PWD Cuts Ashtavinayak Temple Pilgrimage Time in Half with Improved Roads
In a significant update, the Public Works Department (PWD) has announced a breakthrough, enabling pilgrims to visit all Ashtavinayak temples in Maharashtra within a single day. Previously, this spiritual journey required 48 hours by four-wheeler, but the PWD claims to have slashed this time by half.
The completion of road works linking the Ashtavinayak temples played a pivotal role in achieving this milestone, eliminating disruptions and obstacles along the routes. Among the eight temples, five are situated in Pune district (Morgaon, Theur, Ranjangaon, Ozar, and Lenyadri), while Siddhatek Nagar, Mahad, and Pali temples are located in Raigad district.
The PWD’s initiative aimed to enhance convenience and reduce travel time for devotees and tourists visiting these sacred sites. PWD Superintendent Engineer Bappa Bahir explained that a comprehensive program was launched to connect the roads to the Ashtavinayak temples. This involved developing and linking 252 km of roads, with a total expenditure of 900 crores sanctioned by the state government.
The road works encompassed repair, widening, and strengthening of the routes, executed by a private company through a tender process. It’s noteworthy that the entire Ashtavinayaka temple route spans 654 km, with the PWD concentrating on enhancing connectivity across a significant portion of this network.
Bahir emphasized that with the completion of these road works, the previous two-day duration required for darshan of Ashtavinayak Ganesha has been halved, allowing devotees to complete the journey in just 24 hours. This achievement is anticipated to facilitate increased accessibility and pilgrimage to these revered temples, attracting devotees from across the state and country.
