Titwala

For Ganesha temple, see Siddhivinayak Mahaganapati Temple (Titwala).

Titwala टिटवाळा Titvala
town
Nickname(s): Titwaleshwar (टिटवाळेश्वर)
Titwala Location in Maharashtra, India
Coordinates:
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
District	Thane
Elevation	7.5 m (24.6 ft)
Population (2001)
• Total	26,331
Language
• Official	Marathi
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	421 605
Telephone code	0251
Vehicle registration	MH-05

Titwala is a small town near Kalyan in the Western Indian state of Maharashtra. It is situated at the banks of the seasonal river Kalu. Titwala covers an area of 507.881 hectares with a population of 26,331 (per the Census of 2001). Titwala is famous for the Siddhivinayak Mahaganapati Temple (Titwala), wherein lakhs of devotees visit this temple during Ganesh Chaturthi and Angarki Sankashti Chaturthi.

History

During the rule of Peshwa Madhavrao I (1745-1772), to resolve the drought situation in the town, the tank was de-silted to provide drinking water to the town. It was during the de-silting operations that the idol was found buried. The idol of god Ganesha was found by Peshwa sardar Ramchandra Mehendale buried in the silt. Soon thereafter, the renovation of the temple was undertaken and a stone temple was built. Chimmaji Appa under the rule of Peshwa Madhavrao I consecrated the ancient Ganesha idol in this new temple, after the conquest of Vasai fort. Initially, the temple was very small with a wooden sabha mandap (audience hall), which was in a run-down condition. Since the Peshwa, temple had also degenerated over time, in 1965–66, renovation work was initiated again and a new temple was constructed at the same location at cost of 200000 (US$3,200).

Geography

Titwala dam on Kalu river

Temples

Siddhivinayak Mahaganapati Temple

Main article: Siddhivinayak Mahaganapati Temple

It is the site of a temple of Ganesha and purportedly the hermitage where Shakuntala was born.

The Siddhivinayak Mahaganapati Temple is located at Titwala. The day of 'Angarki Sankashti Chaturthi', a holy day in the Hindu Calendar, attracts large crowds. Titwala attracts visitors from the suburbs of Mumbai. Believers claim that if Mahaganapati is worshiped regularly, marriages of those wanting to be united can be arranged and that conflicts between husband and wife can end and those that desire a son or daughter, will have one born to them. In May 2009, the temple trust and the Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) have completed renovation of the temple – initiated 5 years ago. At a cost of INR15 million (US$250,000), the renovation work provides regulated entry arrangements and basic facilities to cater to a very large number of devotees who visit the temple. The lake, Titwala Talav next to the temple, has also been de-silted recently and facilities created for boating

Temple Timings on Normal Day:

Temple Doors are Open for Darshan - Morning 5:00 to 13:00 hours
Temple Doors are Closed for Darshan - Afternoon 13:00 to 14:00 hours
Arti- 14:00 to 14:30
Temple Doors are Open for Darshan - 14:30 to 18:00
Temple Doors are Closed for Darshan - 19:00 to 21:00
Arti - 18:00 to 18:45

Temple Timings on Sankashti Chaturthi:

Temple Opens in morning at 4 AM till 11 PM at night. Above Arti timings and Closure of temple door's for Darshan's are followed as per normal day

Temple Timings on Angarki Sankashti Chaturthi:

Temple Opens is open for entire day from Monday Midnight till Tuesday Midnight. Above Arti timings Closure of temple door's for Darshan's are followed as per normal day

Apart from Mahaganpati temple, below temples are also mostly visited by local worshippers  :

• Vitthal-Rukmini Temple
• Saibaba Mandir
• Shitaladevi Mandir
• Hanuman Mandir
• Swami Samarth Maharaj
• Shri Gajanan Maharaj Mandir

A view of infrastructure in Titwala

Transport

Titwala is the third Railway Station on Central railway from Kalyan Junction on the CST-Kasara route of the Central Line and time needed to travel via train from Kalyan is approx. 15 minutes. By road, Titwala is around 15 km from Kalyan. Nearest International and Domestic Airport from Titwala is around 75 km in Mumbai. Titwala is also a Railway terminal for local trains. Titwala local Trains (TL) from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus are terminated on Titwala station. Local trains on Central railway are further extended to Asangaon and Kasara station which halts at Titwala station. Titwala Railway station is located in village named as Manda and Titwala village is actually near Mahaganpati temple around 1.5 km from Railway station

Layout

Titwala is surrounded by Kalu river. The village is divided in half by the rail line. East side is much developed and Titwala is one of the fastly developing town under KDMC. Western side of Titwala is slowly catching up with respect to development. During the floods of 2005, it was cut off from the surrounding cities, including its rail line.

Development

The primarily devotional tourist attraction is developing into a residential area, with increased population and standard of living. Its proximity to the main Kalyan terminal (20–25 km) is attractive to new settlers. Many companies are undertaking new residential projects(Regency, Charms etc.) and small franchises like Anant Halwai, Monginis, AMUL Ice creams etc. have already opened doors. It is the fastest-developing area of the central railway. Regency Sarvam have built 34 buildings with 68 acres in Titwala.