Chintamani Temple, Theur
| Chintamani Temple | |
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Mandir architecture |
The Chintamani Temple of Theur is a Hindu temple dedicated to Supreme God Ganesha according to Ganapatya Sect located 25 km (16 mi) from Pune,[1] the temple is "one of the larger and more famous" of the Ashtavinayaka, the eight revered shrines of Ganesha in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
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 temple is associated with the Ganapatya saint Morya Gosavi (dated between 13th to 17th century). Though the temple is believed to have existed since antiquity, the current structure of the temple was built by him or his descendant. The Chintamani Temple was also a spiritual magnet for the Peshwa rulers, especially Madhavrao I (1745–1772) who renovated and made additions to the temple structure.
Location
Theur is located in the Haveli taluka of Pune district,[2] near the confluence of river Bhima and the conjoint river Mula-Mutha.[1]
Religious significance
Though Theur is prescribed to the fifth temple to be visited in the Ashtavinayak circuit, pilgrims often visit Theur second in the circuit after Morgaon, as it is a more convenient route.[3]
The Mudgala Purana narrates: Gana or Guna or Ganasura[2] was the son of king Abhijit and his wife Gunavati. A strong, but greedy and hot-headed warrior king, Gana pleases the god Shiva – Ganesha's father with his worship. Shiva grants Gana the kingship of the three worlds – heaven, earth and underworld and decreed that Gana could not be killed by anything that possessed any of the three gunas. Once, Gana and his entire arrives at the hermitage of the sage Kapila, who owned the wish-granting jewel Chintamani. Kapila serves the prince and his army with delicious food created with the help of the jewel. The greedy prince desires to acquire the jewel, however the sage refuses. However, Gana seizes it from the sage. Kapila, a devotee of Ganesha, prays to Ganesha to retrieve the gem. Ganesha with his army appears in Gana's dream; one of his soldiers cuts Gana's head. Gana wakes up and marches towards Kapila's hermitage with his army, intending to slay the sage. Abhijit tries to dissuade his son and advises him to return Chintamani to the sage, but in vain. Gana starts to destroy the hermitage. Ganesha's shakti ("power") – the goddess Siddhi appears and creates a thousand-armed warrior Laksha, who destroys Gana's army while Ganesha himself beheads the arrogant prince. Ganesha returns the jewel to Kapila, however, the sage chooses to have his Lord instead of the jewel itself. So, Ganesha stays on in Theur with Kapila, taking the name of the jewel Chintamani.[4]
The name Theur originates from the Sanskrit word Sthavar meaning stable. According to another legend, the god
History
Though Theur is believed to a Ganapatya (sect which considers Ganesha as the Supreme Being) pilgrimage centre since ancient times,[2] the current temple was built by the Ganapatya saint Morya Gosavi or his descendant Dharmadhar (Dharanidhar).[2][4][5] The exact date of the temple is unknown.
Morya Gosavi often visited the temple on his trips between his home town
The Theur temple along with other Ganapatya centres near
Currently, the temple is under the administration of the Chinchwad Devasthan Trust, which also governs Morgaon and Siddhatek Ashtavinayak temples.[9]
Architecture
Described as "one of the larger and more famous" of the Ashtavinayaka temples,[4] the temple's main gate located to the North is relatively smaller compared to the scale of the temple, however the central icon of Chintamani-Ganesha faces East.[2][4] The temple has a wooden Sabha-mandapa (assembly hall), which was built by Madhavrao. The hall also has a black stone water fountain in it. Besides the central shrine dedicated to Ganesha, there are number of smaller shrines in the temple complex: Mahadeva (Shiva) temple, Vishnu-Lakshmi temple, Hanuman temple etc. Behind the temple is the Peshwa Wada – the Peshwa Palace. Once the residence of Madhavrao, today the day-to-day activities of the temple are carried from this place.[2]
Like other Ashtavinyaka icons, the central icon of Ganesha is considered self-manifested[8] and hardly any features are visible except the elephantine head – studded with jewel eyes – and trunk, which turns to his left.[1][2][4] The icon is interpreted to be seated in cross-legged posture.[4][8] The icon is smeared with sindur like rest of the Ashtavinyaka images.[1]
Temple festivals
The temple celebrates three main festivals. The Ganesha Prakatostav which corresponds to the
Notes
- ^ )
- ^ ISBN 978-81-908569-0-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4039-6324-6.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Grimes pp. 118–9
- ^ a b "SHREE CHINTAMANI – THEUR". Ashtavinayaka Darshan Online. Archived from the original on 4 September 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
- ^ "Culture and History". Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). 2008. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
- ^ Dhere, R C. "Summary of Prachin Marathichya Navdhara (Marathi book) chapter 2: Marathi literature of Ganesha cult". Official site of R C Dhere. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ ISBN 978-81-7154-669-5. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
- ^ As per the official receipt of donation, provided by the Morgaon temple
References
- Grimes, John A. (1995). Ganapati: Song of the Self. SUNY Series in Religious Studies. Albany: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-2440-7.
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