Chintamani Ashtavinayak
Temple, Theur
"Brahma Srushtyadisakta Sthirahittam Pidito
Vighnasande
Aakranto Bhutirakya Krutiganrajasa Jeevita
Tyaktu Mischina
Swatmanan Sarvayakta Ganapatimamal
Satyachintamaniyam
Mukta stapayant sthirmatisukhadam stavare
dhudhi Midhe"
Meaning : The one
who is in search of happiness, who is in the midst of all calamaties should
go to Sthavar means Theur & worship Shree Chintamani & get rid of all
(worries) & calamities.
At Theyoor in the Haveli
Taluka of Pune district in Maharashtra is the temple dedicated to Chintamani
Vinayak. The village is along the river Mulamutha. Ganesh as Chintamani is
god who brings peace of mind and drives away all perplexities of the mind.
It is believed that Brahma
the creator once felt tharva that is restive. To still his mind he called
upon Lord Ganesh. The place where Brahma achieved the quietude he was
looking for is known as the Sthavar region or as Theur.
Legends :
Abhijeet was a great and
powerful king who had everything in life except a son who would be the heir
to his throne. The king and his wife at the suggestion of Rishi
Vaishyampayane carried great penance and were finally rewarded with son who
they named Gana. He later came to be known as Ganaraja.
The son was bright brave
and gifted except he was also very aggressive. Ganaraja was once invited to
visit the ashram of Sage Kapil. The sage was a good host and with the help
of the Chintamani Ratna [a precious stone] he was able to serve the best of
food to Ganaraj. Impressed by the ratna, Ganaraj wanted it for himself, but
when Kapilmuni refused to part with the ratna, he forcibly took it away from
him.
Goddess Durga who was
Kapilmuni’s mentor advised him to seek the help of Lord Ganesh.
Lord Ganesh responded to
his call and battled with Ganaraj under a Kadamba tree and managed to get
the ratna back for Kapilmuni. But by then Kapilmuni had lost all desire to
possess the Chintamani ratna and he offered it Lord Ganesh. He tied the
Chintamani Ratna around Lord Ganesh’s neck and so he came to be known as the
Chintamani Vinayak. Since all of this occurred under a Kadamba tree, Theyoor
was also known as Kadambanagar.
Theur is situated at a
distance of 25kms from pune in Haveli Taluka of Pune District. Theur is
situated at the confluence of the Mula, Mutha, and Bhima rivers. Theur is
the nearest astavinayak from Pune. At Theyoor the temple is dedicated to
Chintamani Vinayak. Ganesh as Chintamani is god who brings peace of mind and
drives away all perplexities of the mind.
The temple is
build during the rule of Peshwas. The total cost of expenditure incurred
to make the temple was Rs. 40,000 which in today's world amounts to Rs 400
million. The temple is made so strong that it still has the same structure
even after 400 years of existence, the gathering hall is still original made
with wood.
As Peshwas visited these
place very frequently, the two 5 metal bell bought from Europe from the
church was one kept in Mahad and other one was kept here . As after the
death of Madhav Rao Peshwa, his wife went for sati, the beautiful garden was
made in her memory is very attractive to see.
The main archway of the
temple faces north.Temple hall is made up of wood and there is a small
fountain made up of black stone in the hall.The courtyard of the temple is
quite big paved with floor. There is a small temple of Lord Shankar in the
courtyard of the temple.A big bell can also be seen in the temple. The Idol
faces east and is swayambhu (self emanated) and has a left side trunk.There
are carbuncle and diamonds in the eyes of Vinayaka.
Temple :
The main archway of the
temple faces North. Madhavarao Peshava had built a concrete road from main
gate up to Mula-Mutha river. Temple hall is made up of wood & there is a
small fountain made up of black stone in the hall. The courtyard of the
temple is big paved with floor. There is small temple of God Shiva in the
courtyard of the temple. A big bell can be seen outside the main temple.
The temple was built by
Dharanidhar Maharaj Dev from the family of Moraya Gosavi. One hundred years
later Madhavarao Peshava built a hall for this temple. Haripant Phadake &
other devotees had done timely repairs of the temple.
Festivals :
Two festivals, one in
Bhadrapada from Pratipada to Saptami & another in Magh are celebrated in
Theur on grand scale. In those days Ganesh idols in the nearby temples are
worshipped & offered naivedya. This is called as Dwaryatra. On Sankashti &
Angaraki people give food to poor. They have been provided with the utensils
to prepare food.
Lord Chintamani was a
family God of Madhavarao Peshva. His palace was near the temple & now it is
converted into garden. Madhavarao Peshva had stayed in this palace in his
last sickness. He renovated the temple & performed various religious
programs in the temple. By chanting Gajanan he passed away. Ramabai, wife of
Madhavarao Peshva burnt herself with corpse of Madhavarao Peshva on bank of
the Mula Mutha river. Sati's vrindavan was built on that place. It was
Kartik Vadya Ashtami. Rama Madhav death anniversary is celebrated here on
Kartik Vadya Ashtami. |