Chintamani Temple Theur

The fifth temple in the Ashtavinayak temples is the Chintamani Ganesha Temple, located in Theur, 25 Km from Pune. The temple is the largest and most famous of the eight temples in the Ashtavinayak pilgrimage. The temple is situated near the confluence of the river Bhima and the conjoint of rivers Mula and Mutha in the Haveli Taluka of Pune.

The temple’s legend, according to Mudgala Purana, states that Lord Ganesha, to safeguard his staunch devotee, Sage Kapila, from Ganasura. The legend states that Ganasura, in his ego and kingship, snatches Chintamani, a wish-granting jewel. Kapila performs penances on his Ishta devata, Lord Ganesh, and he appears with his army to help Kapila. Lord Ganesha vanquishes Ganasura and retrieves the Chintamani Jewel for Kapila. Kapila refuses to keep the jewel, but he asks his beloved Lord Ganesha to stay back in Theur. Since then, the place is known as Chintamani, and Lord Ganesha stayed with Kapila. The Peshwas have donated land to the temples in Moregaon and Theur for the Temple development.

The Ganesh idol in the temple faces the East and is the main deity of the temple. There are a few more smaller shrines in the temple having Lord Shiva, Hanuman, Goddess Mahalakshmi and Lord Vishnu. Behind the Chintamani Temple, the Peshwa Wada or Peshwa Palace Located. The Ganesh Murti is Swayambhu just like all other 8 temples in Ashtavinayak pilgrimage. The idol of Lord Ganesha has faint features with jewel studded eyes and his elephantine trunk turning to the left. The main temple structure that is seen today was built by descendants of Moraya Gosavi.

The best time to visit the temple is October to March, so plan the trip this year to invoke the blessings of Lord Ganesha, do visit Giri Trading agency, a renowned Puja item store in Pune or their online pooja store, to buy the pooja items like Kumkum, pooja oil, cotton batti, agarbatti, dhoop sticks and many more.