Siddeshwar Vruddheshwar Mandir Shivajinagar,Pune,Maharashtra

Located on the left bank of the Mutha River, this complex of Vriddheshwar-Siddheshwar is home to two temples, both dedicated to Lord Shiva. A large part of the original stone ghat that connects to the river still exists. It is said that the steps were used by wrestlers and physical fitness enthusiasts for exercise. They would carry copper vessels filled with water up the steps and anoint the Shiva linga, only to descend the steps and start again.

Vriddheshwar Mandir is said to have been built by Sardar Ghorpade (1645–1696), a member of the Peshwa army, at the very end of his life. It is one of the only temples on the northern bank of the Mutha River. The square stone base has bracketed chajjas (an overhanging eave typical of Rajasthani architecture) above it. It has a tiered brick shikhara, topped with a lotus-shaped kalash.

The Siddheshwar Mandir next to it was reportedly built in 1760 by a prosperous Gujarati or Marwadi devotee. At one point, the temple complex had a large wada, a dharmashala and a strong wall along the river. When the Holkars looted the city in 1802 after the Battle of Poona, their leader supposedly lived in the complex’s wada. Unfortunately, all these structures were destroyed by the Panshet floods of 1961. The temple now finds itself being bracketed by the pillars of Pune Metro. The sabha mandap has undergone restoration recently. The pine wood used for the same makes it look like a structure from Kashmir though.