree. He was also beaten up badly. However, Ballal continued his worship. Lord Ganesha was impressed and gave him darshan as a Brahmin. Since then, the Lord came to be known as Ballal Vinayak or the Eeshwar (Lord) of Ballal.

Significance of Ballaleshwar Pali Ganpati Temple

• The idol of the main deity, Lord Ballaleshwar is believed to be Swayambhu in nature. The idol sits on a stone platform. The trunk is turned towards left. The eyes and the navel of the deity are studded with diamonds.
• The idol is dressed up as a Brahmin. This is the only idol of Lord Ganesha to be dressed up in such a way in the world.
• The Dhundi Vinayak Temple situated just behind the Temple is extremely unique as it is believed that this is the stone that was broken partially by Kalyan in his anger.
• The Temple is built in such a way that on the day of Winter Solstice (December 21), the rising sun’s rays fall directly on the idol illuminating it.

Ballaleshwar Pali Ganpati Temple Timings

The Temple is opened daily from 5:30 AM to 10 PM.

4. Mahad Ganpati Temple

The temple of Varadvinayak is one of the sacred Ashtavinayak Temples situated in the village of Mahad belonging to the Raigarh district of Maharashtra. Lord Ganesha is worshiped here as Varadvinayaka, meaning the giver of success and wealth.

The Temple is small, 8 feet by 8 feet long with a gold plated dome. The temple is surrounded by intricately carved statues of Elephants on four sides. A Gomukh ar a Cow’s mouth can be seen emanating water on the Northern side of the Temple.

The original temple is believed to have been constructed by Gritsamada in the Treta Yuga. However, the Ganesha idol was found submerged in a lake near the Temple by Dhondu Paudkar in 1690 AD. In 1725, Subedar of Kalyan, Ramji Mahadev Biwalkar built the Temple again.

Legend of Mahad Ganpati Temple

According to the legend, Prince Rukmangada of Kaudinya was a handsome and virtuous Prince, loved by all. Once during hunting, he stopped to rest at Sage Vachaknavi’s home. The Sage’s wife Mukunda fell in love with him and made physical advances to him, which he deftly refused. Mukunda became sad and Lord Indra, taking pity on her came to her home disguised as Rukmangada and fulfilled her wishes.

A son named Gritsamada was born to them. When the son grew up, he came to know about the truth of him being an illegitimate son of his parents. He grew sad and wandered into the forests praying all the time to Lord Ganesha to grant him inner solace and peace. Lord Ganesha appeared to him and granted him his wish. Gritsamada requested the Lord to make the forest as his abode and bless the people who visit him. Lord Ganesha agreed and took form as Varadvinayak.

Significance of Mahad Ganpati Temple

• The idol of Sri Varadvinayak is believed to be Swayambhu in nature. The deity appears in a seated position with the trunk turned left. The Temple worships two idols, the old and the original one covered with Sindur and the new one made of Marble.
• The Varadvinayak Temple is the only Ganesh Temple where the devotees are allowed to enter the Sanctum and pay respects to the Lord himself at proximity.
• According to the local belief, devotees who eat the Coconut Prasad during the Maghi Chaturthi are blessed with a son.
• The Nandadeep that burns at the Temple has been continuously burning since 1892.

Mahad Ganpati Temple Timings

The Temple opens at 6 AM and closes at 9 PM every day.

5. Chintamani Ganpati Temple

The Chintamani Temple is situated in the village of Theur, also known as Kadambapur in Maharashtra. Theur is situated at the confluence of three small rivers named Bhima, Mula, and Mutha. The exact date of construction of the Temple is unknown but it is suspected that Sri Daharnidhar Maharaj Devji, a descendant of Saint Morya Gosavji built the Temple. Madhavrao Peshwa erected a Sabhamandap during his reign.

Legend of Chintamani Ganpati Temple

As per the legend, King Abhijeet and his wife Gunavati had a son named Ganasura. He was a strong but greedy prince. Once, Ganasura visited the Ashram of Sage Kapila. The Sage showed great hospitality with the help of the Chintamani stone that he possessed. Ganasura came to know about the stone and wanted to acquire it. However, Sage Kapila refused his offer.

Enraged, Ganasura forcibly took away the stone. Sage Kapila took advice from Goddess Durga and requested Lord Ganesha’s help. The Lord fought a battle with Ganasura under a Kadamba tree and defeated him. He took back the Chintamani to the Sage, who gifted the stone back to Lord Ganesha as an honor. The precious stone was hung around the neck of Ganesha and hence, he came to be known as Lord Chintamani.

