Maharashtra has a long tradition of tolerance and symbiotic interaction with different religious faiths.

To the south lies the basin of Godavari and the territory from Nasik to Nanded which is regarded as sacred. A man-jority of saints and poets were born here. Trimbakeshwar, the place from where the Godavari originates has a sanctity of its own. Nanded is a pilgrim point for the Sikhs as it has a samadhi of Guru Gobind Singh.

Besides Haji Ali; Haji Matang; churches of Bassein and Bombay, synagogues of Pen and Alibag; Jain and Buddhist temples, Maharashtra also has five of the twelve jyotirlingas, located at Ghrisneshwar near Ellora, Aundh Nagnath in Parbhani, Parli Vaijnath in Beed, Trimbakeshwar in Nasik and Bhimashankara in Pune.

Maharashtra imbibed the cultural and religious influences of the northern Aryans and southern Dravidians. Thus both Vaishnavism and Shivism flourised in the region.

Shaivism extended its ambit to the worship of Ganesh, son of Shiva. In fact the elephant-headed god is one of the most popular deities worshipped by the people here.

Ashtavinayaka

A pilgrimage to the Ashtavinayaka or eight important Ganapati shrines ensures for the pilgrim everlasting bliss. Glorified as swayambhu or self-appeared, each of the eight idols has distinctive feature. The foremost shrine is Mayureshwar at Morgaon about 64 kms from Pune. It was built in the 14th cenutry by Morya Gosavi who installed it at Chinchwad.

Closely asociated with Morgaon is the Chintamani Ganpati at Theur where morya Gosavi is believed to have attained siddhi (knowledge). The temple was built by his son Chintamani Dev to commemorate the event.

At Ranjangaon, the deity is known as Mahaganapati because of the size of the statue. It has ten trunks and twenty arms. It is believed that Mahaganpati was hidden to prevent its destruction from non-believers. Thousands of devotees visit the place during the Bhadrapad festival.

Sir Siddhi Vinayak in Ahmednagar district is also believed to be a detination where Morya gosavi did penance. But the main temple was constructed by Ahilyabai Holkar.

Built in 1833, the temple at Ozhar is famous for its deepmala or garland of lights. Its golden dome was gifted by Bajirao Peshwa's younger brother Chimaji Appa. Here Ganesha is worshipped in his incarnation is Vigneshwara or the 'remover of obstacles'.

Situated on a hill, on the banks of the Kukdi river at Lenyadri this temple has 283 steps, symbolising the devotion that unites the devotee wih the deity. According to folklore, it was here that Parvati spent time in prayer and penance and gave birth to Ganapati.

Named after Ballal at Pali, Ganapati is known as Balleleshwar. He is said to have appeared at this spot. The wooden temple was so constructed that the rays of the sum fall directly on the diety from the two equinoxes of the temple. The teemple was constructed in 1770 by Nana Phandnis

Saibaba

The Saibaba of Shirdi has attracted many followers from different sects and religions across the country. Known to be an incarnativion of Guru Pattareya he attained samadhi on Dussehra day in 1918.

Fairs
Maharashtra celebrates many festivals of deverse hues and colours. The more significant of these are the Kumbha Mela, the Pandharpur yatra etc

Kumbh Mela
Situated on the banks of the Godavari, Nasik is an important pilgrimage center specially during the Simbastha Mela held every 12 years. According to Pauranik lore when amrit (nectar) was being distributed, a dispute arose between the gods and demons over the possession of the kumbh. In the tussle, the nectar was spilled at Haridwar, Ujjain, Prayag and Nasik.

Pandharpur

Pandharpur, situated on the shores of the Chandrabhaga river in the Sholapur district is supposed to be the spiritual capital of Maharashtra. The Ashadi fiar held at Pandharpur has thrived and is the silver thread running through the entire history of Maharashtra.

Pundalika, when honoured by the visit of Lord Krishna, prayed for his eternal presence there and therefore the temple dedicated to Lord Krishna The temple complex is very old and was first renovated in 83 A.D.

The tradition of royal worhsip and the ratha yatra begun in 1810 and in still carried out on Ashad and Kartik Ekadashi days.

Others

Among the other popular deities are Bhavani of Tulajapur who rose to prominence during the Maratha reign. This is the family deity of the Bhosle rulers and also of Shivaji Maharaj.

The advent of Varkari Sampradaya has inspired lakhs of people for centuries to realise God and taught them that no barriers of caste, creed or sex obstruct the path of the realisation of God through Bhakti. Even today people visit these places with great faith and participate in Vari and Dindi.