Description
Lord Ganesha i.e. the elephant headed God of wisdom, is one of the most beloved and ardently worshipped Gods all over. He is the one who is known to be giver of happiness and the one who eradicates all the sorrows. Also he is considered to be the first God to be worshipped during any Pooja or any other such godly ceremonies or rituals. Lord Ganesha has many names like Ganpati, Atharva, Chintamani, etc. One of the names of Lord Ganesha is Vinayaka. The practice of Worshiping Lord Ganesh prevails all over the country but especially in Maharashtra Lord Ganesha is worshipped enthusiastically and on a very large scale. There is a famous set of eight Ganesha temples in Maharashtra which are to be worshipped in a certain sequence which are known as the Ashtavinayaka. The fifth temple to be visited in the Ashtavinayaka pilgrimage is the Chintamani Temple in Theur in the Pune district of Maharashtra.
History
The current temple is believed to have been built by Saint Morya Gosavi who was a saint of the Ganpatya cult but the exact year of the origin of the temple is unknown. The story that follows the inception of the temple is that once there was a cruel demon named Ganasur who had obtained supreme powers from Lord Shiva. Once he took away the sacred jewel "Chintamani" from Sage Kapila. Thus Lord Ganesha along with his consort Siddhi battled with Ganasur and recovered the jewel Chintamani and returned it to sage Kapila. But sage Kapila instead requested Lord Ganesha to stay in this place forever. Hence Lord Ganesha stayed there in the form of Lord Chintamani. The name of the town Theur is a Sanskrit word meaning Stable. Thus Lord Ganesha has stabilised in this place and this temple is known as the Chintamani Ganesh Temple Theur.
Importance/Significance
The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Chintamani. The temple is a huge temple and an exemplary example of beautiful architecture. The idol of Lord Chintamani in this temple is self manifested. Also the east facing idol has beautifully studded jewels in eyes and the trunk. The exceptionally marvelous idol of the Lord coated with Sindhur and sitting in a cross legged posture is a divine site in itself.
Facts/Mythology
The Lord Chintamani is known to be the granter of peace and sanctity and the one who eradicates all the worries. The word "Chinta" means worries and hence Chintamani means the one who washes out all the worries. It is believed that once when Lord Brahma was restless with worries, he became stable with the blessings of Lord Ganesha. Thus Lord Ganesha is known as the "Chintamani".
Festivals/Events/Gatherings
All the Hindu festivals are celebrated here with gaiety, enthusiasm and in high spirits. Most popular amongst them are the Ganesh Chathurti, The Vinayaka Chathurti and the Ganesh Jayanti i.e. the birthday of Lord Ganesha. Also there are a huge number of devotees who throng the on Tuesdays as this day is considered to be auspicious for the worship of Lord Ganesha according to Hindu mythology.
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