Spirituality

Mysterious Temples of India Series -Chintamana Ganesh Temple

The Lord Who Uses Telephone 

Do you remember the first lockdown? All of us were stranded in our homes, unable to meet the people we loved. What did we do? We made zoom, skype, WhatsApp, and phone calls to keep in touch with our loved ones. None of us were able to go outside and even visit the temples.

But do you know that there was one unique Ganesha temple in India, where the devotees kept in touch with their divine, despite all the lockdown restrictions? Believe it or not, the devotees used to call Ganpati Bappa on his cellphone, sharing their stories and sorrows with Him? Today, in the blog series of mysterious temples in India, we will visit the Chintamani Ganesh temple Indore, where you can directly speak with the Bappa over the phone.      

How it all started

Chintamani temple is about 1200 years old. Since that time, Lord Ganesha residing within has been known to listen and help His devotees. Historically, devotees sent handwritten letters to the Lord, sharing their Sankalp, resolutions, and goals. The Lord was known to fulfil them.

As time passed, the mode of communication changed. There was a devotee of Chintamani, who was settled abroad in Germany. He used to visit the temple every day before settling abroad. After settling abroad, he faced a difficult situation. He called the priest of Chintamani temple and made an unusual request to Pandit Ji to speak to the Lord Chintamani.

Respecting the devotion and feeling of the devotee, Pandit Ji placed his phone over the ear of Ganesh Ji, and the devotee spoke all about his problems to his beloved Bappa. A few days passed, and again, Pandit Ji received a call from that devotee, saying that the Chintamani Ganesh had fulfilled his wish. Now, he was free from the problem he was facing. The story got out, and since then, people from all corners of the world started calling Lord Chintamani Ganesh to speak with Him.     

Chintamani Temple

Chintamani Ganesh temple was built during the 12th century by the kings of the Parmar Dynasty. It is made in Nagara-style architecture, with Shikharas or a central tower pointing straight towards the sky. Lord Ganesha sits in Garbhagriha, or Sanctum Sanctorum of the temple. Built in the 12th century, the temple has beautiful pillars, ornate with intricate design. Temple has a colossal Mantapa, or a hall, attached to the Sanctum Sanctorum, which gets filled with the massive crowd in the evenings during Aarti (prayers).

Vigraha, or consecrated idol of Lord Ganesh, is Swayambhu. It is believed that the idol emerged from the ground, manifesting itself. Riddhi and Siddhi are two Shaktis or wives of Lord Ganesha. Chintamani is a philosopher’s stone, or a magic jewel, which possesses the power to make all the wishes come true. The same name has been acquired by the principal deity, which fulfils the desires of His beloved devotees.

He is also known as Chinta Haran Ganapati, or the one who removes all the Chintas (worries) of His followers. When the wedding date is decided in a Hindu family, marriage invitations are printed to invite relatives and friends. When the wedding invitations are printed in the town and nearby villages, the first one is presented to Lord Chintamani Ganesh to ask him for the ceremony and remove any obstacles a newly married couple might face.

Many devotees bring their brand new vehicles to the temple complex for Puja. They believe that the car shall not face any obstacle once the Puja is carried out in this temple. They genuinely believe that Lord Ganesh will watch over them and remove any barriers in front of their vehicle.

Usually, whenever Hindu devotees enter the temple, they do not forget a plate filled with coconut, garland, perfume, and some other Puja things, depending upon the deity. Many temples have boards urging devotees to keep their phones on silent mode. But in this temple, things are a bit different. Here, a devotee might forget about bringing the Puja plate with him but never forget a cellphone.

Temple Pandit Ji (priest) has a particular phone line just for the cause. Many devotees, who are settled outside the city, and even outside the country, call the priest. Then, after picking up the phone, Pandit Ji places the phone over the Lord’s ears while the devotee narrates his problems to God. For many, it may sound a little odd. Still, suppose you ask the devotees there, without losing a second, they will tell you the first-hand experience accounts for how their Lord listened to their prayers and fulfilled their wishes.  

When an individual begins his spiritual journey, he realises it’s not that easy to reach the Divine. The journey could be long, tiring, and often lonely. In such cases, icons, symbols, or embodiment of the Divine help them focus their devotion. Devotees often feel to communicate with the Divine, maybe in the form of symbols, commandments, temples, shrines, tombs, or perhaps even in the form of idols they can call to. That is where the temple of Chintamani Ganesh comes, with its creative solution to connect God with His devotee.

We hope you enjoyed reading about the mysterious temple of Chintaman Ganesh, located in the city of Indore. To stay connected and receive information about spirituality, please subscribe to our mailing list. In case of any queries, please write to us at info@chamundaswamiji.com. You can check out our YouTube channel Chamunda Swamiji where you can learn Tantra, Mantra, Yantra, and Meditation from His Holiness Shri Chamunda Swamiji.