|  The
Chintamani Vinayak temple at Thevoor is located in
the vicinity of Pune.
Thevoorcha
Shri Chintaamani is considered to be one of the Ashta
Vinayak shrines of Maharashtra, celebrating eight instances of legends
related to Ganesha. The
legend surrounding this temple centers around
the Chintaamani gem. Sage
Kapila was
in possession of a gem by name Chintaamani which was capable of granting one's
desires. He was visited by a young prince (son of Gunavati and Abhijita) by name
Guna. The sage invoked the powers of the gem and
created a sumptuous meal for the prince. The prince enamored by the power of the
gem, stole it from the sage. A hurt Kapila Muni prayed to Vinayaka for help. Vinayaka
restored the gem from the prince, however the sage refused to accept it, and began
to rever Vinayaka as Chintaamani Vinayaka. Legend
has it that Kapila Muni had received this
gem from Shiva after worshipping him at Talaiaalankaadu
near Thanjavur in Tamilnadu. It is believed
that he had walked on his head to reach the shrine and hence the tamil name Talaiaalankaadu
(talai - head). (Also see Kapilarmalai Murugan temple in Tamilnadu). The
Temple: An east facing image of Ganesha, is enshrined in this temple
which has interesting features such as gold inlays. This temple is closely associated
with the Maratha ruler Madhavrao Peshwa.
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