Godess Parvati is said to have performed penance to create Ganesha at this place. Girija’s (Parvati’s) Atmaj (Son) is Girijatmaj ( Parvati is also the daughter of Himavan)and it can be interpreted as “mountain born” (born to Giri). The temple is located in the middle of a cave complex of 18 caves of Buddhist origin. The Girijatmaj temple is the 8th cave and it is known as Ganesh-lenj also. The whole temple is carved out of a single stone hill and has 307 steps. There is a huge hall in the temple which is not supported by any pillars. The temple hall is 53 feet long and 51 feet wide and is 7 feet in height. The Ganesha idol faces the north and has its trunk to the left and the devotees has to worship the deity from the rear of the temple. The temple faces the south and it is a bit different from the rest of the Ashtavinayak idols.
The idol is not as well carved or designed like the idols in other temples. It is believed that the Peshwa rulers tried in vain to locate the face of Ganesha on the other side. The main icon was initially covered with brass plated wooden armour which was later removed. This brass plated armour was gifted by Junnar Brahmins and later on when it was removed they found out that the trunk was turned to the left side, facing east and with one of his eyes visible. The main attraction of the temple is that the idol can be worshipped by anyone. There are no electric bulbs inside the temple and the temple has enough light during the day. The design of the temple is such the sunlight is always inside the temple during daytime. The temple is located 12km from Narayangaon and this place is 94 kilometre from Pune on the Pune-Nashik highway. Shivaneri castle, where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born, is near the temple and is only 6 kilometres from the temple. The nearest railway station is Talegaon and from Junnar it is about 5 kilometres.
