ETV Bharat special: Ujjain's Chintaman Ganesha temple, ritual of inverted Swastika

The Chintaman Ganesha temple located across the Kshipra river, around 8 km from Ujjain in the village of Jawasa is one of the renowned and oldest Ganesha temples in the country. The devotees who come praying to Chintaman Ganesha make an inverted Swastika behind the temple vowing to return if their prayers are fulfiled.

Ujjain: Lord Ganesha has many names - Vighnaharta, Mangal Karta, Gauri Putra Ganesha - and as many divine forms. After a year, Bappa has once again come to the houses of his devotees and according to beliefs will take away the sufferings with him on the last day of visarjana.

During these auspicious ten days, ETV Bharat takes you to one such temple of Lord Ganesha, where according to popular beliefs only one darshan (glimpse) of the self-manifested deity will solve all the problems of the bhakts.

A popular tourist attraction in Ujjain and one of the renowned and oldest Ganesha temples in the country, the Chintaman Ganesha temple is located across the Kshipra river, around 8 km from Ujjain in the village of Jawasa.

Chintaman Ganesha that roughly translated to ‘reliever of stress’ is said to be present in this temple in three divine forms - Chintaman, Ichhaman (fulfils desires) and Siddhivinayak (blesses with Riddhi and Siddhi).

According to legends, Lord Ram had visited this temple along with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman after the demise of his father King Dashratha.

While Lord Ram worshipped Chintaman Ganesha, Lakshman worshipped Ichhaman Ganesha and Sita worshipped Siddhivinayak Ganesha.

It is since then, all the three forms of Ganesha have been worshipped in this temple.

The devotees who come praying to Chintaman Ganesha make an inverted Swastika behind the temple vowing to return if their prayers are fulfiled.

When the wishes of the devotee get fulfilled, then they come back and make a straight swastika behind the temple.

Although the temple witnesses a rush throughout the year, the devotees throng the place from the day of Ganesh Chaturthi to Anant Chaturdashi.