Ashtavinayak Yatra: what you need in 2026

The traditional yatra starts and ends at Morgaon. Pilgrims visit the eight in this order and then return to the first temple to complete the circuit.

• Mayureshwar (Moreshwar), at Morgaon, in Pune district. The starting and finishing temple of the yatra.
• Siddhivinayak, at Siddhatek, in Ahmednagar district, across the Bhima river. The only one of the eight where the trunk turns to the right.
• Ballaleshwar, at Pali, in Raigad district. The only one named after a devotee, Ballal.
• Varadavinayak, at Mahad, in Raigad district, near Khopoli.
• Chintamani, at Theur, in Pune district, close to Pune city.
• Girijatmaj, at Lenyadri, in Pune district. A cave temple set in a hillside, reached by a long flight of steps.
• Vighneshwar (Vighnahar), at Ozar, in Pune district, near the Kukadi river.
• Mahaganapati, at Ranjangaon, in Pune district, on the Pune to Ahmednagar road.

Your darshan at each of the eight temples is walk-in and free. You reach the temple, join the line, take darshan, and move on. None of the eight sells a paid VIP darshan that you must book in advance, and there is no combined ticket for the circuit. On ordinary days the lines are short. On Ganesh festival days and Sankashti Chaturthi they can be long.

Each temple has its own priests and its own way of offering poojas, abhishek and prasad, arranged in person at that temple. There is no single online seva booking for the whole circuit. If you want a special pooja at any one temple, arrange it at that temple's counter or with its priests on the day, and agree the amount first. Do not pay an outside website in advance for a pooja "in your name" across the eight temples.

Each temple sets its own hours, but the pattern is similar. They open early in the morning, usually around 5:00 to 6:00, and stay open into the evening, usually until about 9:00 to 10:00, with aartis in the morning and the evening and a possible short rest in the afternoon. The cave temple at Lenyadri keeps daylight hours because of the climb.

Because each temple sets and changes its own timings, and festival days run longer, confirm the current hours for each temple before you plan your driving day. (Timing pattern last checked 14 September 2026.)

• Decide your base. Most travellers start from Pune, which is close to the largest cluster of the temples.
• Allow two to three days to do all eight without rushing. Many people complete the core cluster near Pune in a long day and the Raigad pair (Pali and Mahad) on another day.
• Follow the traditional order if you wish to do the full ritual circuit, starting and ending at Morgaon. If you only want to see all eight, you can group them by geography to save driving.
• Confirm each temple's timings and check for any festival crowd on your dates.
• Hire a reliable car and driver, because the temples are spread across districts and public transport between them is slow.
• Carry cash for offerings, prasad and shoe stands, and keep a photo identity with you.

There is nothing to book online for darshan, because each darshan is free and walk-in.

• Darshan at each temple: free. No combined ticket, no paid VIP line. (Walk-in free darshan at each. Last checked 14 September 2026.)
• Poojas, abhishek and prasad: arranged in person at each temple, at that temple's rates. Agree the amount first.
• Car and driver for the circuit: a private transport cost, the main expense of the trip, set by your operator.
• Shoe stands and small services: minor private charges at each temple.

We do not print figures, because they vary. Take pooja rates from each temple on the day and transport rates from your operator.

You can do the circuit all year. The pleasant season is from about October to February, when the weather is cool and the driving is comfortable. The monsoon, from about June to September, makes the countryside green but brings rain on the roads.

The busiest and most special times are: - Ganesh Chaturthi and the days that follow, in August or September, the great Ganesh festival, when crowds are very large. - Maghi Ganesh Jayanti, in January or February. - Angarki and other Sankashti Chaturthi days, the monthly Ganesh days, especially when they fall on a Tuesday.

If you want short lines, avoid these dates and travel on ordinary weekdays.

The circuit is spread across Pune, Ahmednagar and Raigad districts in Maharashtra. - By air: Pune is the nearest major airport, with Mumbai the larger hub about 150 kilometres from Pune. - By rail: Pune Junction is the main railhead for the cluster near Pune. For Pali and Mahad in Raigad, the Konkan and Mumbai side stations are closer. - By road: this is a road trip. Rough distances from Pune are Theur about 22 kilometres, Ranjangaon about 50 kilometres, Morgaon about 55 kilometres, Mahad (Varadavinayak) about 80 kilometres near Khopoli, and Lenyadri about 90 to 95 kilometres via Narayangaon. Siddhatek is across the Bhima river towards Ahmednagar. Pali and Mahad sit towards the Mumbai and Konkan side.

Because the temples are far apart, a car and driver for two or three days is the practical way to do the circuit.

Some of the temple trusts run simple bhaktniwas rooms for pilgrims near their temples, which you arrange with that temple. For more comfort, base yourself in Pune, or break the trip with a night near Lonavala or Khopoli when you do the Raigad pair. Book directly with the property or the trust, and be careful of outside websites showing cheap rooms "at the temple" with official looking photos.

• Dress modestly, covering shoulders and knees.
• Carry a photo identity and cash for offerings, prasad and shoe stands.
• Wear comfortable shoes, and shoes with grip for the climb at Lenyadri.
• Leave your shoes at the shoe stand at each temple, and follow each temple's rules on photography, which vary.
• Carry water and sun protection for the driving days.
• Keep your valuables safe in the crowd, especially on festival days.

Most of the eight temples are reachable on the flat or with a few steps, so seniors and wheelchair users can manage them with help. The exception is Girijatmaj at Lenyadri, which is a cave temple reached by a long climb of a few hundred steps, hard for anyone who cannot walk far. If mobility is a concern, plan extra time at Lenyadri, use the resting points on the climb, or view it from as far as you can manage. Ask at each temple about help for the elderly and for persons with disabilities. Keep any needed medicine with you on the long driving days.

At each temple you will find prasad and offering shops, drinking water, toilets and small eateries, and often a shoe stand. Some temples have simple pilgrim rooms run by their trusts. On festival days larger crowd arrangements are put in place. Because you will be on the road for hours, carry water and snacks and take fuel and rest stops between temples.

• Group the temples by geography to cut driving time, unless you want the full ritual order starting and ending at Morgaon.
• Start each day early to reach the first temple before the heat and the crowd.
• Do the Pune cluster (Theur, Ranjangaon, Morgaon, and the Ozar and Lenyadri pair) over one or two days, and the Raigad pair (Pali and Mahad) on another, near Lonavala.
• Keep small cash ready for each shoe stand and offering, so you are not delayed.
• Carry your own water and snacks for the long stretches between temples.
• Confirm each temple's timings the day before, because they differ.

From Pune you can add the city's own temples and forts, the hill stations of Lonavala and Khandala on the way to the Raigad temples, and the caves at Karla and Bhaja. The Lenyadri temple itself sits among a group of ancient rock cut caves worth seeing.