Nashik : At a time when loud DJ systems dominate festivals, Nashik’s 135-year-old Ganesh Mandir on Main Road uniquely boosts classical music. The shrine preserves a continuous tradition of Gaanseva —offering devotional classical singing to Lord Ganesha, the deity of wisdom, knowledge, and arts.
At a time when loud DJ systems dominate festivals, Nashik’s 135-year-old Ganesh Mandir on Main Road uniquely boosts classical music. Built in 1891 by Damodarpant Dongre, Amrut Kulkarni, and their close group of friends near Ravivar Karanja, the temple is run by the Ganeshbhakta Mandali Trust on a completely non-commercial basis. the main celebrations happen during two five-day festivals: Bhadrapad Ganeshotsav and Maghi Ganeshotsav While short classical music sessions take place every Thursday night from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM throughout the year.
Emerging young artists and musicians are actively stepping forward to perform classical vocal and instrumental music during traditional temple events and musical gatherings,” said Sandeep Kulkarni , Secretary of the Trust. The shrine preserves a continuous tradition of Gaanseva —offering devotional classical singing to Lord Ganesha, the deity of wisdom, knowledge, and arts. Singers and musicians come to the shrine without taking any performance fees, offering their music purely out of devotion. “Modern musical trends like DJ performances remain popular among youth, but we also see their steady, sustained engagement with classical music traditions. During these two five-day festivals, classical music performances run late into the night and go on until early morning, bringing together singers, experts, and music lovers from all over Maharashtra. There is a clear inclination toward classical music among the younger generation, particularly towards instrumental music, he noted. “We are witnessing young, emerging artists coming to perform, while many others attend regularly as attentive listeners. It shows that classical music holds its ground alongside contemporary genres,” Kulkarni added. Over the last hundred years, famous classical music legends have performed at this temple, including Ustad Bismillah Khan , Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Kumar Gandharva, Gangubai Hangal, and Pandit Vasantrao Deshpande.