Chintamani Vinayak Temple at Theur

The Chintamani Temple of Theur is a  temple dedicated to  Lord Ganesha. It is one of the Astha Vinayaka Temples.Theur is situated in Haveli Taluk of Pune district in Maharashtra state. Theur village is located along the Mulamutha river.

Legends :

Abhijeet was a great and powerful king who did not have a son who would be the heir to his throne. The king and his wife carried out great penance at the suggestion of Rishi Vaishyampayane and were finally rewarded with son who they named Gana. He later came to be known as Ganaraja.

Prince 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 Chintamani ratna, Ganaraj wanted it for himself and asked the Sage to give it to him. But the Sage refused to give it to him. Ganaraj forcibly took it from the Kapil muni. Goddess Durga advised the sage to seek the help of Lord Ganesha. 

On the prayers of the sage, Lord Ganesha had a battle with Ganaraj under a Kadamba tree and he got the Chintamani Gem back from Ganaraj and given back to the sage. But by that time Kapil muni lost all the desire to have the Chintamani gem with him and he offered it to Lord Ganesh. Kapil Muni tied the Chintamani Ratna around Lord Ganesh's neck and so Lord Ganesh was known as Chintamani Vinayak. All these incidents took place under a Kadamba tree, Theyoor is also known as Kadamba nagar.

Another legend about Chintamani Vinayak is associated with Lord Brahma. It is said that once Lord Brahma was feeling restless and called Vinayaka to ease his mind. As Lord Brahma’s worries (Chinta) were removed by the Ganesha at this place Lord Ganesh came to be known here as Chintamani Vinayak.

History :

This Temple was built around 18th century.

Temple :

Here Lord Ganesh is self manifested.The idol of lord Ganesha faces east and its eyes are studded with precious stones.The temple has wooden Sabha mandapa and the hall also has a black stone water fountain in it. 

There are other small shrines in the temple complex . They are Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu And Hanuman.

Festivals :

The temple celebrates three main festivals. The Ganesha Prakatostav which corresponds to the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. The festival is celebrated from the first to the seventh day of the Hindu month of Bhadrapada, where Ganesh Chaturthi is the fourth day. A fair is held on this occasion. The Maghotsav festival is held to commemorate the birthday of Ganesha Ganesha Jayanti, which falls on the fourth day of the Hindu month of Magha. The temple festival is celebrated from the first to the eighth of the month.

Time to Visit :

Best time to visit the Chintamani temple is from the months of October to March

How To Reach This Temple :

Chintamani Vinayak temple at Theur village is around 22 km south-east of Pune and can be reached by road easily.