Ranthambore Ganesh Temple

According to the history behind this temple, it is said that in 1299 AD, a war took place between King Hammeer and Alauddin Khilji at the Ranthambore fortification. During the war time, they filled there godowns with foods and other necessary things in Ranthambhore Fort, where the King dwells. As the war lasted for many years, the stored things in godowns were getting over. King Hammer was a great devotee to God Ganesh.

One night when he was sleeping, Lord Ganesh came in his dream and said that all the lacking and problems would be over by tomorrow morning. Next day morning, an idol of Lord Ganesh with three eyes (Trinetra) stamped from one of the walls of the fort. Also, a miracle took place and the war got over while the godowns got filled again. In 1300 AD, King Hammer built a temple of Lord Ganesh. He placed the idol of Lord Ganesh, Riddhi Siddhi (his wife) and two sons (Shub Labh) along with the idol of mushak (mouse, his vehicle).

Legend says that during a battle between King Hameer (King of Ranthambhore) & Alauddin Khilji in 1299 AD, all food items and essential items were exhausted quickly. King Hammer was an ardent devotee of Lord Ganpati. During the war, King Hammat dreamt about Ganesh Ji. Lord Ganesha told him that the next morning all his problems would come to an end. And lo! The next day, he saw an idol of Lord Ganesha with three eyes (Trineta) miraculously embossed on one of the fort’s wall. And, to add to everyone’s surprise all the godowns of the fort were filled with food and essential supplies!

King Hammer constructed the Trineta Ganesha Temple, Ranthambore in 1300 AD and installed the idols of Lord Ganesha along with his wives Riddhi-Siddhi and two sons, Shubh-Labh. On Ganesh Chaturthi, the temple attracts thousands of devotees each year. This is a must visit temple for a Ganesha devotee.

The Ranthambhore fort, in turn, is said to have got its name from two adjoining hills – Rann and Thambhore. It lies on the Thambhore hill, overlooking the Rann and offers some breathtaking views of the Park. The walls of the fort are about 7 kilometers in length and include an area of nearly 4 square kilometers. All around the fort, one can see many old ruins, including palaces, temples, cenotaphs, step-wells and houses.

The Ranthambore fort is surrounded by massive stonewalls which are strengthened by towers and bastions. The stone for the masonry was mined from inside the Fort and the mines were later turned into ponds for water storage.
The main approach to the Fort lies through a narrow valley, which had four fortified gateways. Of these, only the first gate – Misradhara gate, is still standing. There are many ruined buildings inside the Fort, with Hammeers Court, Badal Mahal, Dhula Mahal and Phansi Ghar being the most prominent of them. The Fort also has many cenotaphs, temples and gates.

The Ganesh Temple, which lies very close to the main entry gate to the Fort, attracts a steady flow of pilgrims, mainly from the rural hinterland. During the annual Ganesh festival, tens of thousands of pilgrims visit the temple, from all over the country.

Most of the visitors to the Fort tend to stay in the Western part of the Fort. Very few visitors go to the eastern part of the fort, which is nearly wild. A small perennial stream called Gupt Ganga flows in this part of the Fort. Here one can see a large number of birds, Langurs, the odd small cat and sometimes, even leopards.