History

MahaGanpati Temple is a famous Temple in Ganpati Ali, Wai, Maharashtra. Located on the Krishna River, Wai was a town of some prominence in the days of the Peshwas.  During the period of Mahabharata, the city was known by the name “Virat Nagari’ (very large city in Hindi). It is also called as ‘town of temples’ because there are many temples situated along the Ghats of Krishna River. It is also known as ‘Dakshin Kasi’ because there are seven Ghats along Krishna River in Wai.
Maha Ganapathy temple is situated in Ganapathy Aali Ghat in Wai. In front of this temple there is Kasi Vishveshwar temple. The large statue of Ganapathy of this temple is made from single black stone and from the same stone the Nandi statue was made in Kasi Vishveshwar temple. The temple was built in 1762. It’s called as ‘Dholia’ because of the big size of Ganesh statue. It is 10 feet tall and 8 feet wide. In Marathi language ‘Dholia’ means huge or fat. The Ganesh statue is in sitting position and looks very happy and positive.

One of the unique features of this temple is the ‘fish shape’ given to the back of the temple. This is done to protect the temple from floods in Krishna River. The fish shape of temple back divides the water current and reduces the water pressure on the temple and thus protecting it from floods.