Ganesha Pre-Ancient Deities,Ashapurak

There lived a fisherman in a town called Nandak.His name was 'Dushta' and he was very cruel as per the meaning of his name.He used to trouble the villagers and extort them.Finally the people got united and successfully removed him from the town.

He went to other town and started the same act.Once in the jungle while hunting,he fell in to a pit full of mud and went to nearby lake to take a bath, where he saw the Sage Mudgal passing from there and chanting 'Aum Aum Aum'.With the intention to rob him Dushta assaulted him with a weapon but soon his hand got paralysed

The Sage carrassed him with affection which cured his hand and Dushta was very ashamed and apologised bytouching his feet.

The sage further advised him to collect some flowers,like lotus etc and grass blades to worship Ganesha.Accordingly Dushta worshipped Ganesha which was the Ganesh Chaturthi day.

Then Sage Mudgal put a dry branch of a tree, in the ground and told him to chant the Ganesh Mantra 'Shree Ganeshaya Namaha',till the branch developes leaves.The sage left from there.

>After a long period of time the sage returned there and saw a sand dune had covered Dushta but the sound of 'Aum' was coming out from the dune and also the branch had developed leaves.When he removed the sand he saw Dushta in deterioted condition.

The sage sprinkled sacred water on him and a trunk immerged out from Dushta's eyebrow.So he was named as Bhrushundi.Bhrushundi estableshed a Ganesha Shrine there and because his hopes(Asha) were fulfilled(Purak),he named the idol as 'AshapurakGanesh'

This shrine is about 10 kms from Beed,in Maharashtra.