Dagadusheth Halwai Ganapati Temple, Pune: History, Timings & Visitor Guide

• 5:00 AM to 10:30 PM (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday)
• – 5:00 AM to 11:00 PM
• – 07:30 AM to 07:45 AM
• – 01:30 PM to 01:45 PM
• – 03:00 PM to 03:15 PM
• – 08:00 PM to 09:00 PM
• – 10:30 PM to 10:45 PM
• 05:30 AM TO 11:00 PM

These timings are taken from the official website. They change on festivals, so confirm before you go.

Dress Code & Temple Rules

• DressModest, traditional clothes covering shoulders and knees
• FootwearRemove before entering; use the shoe stand
• PhotographyNot allowed inside the sanctum
• Not AllowedLeather items, tobacco, alcohol, non-veg food
• QueueFollow queue lines and staff instructions on festival days

Dagdusheth Halwai was originally from the Gokak town in Karnataka. He later moved to Pune, where he became a successful sweet seller (halwai) and a wealthy businessman in the city during the late 1800s. His original halwai shop still exists under the name “Dagdusheth Halwai Sweets” near Datta Mandir in Pune.

In the late 1800s, he and his wife Laxmibai lost their only son in a plague epidemic. The grieving couple followed the advice of a sage to build a Ganesh temple in Pune in his memory.

Later, Dagdusheth adopted, his nephew Govindsheth (born 1865) who was 9 years old at the time of his death. Govindsheth replaced the first Ganesh idol by a new one, with the first one still being present at Akra Maruti Chowk. A generous man, he established an additional Ganesh idol in a wrestling gym called Jagoba Dada Talim. This talim was owned by Dagdusheth as he was also a former wrestling trainer. One of the chowk (square) in Pune is named Govind Halwai Chowk, after him. Along with his mother, Govindsheth handled all the programmes like Ganesh Utsav, Datta Jayanti and other festivities. The residence where they resided is now known as Laxmibai Dagdusheth Halwai Sansthan Datta Mandir Trust. Laxmi Road in Pune is named after Laxmibai Dagdusheth halwai. Govindsheth died in 1943. His son Dattatray Govindsheth Halwai, born in 1926, was the one who established the third Ganesh idol replacing the second.This idol, known as Navasacha Ganpati, is the one that is present today in the Dagdusheth temple. It proved to be an epoch-making event in Indian history.