Chintamani
Temple
The Chintamani temple
in Theur is one of 8 temples around Pune known as
the Ashtavinayaka—each dedicated to a different
aspect of Ganesha. Each of these temples has its own
individual legend and history, just as the form of each
statue of Ganesha is distinct.
Ganesha as Chintamani
represents God who brings peace of mind and drives away
all the perplexities of the mind. It is said that Brahma,
the creator, once felt restless. To still his mind he came
to Theur, meditating here and calling upon Lord Ganesha.
Because Brahma's worries (chinta) were removed, the idol
is called Chintamani.
Ganesha, the
elephant-deity riding a mouse, has become one of the most
common images of Hinduism.
The Lord of Success
The son of Shiva and
Parvati, Ganesha has an elephantine countenance with a
curved trunk and big ears, and a huge pot-bellied body
of a human being. He is the Lord of success and destroyer
of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the god
of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth. Ganesha is
one of the 5 prime Hindu deities (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva
and Durga being the other 4).
—From
www.devotion.co.uk/shop/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=195
Significance
of the Ganesha Form
Ganesha's head symbolizes
the Atman or the soul, which is the ultimate supreme reality
of human existence. His human body signifies Maya or the
earthly existence of human beings. The elephant head denotes
wisdom and its trunk represents Om, the sound symbol of
cosmic reality. In his upper right hand Ganesha holds a
goad, which helps him propel mankind forward on the eternal
path and remove obstacles from the way. The noose in Ganesha's
left hand is to capture all difficulties.
The broken tusk that
Ganesha holds like a pen in his lower right hand is a symbol
of sacrifice, as he broke it for writing the Mahabharata.
The rosary in his other hand suggests that the pursuit
of knowledge should be continuous. The laddoo (sweet) he
holds in his trunk indicates that one must discover the
sweetness of the Atman. His fan-like ears convey that he
is all ears to our petition. The snake that runs round
his waist represents energy in all forms. And he is humble
enough to ride the lowest of creatures, a mouse.
How Ganesha Got His
Head
The story of the birth
of this zoomorphic deity, as depicted in the Shiva Purana,
goes like this: Once goddess Parvati, while bathing, created
a boy out of the dirt of her body and assigned him the
task of guarding the entrance to her bathroom. When Shiva,
her husband returned, he was surprised to find a stranger
denying him access, and struck off the boy's head in rage.
Parvati broke down in utter grief. To soothe her, Shiva
sent out his squad (gana) to fetch the head of any sleeping
being who was facing the north. The company found a sleeping
elephant and brought back its severed head, which was then
attached to the body of the boy. Shiva restored its life
and made him the leader (pati) of his troops. Hence his
name 'Ganapati'. Shiva also bestowed a boon that people
would worship him and invoke his name before undertaking
any venture.
However, there's another
less-known story of his origin, found in the Brahma Vaivarta
Purana: Shiva asked Parvati to observe the punyaka vrata
for a year to appease Vishnu in order to have a son. When
a son was born to her, all the gods and goddesses assembled
to rejoice its birth. Lord Shani, the son of Surya (Sun-God),
was also present, but he refused to look at the infant.
Perturbed at this behaviour, Parvati asked him the reason,
and Shani replied that his looking at baby would harm the
newborn. However, on Parvati's insistence, Shani eyed the
baby, and the child's head was severed instantly. All the
gods started to bemoan, whereupon Vishnu hurried to the
bank of river Pushpabhadra and brought back the head of
a young elephant, and joined it to the baby's body, thus
reviving him.
—Adapted
from http://hinduism.about.com
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