சிந்தாமணி விநாயகர் கோயில், தேவூர்Chintamani Temple, Theur

Sthala Mahātmyam

The Chintamani Temple at Theur, about twenty-five kilometres from Pune, is among the largest and most celebrated of the Ashtavinayaka. Sthala mahatmya: the greedy king Guna seized the wish-fulfilling Chintamani jewel from the sage Kapila; Ganesha recovered it, and when Kapila placed it back upon the Lord's neck he became Chintamani Vinayak, the remover of mental unrest and worry (chinta). Ganesha is also said to have calmed the agitated mind of Brahma here, beneath the sacred Kadamba tree, so that the place was anciently called Kadambanagar. The temple is closely tied to the Ganapatya saint Morya Gosavi; the shrine was built by his descendant Dharanidhar Dev, and a century later Madhavrao I Peshwa added a grand sabha-mandapa and spent his last days here, his devotion making Theur a major Peshwa spiritual centre. The east-facing self-manifest murti has a left-turned trunk with carbuncle and diamond eyes. Festivals: Ganesh Chaturthi and Maghi Ganesh Jayanti are principal, alongside the palanquin processions of the Morya Gosavi tradition.