Significance of Chintamani Ganpati Temple

• The idol of the presiding deity, Lord Chintamani is Swayambhu in nature. The idol faces east and has a Mani or precious stone in the neck region of the Lord. The eyes of the deity are studded with diamonds.
• It is believed that by obtaining a darshan of Lord Chintamani, one can get peace of mind and spiritual satisfaction in his or her life.
• Historically, the idol is the family deity of Shri Madhavrao Peshwa. The famous ruler is believed to have spent his last days at the Temple.
• The village of Theur is also believed to be the place where Saint Morya Gosavji performed penance and was given darshan by Lord Ganesha appearing as two tigers.

Chintamani Ganpati Temple Timings

The Temple opens at 6 AM and closes at 10 PM daily.

6. Lenyadri Girijatmaj Ganpati Temple

The Temple of Lord Ganesha, known as Girijatmaj is situated at Lenyadri hills in the Pune district of Maharashtra. The Lord Girijatmaj shrine is dated back to 1st century AD. One has to climb 283 steps to reach the entrance of the cave. During the conversion of the cave from a Buddhist shrine to a Hindu shrine, several paintings depicting Ganesha’s childhood, Marriage and battles were done on the stone walls.

The name of Girijatmaj is unique and can be interpreted in two ways. Girija is the other name of Goddess Parvati whereas Atmaja means Son. So the word Girijatmaj would mean “The Son of Parvati” referring to Lord Ganesha. Alternatively, it can also mean “Mountain born”.

Legend of Lenyadri Girijatmaj Ganpati Temple

The Temple’s legend is controversial and based on the belief that Lord Ganesha is the supreme power. According to it, Goddess Parvati performed penance here to become the mother of Lord Ganesha.

Appeased, Lord Ganesha grants her wish and states that he will be born as her son. Eventually, on the day of Bhadrapada Shuddha Chaturthi, the Goddess created an idol of Lord Ganesha with dirt from her body. Lord Ganesha fused his life into the idol and came to be known as Girijatmaj.

Significance of Lenyadri Girijatmaj Ganpati Temple

• The Temple is only one among the Ashtavinayak Temples to be located on a hillock and inside an earlier Buddhist shrine.
• The Temple is carved out of a single stone and has no pillars supporting the entire structure. The Temple faces south which is rare. The shrine was built in such a way that no room remains dark throughout the day even though it is a closed cave complex.
• The idol of Lord Ganesha is believed to be in an infant form and is carved in a simple manner on a rock. One cannot circumambulate the deity.

Lenyadri Girijatmaj Ganpati Temple Timings

The Temple is a part of the site that is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Hence, the devotees are allowed to visit the shrine only from sunrise till sunset.

7. Ozar Ganpati Temple

The Vigneshwara Temple is situated in the village of Ozar in the Pune district of Maharashtra. The form of Ganesh worshiped here is Vigneshwara, meaning “Remover of Obstacles”. The Temple is seventh in the pre-determined sequence in visiting the Ashtavinayak Temples.

The temple faces east and has a spacious courtyard. The entrance of the temple is flanked by sculptures of two Dvarapalakas (Gatekeepers). The central Temple structure has three entrances, the eastern entrance being the main one. It is believed by historians and the locals that the Temple was built by the Peshwa ruler Chimaji Appa after defeating the Portuguese in the late 1700s. The spire or Shikhar of the Temple is covered with Gold.

Legend of Ozar Ganpati Temple

According to the legend associated with the Temple, King Abhinandan conducted a Yagna with the objective of overthrowing the kingdom of heaven. Alarmed Lord Indra sent the demon Kalapurush to destroy the Yagna. Kalapurush successfully destroyed the Yagna. However, he got carried away with his power and assumed the title of Vignasura, meaning the Creator of Obstacles.

He systematically destroyed all Vedic rituals and Poojas that were performed by several sages and created havoc. The Gods approached Lord Ganesha for help, who defeated Vignasura. The demon realized his arrogance and surrendered to Lord Ganesha asking for mercy. Lord Ganesha promised retribution on the condition that he will not interrupt whenever Lord Ganesha is worshiped. Thus, Lord Ganesha came to be known as Vigneshwara.

Significance of Ozar Ganpati Temple

• The idol of the deity is believed to be Swayambhu in nature. The Lord faces east with his trunk towards left. The deity is flanked by Riddhi and Siddhi on either side.
• The idol of the deity possesses precious stones. The eyes are studded with Rubies, the forehead is embellished with diamonds and navel is studded with semi-precious stones.

Ozar Ganpati Temple Timings

The Temple is open to devotees from 5 AM to 11 PM. However, darshan is closed between 11 AM to 4 PM in the afternoon.

