Over 500-year-old Mayureshwar Ganesha idol installed in a small temple situated in the residential premises of Vinayakrao Joshi in Arjuni Morgaon tehsil of Gondia district is believed to be ‘Swayambhu’. Every year, thousands of devotees from across Vidarbha region visit the temple to seek blessings of the deity. Mayureshwar Ganesha is also famous for fulfilling the wishes of devotees and it is one of the most ancient idols in the region.

According to Vinayakrao Joshi, presently 17th generation of their family is taking care of the temple. “The idol has similarity to Mayureshwar Ganesha of Morgaon in Pune district, and noted devotee of Lord Ganesha, Morya Gosavi has mentioned about the Arjuni Morgaon idol in his biography. Many years ago, Gosavi had visited the place to seek the blessings of the Lord Ganesha,” Joshi added.

According to Joshi , Peethadish of Yogendra Mutt in Morgaon of Pune still visits Arjuni Morgaon to seek ‘darshan’ of Shree Ganesha. The Ganesha idol is made of black stone and the temple was renovated in 1970 with the contribution of late businessman Ghanshyamdas Bhutda and late Dharnidhar Joshi. Besides taking care of the temple, Vinayakrao Joshi performs rituals on every pious occasion. The Joshi family also celebrates the festive occasion of ‘Mahalaxmi’ every year with fervour.

Arjuni Morgaon tehsil in Gondia district was the province of Gond Dynasty Kings. There are many religious and historical places in tehsil out of which the fort of Pratapgarh is very famous in region. Similarly, the temple of Maa Ganga Jamuna in Bondgaondevi village, Maa Koknai Devi situated on the hills of Bolde Karad, Jagrut Lord Hanuman of Kaalimati are also famous among the devotees. The Ganesha temple of Mayureshwar Ganesha has become a sacred place for devotees.