Ganesha, also spelled Ganesh, and also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, Lambodara and Pillaiyar, is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions are found throughout India. Hindu denominations worship him regardless of affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains and Buddhists and beyond India.
The Lord Shrimant Ganpati Bappa Davalai temple, located near Rawai Park with the auspicious address 99, 9 Soi Rouyphad, Rawai, was bestowed its grand opening with a ceremony on Dec 28.
Devotees and notable invited guests, all dressed in traditional Hindu costume, followed as the Ganesha icon was carried down the narrow street and installed at the temple amid prayers and blessings.
The opening event was presided over by Papatsorn Meepa, Executive of Phuket Nine Co Ltd, and Wachira Permsuriya, chief administrator of the temple. Distinguished guests present for the occasion included Sunilji Rasane, President of the Shrimant Dagdushrth Halwai Ganpati Trust in Pune, India; Rahulji Maniklao Chavan, Managing Director of Suvanaya Bank, Pune; and Rajeshkumarji Sakla of the Siddhivinayak Network.
From Bangkok, notable attendees included Chuan Takaru, President of the Indian Association of Thailand, and his wife, Ms Worinporn; along with Somsong Sajjabhimuk, Vice President of the Indian Association of Thailand; Sutham Sajjabhimuk, former President of the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Thailand.
Also present were Rewat Areerob, former President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO) and Wirintra Paphakityotphat, head of the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) Region 11 branch, which represents Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi.
A highlight of the event was the Maha Aarti Fire Ceremony, led by an Indian Brahmin team, where devotees gathered to seek blessings from Lord Ganesha. Attendees also marveled at the temple’s intricate design and sanctified idols, praying for prosperity and well-being.
The temple offers Indian-style Ganesha offerings for devotees, along with Indian clothing available for purchase, with all proceeds supporting charitable causes.
With its vibrant cultural significance, the Sri Manta Ganesh Temple promises to be a spiritual hub for both locals and visitors to Phuket. The temple is proclaimed to be the only such temple in Thailand, second only to the Dagadusheth Halwai Ganapati temple in Pune, India, a deeply revered temple visited by more than 100,000 pilgrims every year.
Devotees of the Dagadusheth temple include celebrities and chief ministers of Maharashtra who visit during the annual 10-day Ganeshotsav festival. The Dagadusheth temple celebrated 132 years of its Ganapati festival in 2024.
The Hindu festival Ganesh Chaturthi celebrates the birthday of Ganesha as the God of New Beginnings, the Remover of Obstacles and the God of Wisdom and Intelligence, and is observed in India and elsewhere throughout Asia, and around the world.
The festival falls between Aug 22 and Sept 20 every year, and is marked with the installation of Ganesha’s ‘murtis’ (devotional representations of a deity) privately in homes and publicly on elaborate pandals (temporary stages).
Observances include chanting of Vedic hymns and Hindu texts, such as prayers and fasting. Offerings and prasada from the daily prayers are distributed from the pandal to the community, including traditional sweets such as modak as it is believed to be a favourite of Ganesha.
The festival ends on its 10th day, when the ‘murti’ is carried in a public procession with music and group chanting, then immersed in a nearby body of water such as a river or sea, called visarjana on the day of Ananta Chaturdashi.
The Lord Shrimant Ganpati Bappa Davalai is open for worship daily from 7am to 8pm. Visitors are reminded that there is to be no photography inside the temple and no shorts or black clothing are to be worn at the temple.