8. Ranjangaon Ganpati Temple

The Temple dedicated to Lord Mahaganapathi is situated at Ranjangaon, 50 km from Pune. The Temple is the last in the sequence of the Ashtavinayak Temples to be visited. The representation of Lord Ganesh as Mahaganapathi is believed to be the most powerful and fierce form of the Lord.

The temple is believed to have been constructed during the 9th century AD. The idol that is worshiped currently has been donated by the Khollam family in Ranjangaon. The idol faces east in a cross-legged position with the trunk pointing left. Both Riddhi and Siddhi flank the deity on either side.

Legend of Ranjangaon Ganpati Temple

• The legend associated with the Temple has two distinct versions. According to one version, Sage Gritsamad’s son Tripurasur was a well-learned young boy and a devotee of Lord Ganesha. Pleased by his devotion and prayers, Lord Ganesha blessed the boy and presented him with three pura’s made of precious metals, which can be destroyed only by Lord Shiva.
• Over a period of time, Tripurasur grew to be vain and created chaos in the world. Even Lord Brahma and Vishnu were disturbed by his atrocities and were forced to go into hiding. Sage Narada advised the frightened gods that they should take the help of Lord Ganesh. The Gods decided to invoke Lord Ganesh, who appeared and accepted to help them.
• Lord Ganesh disguised as a Brahmin and met Tripurasur under the pretext of creating three flying planes. In return, he ordered Tripurasur to bring the Chintamani idol from Mount Kailash. The greedy Tripurasur went to Mount Kailash and fought with Lord Shiva for the idol. Lord Shiva realized that he had not offered his prayers to Lord Ganesh first, and hence was unable to destroy the pura’s or defeat him. He recited the Sadaakshar Mantra and invoked Lord Ganesh, who emerged and gave him the instructions for defeating Tripurasur. Lord Shiva followed the directions and defeated the greedy Tripurasur at also created a temple for Lord Ganesh at that spot.
• As per another legend, when proceeding to the war against the demon Tripurasur, Lord Shiva fails to seek the blessing of Lord Ganesha. Lord Ganesha breaks the axle of the chariot that Lord Shiva was traveling in. Realizing his mistake, Lord Shiva pays respect to Lord Shiva and then proceeds to a victorious battle against the demon. In honor of his son, he is supposed to have consecrated the idol at the site.

Significance of Ranjangaon Ganpati Temple

• The idol of the deity is Swayambhu in nature that is Lord Ganesha is believed to have appeared himself in the form of Mahaganapathi at Ranjangaon.
• The architecture of the Temple is such that at sunset, the sun rays fall on the idol of the deity directly illuminating him.
• It is a belief that the original idol of the Lord is hidden in the basement of the Temple. The idol is supposed to have 10 trunks and 20 hands. The idol is called Mahotkat. However, the Temple priests deny the existence of the Idol.

Ranjangaon Ganpati Temple Timings

The Temple opens at 5:30 AM and closes at 10 PM.

According to Hindu mythology, the demons have the same status as humans and Gods. Gods, demons, and humans are considered as the children of Brahma who is the creator of the Universe. The only difference between them is the way of thinking and understanding the teachings of the scholars in a different way. Some of the demons were considered as strong and intelligent while others were weak and stupid. 

List of Top 10 Hindu Demons

1. Ravana

Ravana was a powerful king of demons with twenty hands and ten heads. He was considered as the most dreadful creature of the universe who can even change the planetary alignments. Ravana was one of the very intellectual demons who mastered all the holy scripts of Hindu mythology. He was killed by Rama as Ravana abducted Rama’s wife Sita to marry her. When Lord Rama killed Ravana, he was more than 12,00,000 years old.

Ravana was also the first astrologer of the whole world with immense knowledge of Spirituality, Warfare, Arts, Science, and Music. It is also believed that once he made Veena (classical music instrument) and tied his own intestine as strings to praise the Lord. He has the power to clone anyone and had 1 lakh sons out of which 99998 songs were cloned by him. Ravana was also never a teenager, when he was 8 years old his mother convinced his father to grow Ravana as an adult through a technique in which his father had expertise.

2. Putana 

Lord Krishna appeared as a Supreme personality on earth to kill all the demons and protect all his devotees. Putna was the demoness who knew the art of killing infants through black magic. Putna dressed herself as a beautiful girl and entered the infant Krishna’s house to kill him.

All the women in the village thought that the beautiful girl had come to meet baby Krishna. When Putna entered the room, she saw Krishna lying on the small bed and took him to her lap. The wicked demoness has smeared poison on her breasts and pushed her nipple within his mouth. While she breastfed him, infant Krishna sucked the life out of her. She died of screaming and her body extended up to 12 miles which smashed all the trees and houses.

3. Mahabali 

Mahabali was one of the very generous demon kings and everybody was very happy in his kingdom. He was a great worshipper of the Lord and wanted people to be happy in his kingdom.

