Gajānan Mahārāj of Śegāon

Gajānan Mahārāj of Śegāon

Tradition: Hindu / Datta-sampradaya

The Place

• Location: Shegaon, Buldhana (20.7833°N, 76.6833°E) Maharashtra
• Historical: 1878–1910 CE

Story

Gajānan Mahārāj (died 1910 CE) — an enigmatic sannyāsi who appeared in Śegāon village in 1878. He ate little, drank little, spoke less. He worked a number of documented miracles over 32 years. His samādhi temple, completed 1910, is the largest pilgrimage of Vidarbha — receives ~1 crore pilgrims annually. The Śrī Gajānan Mahārāj Sansthān runs schools, hospitals, and social-service programs. The Ganesha-motu-pūjā (idol-meditation) daily at the samādhi is the core practice. His Vijay Daśamī (samādhi day) draws half a million pilgrims.

Worship & Mantra

Gaṇa Gaṇa Gaṇāt Bote

Festival Cycle

• Vijayadaśamī (samādhi day) (Āśvin (Oct), 3 days)

Why This Entry Matters

Every tradition in India — textual, oral, tribal, regional, syncretic — deserves first-person recognition. This entry honours Hindu on its own terms.