Morya Gosavi

Morya Gosavi or Moraya Gosavi alias Moroba Gosavi was a saint of the Hindu Ganapatya sect, which considers Ganesha as the Supreme God. Morya Gosavi is considered the chief spiritual progenitor of the Ganapatyas and has been described as the "most famous devotee" of Ganesha.

The lifetime of Morya Gosavi is speculated between the 13th to 17th century. Numerous legends recall his life. Morya became devoted to Ganesha when he started visiting the Morgaon temple of Ganesha. It is believed that due to the hindrance in Morya's services to the god in the popular Ganesha shrine, Ganesha told Morya that he would appear in Chinchwad for Morya to worship, so Morya moved from Morgaon to Chinchwad, where Morya built a Ganesha temple. Consequently, Morya took sanjeevan samadhi by burying himself alive in his tomb.

Morya had a son called Chintamani, venerated as a living incarnation of Ganesha and addressed as Dev (god). Chintamani was succeeded by six more Devs. The tomb of Morya Gosavi and the Ganesha temple at Chinchwad still attract many Ganesha devotees.

Dating While Yuvraj Krishan places Morya Gosavi in the 13th–14th century, RC Dhere places him in the 16th century. Paul B. Courtright and Anne Feldhaus date him to 1610–59. The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation dates him to c. 1330 to 1556. His marriage year is given as 1470 and his son's birth corresponds to 1481. He was thrown out of the house by his father as he was thought to be of no use to the family. Morya travelled to the Ganesha shrine at Morgaon – in neighbouring Maharashtra – where he found a liking to Ganesha. He settled at Chinchwad, away from Morgaon. Another story declares him to be a son of a poor but pious couple Deshastha Brahmin from Pune, Maharashtra. Morya is believed to have been born due to the grace of Ganesha, whom the childless couple propitiated. After the birth of Morya, the family moved to Pimple, away from Chinchwad. After the death of his parents, Morya moved to Tathavade, away from Chichwad. Morya's parents, Bhat Shaligram and his wife moved to Morgaon from Bidar. His parents prayed to Ganesha at Morgaon. Soon, Morya was born to them. Later, Morya became seriously ill and was not recovering so they prayed to Ganesha again. Soon, a Gosavi (priest) named Nayan Bharati came and gave medicine to Morya, curing him. Nayan Bharati also preached to Morya. Henceforth, the Bhat family took the family name Gosavi and Morya was known as Morya Gosavi.

Death and lineage The saint-poet Tukaram (pictured) is said to have proclaimed Morya's son Chintaman as a Dev ("god"), earning his descendants the title "Dev". Morya continued to visit Theur, Ranjangaon (another Ganesha temple site) and Chinchwad. Morya had a son, whom he named Chintamani (Chintaman). ) Narayan II violated Morya's orders and opened the latter's tomb. According to the tale, Morya who was found still mediating in the tomb, was disturbed and cursed Narayan II that his son would be the last Dev. Narayan II's son, Dharmadhar II – the seventh generation of Morya – died childless in 1810 ending the direct lineage of Morya, but a distant relative of Dharmadhar, Sakhari was installed as a Dev by the priesthood to continue the temple funding. Devotees believe that though Morya Gosavi attained moksha (salvation) but "his presence continues to endow the shrine with sacred significance." An image of Morya Gosavi is worshipped in the temple complex too. Morya Gosavi is also credited to have popularized the Morgaon temple.