Vidarbha region is in the eastern part of Maharashtra. Strong dynasties like Vakataka, Kalchuri flourished in this region which has ancient traditions. Remnants of their prosperity can still be found in excavations here. Among the Ashtavinayaka of Vidarbha, the place where Siddhivinayak Ganapati is located is Kelzar village in Wardha district. This Ganesh is also known as Ekachakra Ganapati as people believe that it is Ekakra Nagar of Mahabharata i.e. today's Kelzar. This temple of Siddhivinayak is on the Kelzar fort and the surrounding area is surrounded by mountains. Selu, a taluka town, is the nearest place to visit the Kelzar fort. Distance from Wardha to Selu is 15 km and distance from Selu to Kelzar is 10 km. Rickshaws are available from Selu to Kelzar. Getting off at the bus stop and going towards the fort, a newly built Vishnu temple can be seen on the left side of the road. ... In this temple, one can see the beautifully carved Vishnu idol of Dasavatara of the 8th century. On the way to the fort, ancient ruins can be seen scattered in the village. The Kelzar fort on the hill outside the village has been largely converted into a temple and only a few ramparts, a bastion and a water tank (pushkarni) remain to show the existence of the fort. There are two ways to reach the fort, one is by stairs on foot and the other is by car. While going to the fort by car route, you enter the fort from under the bastion. After entering through the arch, first you should see the bastion on the left side. Out of the 5 bastions of the Kelzar fort, this is the only one remaining today. While going to the bastion, there is a temple of Maruti on the right side and a newly built Shiv temple on the bastion. From the bastion one can see the distant region. After seeing the Shiv temple and going towards the Ganesh temple, one sees a staircase going down on the left. At the end of this path is a porch built out of stones with steps leading down to here and a carved door at the end of the steps. On the upper side there is a mechanism used to draw water. After seeing Pushkarni, proceed towards Ganesh temple. The Ganesh temple is built in the elevated part of the Kelzar fort and an 8th century Vishnu idol found in excavations is kept at the door of the Ganesh temple. The Ganesh idol in the Ganesh temple is known as Siddhivinayak as its trunk is right sided. The Mahalakshmi temple at the back of the temple has two Vishnu idols of the 8th century and the Mahalakshmi idol of Puja is also of the 8th century. Dharamshala is built near this temple. There are some dilapidated idols kept in the premises of Ganesh temple and one can see ruined fortifications at two places while walking around the area. An hour is enough to see the fort. Kelzar Fort is believed to have been built during the Vakataka period. During the Mughal period, there are references to the existence of a Mughal post at Kelzar during the rule of the Gond King Kokshah in Vidarbha.
© Suresh Nimbalkar