Karmandir Shri Chintamani, Theur
Theur, Haveli taluka, Pune district, Maharashtra
About
Shri Chintamani of Theur is the fifth temple in the traditional Ashtavinayak yatra, and the one closest to Pune, about 25 km away. Theur lies near the point where the Mula-Mutha river meets the Bhima. Here Ganesh ji is called Chintamani: the wish-fulfilling jewel, and the one who takes away chinta (worry). The swayambhu murti faces east, sits cross-legged with the trunk turned to the left, and has jewels for eyes. The large temple has a wooden sabha mandap and a big old bell in the courtyard. It is looked after by the Chinchwad Devasthan Trust, which also cares for the Morgaon and Siddhatek temples.
The story
The Mudgal Purana tells of Kapil Muni, who owned the Chintamani, a jewel that could grant any wish. Once Prince Gana (also called Guna) came to his ashram with a large army, and the sage fed them all with the help of the jewel. Greedy for it, Gana took the jewel by force. Kapil Muni prayed to Ganesh ji, who defeated the proud prince and brought the jewel back. But the sage said he wanted his Lord more than the jewel, and offered it to Ganesh ji. So Ganesh ji stays here as Chintamani. By tradition this happened under a kadamb tree, so the place was once called Kadambnagar.
Another story says Brahma ji meditated here to calm his restless mind. His mind became 'sthavar' (steady), and the name Theur is said to come from that word.
In history, the Ganapatya saint Morya Gosavi did tapasya here, and the main temple was built by his descendant Dharanidhar Maharaj Dev. Chintamani was the family deity of Peshwa Madhavrao I, who added the grand wooden hall and spent his last days here in 1772.
Visiting
Being the easiest Ashtavinayak to reach from Pune, Theur gets crowded on holidays and festival days; weekday mornings are calmer. October to February is pleasant. Dress modestly. The temple complex also has small shrines of Shiv ji, Vishnu-Lakshmi and Hanuman ji. Many pilgrims pair Theur with Morgaon or Ranjangaon in a single day.
Festivals
- Ganesh Chaturthi, the Ganesh Prakatotsav (Bhadrapad Shukla Paksha)
- Maghi Ganesh Jayanti, the Maghotsav (Magh Shukla Paksha)
