Indore: Khajrana Ganesh temple in Indore seems to be popular amongst cricketers and Lord Ganesha here has turned out to be a "super selector" more than once.
Locals claim that cricketers who have visited the temple have been selected in the India cricket team. The two stars they claim who visited the temple are India's left-handed batsman Suresh Raina and Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma.
Raina is reported to have visited Indore in 2009 as a part of Ranji Trophy and had paid obeisance at Khajrana temple. The very next day, he was named in India XI.
Another cricketer, S Sreesanth, reportedly got a call to play for Team India for a match against South Africa in 2009 after he visited this temple.
It is believed Sreesanth was selected for 2011 Cricket World Cup after he offered prayers to Lord Ganesha at the temple.
Parthiv Patel's name has also been included in the list of cricketers who became the part of Team India after they visited the temple.Mobile Bells Ring More Than Temple Bells
Chintaman Ganesha temple in Juni, Indore, offers a novel service to devotees who cannot make it to the temple personally.
Devotees who are based at far off places and wish to pray to Lord Ganesha call up the priests at the temple on their mobile phone. The priests in turn put the mobile handset close to the God’s ears even as the devotee offers prayers over the phone.
On Ganesh Chaturthi day, as thousands of local devotees throng the temple, there are hundreds more based abroad who wish to offer prayers, too, at the temple to seek blessings. This is how the tradition seems to have started.
Raghvendra Tripathi from Indore, an ardent worshipper of Chintaman Ganesha, said that years ago a devout follower of the temple settled in Germany and started sending letters to forward his wishes and prayers to the Lord.
However, in 2005, the temple priests started cell phone services for convenience of foreign-based devotees, according to temple priest Manohar Pathak.
Locals believe their wishes are fulfilled at the temple and the shrine receives devotees from far off places. He added that on average close to 500 devotees visit the temple daily, while the numbers surges to 2000-3000 during the Ganpati festival.
Devotees call up from countries like USA, UK, UAE, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and others, the priest said.Also Read: Ganesh Chaturthi 2016: History, Significance And Rituals of Ganpati Festival
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