Once Vamana came to his kingdom and asked for a piece of land that could be covered by his footsteps. Lord Vishnu has disguised himself as Vamana and when Mahabali promised to do so, Vamana increased his size. His footsteps covered the entire world and hence Mahabali asked Vamana to put his third step on his forehead and Mahabali eventually died. This day is celebrated as Onam in many parts of the world.

4. Shurpanakha 

Shurpanakha was a wicked demoness and was the sister of the demon king Ravana. She was very ugly and married to Dushtabudhi. Dushtabudhi was a very greedy person and wanted Ravana’s kingdom. Finally, he was killed by Ravana and windowed Surpanakha stayed with her brother Ravana.

Some years later she saw Rama and Lakshman in the forest and wanted to marry them. But both denied the proposal and she really got very angry. She even tried to attack Sita who was the sister in law of Lakshman, Lakshman got very angry and chopped her nose. There was an epic battle fought between them and Ram eventually won the battle. After few years Surpanakha died but the cause of her death is still unknown.

5. Tarakasura 

Tarakasura was an evil king who was a very powerful demon who defeated all his challengers and employed them as his servants. He praised the creator and obtained my boons. Tarakasura killed all the kings and innocent people.

According to his boon, he can only be defeated by Shiva’s son and Shiva had no child. Eventually, Shiva married Parvati and was blessed with a son Kartikeya. Kartikeya fought with Tarakasura and killed him and also killed both his brothers. Kartikeya is also known as Murugan and is worshipped in many parts of the world.

6. Kumbhakarna 

Kumbhakarna was a sleeping giant who could sleep constantly for six months. He had an enormous body size who could even eat the whole world. He was also a great philosopher and was never interested in committing any sin. Waking Kumbhakarna was considered as a tremendous task and no one dared to go near him.

His brother Ravana who was a powerful demon had kidnapped Ram’s wife to marry her. To woke him up for the war, one thousand elephants walked over him and finally Kumbhakarna was awake for the battle. He knew that his brother was wrong but fought for his brother. He even tried to convince Ravana that what he was doing was wrong. He destroyed the army in the battle but was finally killed by Ram.

7. Narakasura 

Narakasura was a powerful demon who ruled Pradyoshapuram and even tortured the people of his kingdom. He kidnapped 16000 women and took pleasure in torturing them. He mercilessly killed sages and innocent people, unable to bear this torture, people approached Krishna.

Krishna wowed to fight for the people. Narakasura was cursed that only a woman can kill him. Hence Krishna along with his wife fought the battle and Krishna’s wife killed him in the battle. Naraka Chaturdashi is celebrated amongst the people from different parts of the world even today.

8. Raktabija 

Raktabija was a demon with great strength and also had a very strange boon. According to his boon, whenever a drop of his blood fell on the ground then a duplicate Raktabija would be born. So it was very difficult to defeat him, no one ever dared to challenge him. Also, his power was increased to a thousand times whenever a drop of his blood fell on the ground. But Raktabija was challenged by Durga.

During the battle, his blood spilled everywhere and thousands of Raktabija were born. Finally, Kali Mata pierced the demon Raktabija and drank the flowing blood with her tongue. She drank every drop of blood before the army of Raktabija emerged.

9. Hiranyakashipu 

Hiranyakashipu was the demon king who was very egoistic and wanted all the people to praise and worship him like the almighty God. The demon king thought that he was the creator of the universe and there was no supreme power to control him. The whole kingdom worships him but his own son refused to worship his father.

Hiranyakashipu even tried to kill his son but all his efforts failed. So he asked his sister Holika to set his own son on fire. But again his son came out of the fire unharmed. Hiranyakashipu was killed by Lord Narsingh and thus the evil got defeated. Hiranyakashipu who symbolized immortality and hatred came to an end and his son was the symbol of strong assurance and believer of God.

10. Mahishasura 

Mahishasura was a king who inherited the genes of both a demon and a buffalo. His father was the king of demons who were attracted to the beauty of a buffalo and eventually married her. They were blessed with a boy and named him Mahishasura (Mahisha means buffalo and Asura means a demon in Hindi). He was given a boon by Lord Brahma that no man on this planet could kill him, he can only be killed by a woman.

Mahishasura was very powerful and was confident that he is immortal. He thought that it is impossible for a woman to kill a man with so much strength. Due to this he started a war with the people and defeated them. Durga led a battle against him in order to stop Mahishasura. He met his death at the hands of a woman that fulfilled the prophecy.

Here are the Gokuldham Temple Darshan Timings

6 AM to 12 PM, 4 PM to 8 PM. Open on all days of the week. The temple is located in Mumbai at Goregaon East.