Wai – A Temple Town with Ancient Mythological Links, Wai, India (B)

With its strewn of more than 100 temples, both ancient and new, Wai is an ancient mythological town and is also known as the ‘Dakshin Kashi’ of Maharashtra.

Wai is ideally located between the 6 forts – Pandavgad, Kindergad, Kamalgad, Varaitgad, and the twin forts Cahndan-Vandan and offers beautiful views all around.

Most of the temples here at Wai are constructed using the Hemadpanthi Style of Architecture that uses massive stone slabs without or very less use of mortar for building a structure.

At Wai, the most renowned and popular temple is the Dholya Ganapati Temple or Maha Ganpati Temple (built in 1762 by Ganpatrao Bhikaji Raste). Located on the banks of River Krishna, the temple is situated along the Ganapati Aali Ghat. Just like at Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak Temple, the Ganpati idol here at Wai is considered ‘Jagrut’. Being 10 feet tall & 8 feet wide, the idol here is also one of the tallest Ganesh Idol in Maharashtra.

The Vishweshwara Temple nearby is famous for its grandeur and beautiful stone work. Spread in a large coutyard, the main temple shrine is dedicated to Lord Shiva while the outside gateway is guarded by a massive stone idol of Nandi. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).