Andhericha Raja Had Saras Baug Temple Theme In 2008

The Sarasbaug temple houses the idol of Shree Siddhivinayak ("God who makes wishes true"). A sacred ground of faith for millions of devotees in Pune and around the world, on an average the Sarasbaug temple receives ten thousand visitors a day and this figure goes up to eighty thousand devotees per day on Ganesha Chaturthi and other special occasions. Various dignitaries and luminaries throughout India have made it a point to visit this sacred temple to seek the blessings of Shri Siddivinayak.

In the 18th century, soon after completion of Shree Devdeveshwar Temple on Parvati hill, Shrimant Nanasaheb Peshwa turned his attention towards the development and beautification of environs of Parvati hills. He decided to construct a lake at the foothills of Parvati. An island of about 25000 Sq.ft. area was retained in the middle of this lake. Later on, a beautiful garden was created on this island. Shrimant Nanasaheb Peshwa gave it a poetic name, “Sarasbaug”.

legends says that Shrimant Nanasaheb Peshwa and his perceptive consultants, conducted secret meetings and discussions while on the boat ride in this lake. The persons who rowed the boat at such times were either Habshis (Negros), who didn’t understand a single word of Marathi or Hindi, or were stone deaf and dumb. The purpose was to prevent any leaking of the secret discussions. Even if this is just a myth, it is believed that it has mentions in historical archives. Historical credentials mention of many such confidential discussions between Shrimant Peshwa, Mahadaji Shinde and Nana Phadnis.