5. ASHTAVINAYAK YATRA (PART III)

III. CHINTAMANI TEMPLE.

Chinatmani temple, Theur.

 The temple lore describes how bhagwan Ganesh retrieved the wish-giving jewel Chintamani for his devotee, the sage Kapila from the greedy king Gana and how he pacifies the uneasy mind of the god Brahma, who meditated on him in Theur.The Chintamani Temple of Theur (Theyoor) is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Lord 'Ganesha (Chintamani Ganpati Theur)' Son of Lord Siva and Parvati. This temple is one of the popular among the Ashtavinayaka temples and 27.04 km from Pune district in Maharashtra. Theur is located in the Haveli Taluka of Pune district and near the confluence of river Bhima and the conjoint river Mula and Mutha.

Theur is prescribed to the fifth temple to be visited in the Ashtavinayak Darshan tour or yatra, people often visit Theur second in the place after Morgaon, as it is a more convenient route. The idol of the deity is self-emanated (swayambhu murti) and is east facing called purvabhimukha, with his trunk turned left and beautiful diamonds studded in his eyes. The idol is in a cross-legged seated position. Theur itself is an important mythological place located at the confluence of three major regional rivers i.e. Bhima, Mula and Mutha. Lord Ganesha as Chintamani Ganesha is God who brings peace of mind and drives away all perplexities of the mind.

HISTORY OF THE THEMPLE

The current temple was built by the 'Ganapatya saint Morya Gosavi' or his 'descendant Dharmadhar' (Dharanidhar). Morya Gosavi often visited the temple on his trips between his hometown Chinchwad and Morgaon, the foremost of the Ashtavinayaka temples. On every fourth lunar day after the full moon, Morya used to visit the Theur temple. Now, the temple is under the administration of the 'Chinchwad Devasthan Trust', which also governs Morgaon and Siddhatek Ashtavinayak temples.

The temple has a wooden Sabha-mandapa, which was built by Madhavraoji. The hall also has a black stone water fountain in it. Besides the central shrine dedicated to Lord Ganesha/Ganpati, there are a number of smaller shrines in the temple complex: Mahadeva (Lord Shiva) temple, Lord Vishnu-Lakshmi temple, Lord Hanumanji temple etc. Behind the temple is the Peshwa Wada – the Peshwa Palace.

FESTIVAS CELEBRATED

The temple celebrates three main events and festivals. The Ganesha Prakatostav which corresponds to the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. The festival is celebrated from the first to the seventh day of the Hindu month of Bhadrapada(Bhadrapat), where Ganesh Chaturthi is the fourth day. A fair is held at this event. The Maghotsav event is held to commemorate the birthday of Lord Ganesha - Ganesha Jayanti, which falls on the fourth day of the Hindu month of Magha.

The temple event is celebrated from the first to the eighth of the month. A fair is also organized. The Rama-Madhav Punyostav on the eighth day of the Kartik month commemorates the death anniversary of the temple's best-known patron, Madhavrao and his wife Ramabai, who performed Sati on his funeral pyre and was burnt with him.In the events or Ganesh Jayati days, lots of shops here for shopping and the Sweet Prashad (Pedha) of Ganesha.

The Security guard of Chintamani temple told us to visit the jatra of nearby Gramdevi. We were very fortunate to witness the jatra of Maha-Tari devi . I have never heard her name before but when i visited the jatra the people of the villages said that she is the Gramdevi ( village goddess) . They had to serve her mutton or it is commonly know as Bali (बलि).where from each family they have to offer Goat or chicken to the goddess and that Goar or chicken is had as their prasad . They even prepared small chappatis for the devi  .

 The ladies of house were seen to carry devi on their heads 

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