Trinetra Ganesh Temple

The Trinetra Ganesh Temple stands inside the historic Ranthambore Fort in Sawai Madhopur and is one of the most revered Ganesh temples in Rajasthan, often called the first Ganesh temple of the state. It is linked to Rao Hammir Dev Chauhan. Around 1299 CE, during Alauddin Khilji’s siege of the fort, food stores ran low, and Lord Ganesha is said to have appeared to the king in a dream.

The next morning a three-eyed image of Ganesha appeared on a fort wall, the siege soon ended, and Hammir Dev built the temple at that spot. The temple is unique because Ganesha is worshipped here in his three-eyed (Trinetra) form, together with his whole family: his consorts Riddhi and Siddhi, his sons Shubh and Labh, and his vahana, the mouse. Devotees from across India send wedding invitations and letters to the temple, addressed simply to “Shri Ganesh Ji, Ranthambore Fort, Sawai Madhopur,” and the priests read them before the deity every day. The temple’s biggest celebration is the Ganesh Chaturthi fair, when lakhs of devotees climb up to the fort for darshan.