The temple lore describes how bhagwan Ganesh retrieved the wish-giving jewel Chintamani for his devotee, the sage Kapila from the greedy king Gana and how he pacifies the uneasy mind of the god Brahma, who meditated on him in Theur.

[3] The Mudgala Purana narrates: Gana or Guna or Ganasura[2] was the son of king Abhijit and his wife Gunavati.

A strong, but greedy and hot-headed warrior king, Gana pleases the god Shiva – Ganesha's father with his worship.

Once, Gana and his entire arrives at the hermitage of the sage Kapila, who owned the wish-granting jewel Chintamani.

According to another legend, the god Brahma meditated here and his restless mind became sthavar due to Ganesha's blessings.

[5] According to another tale, the god-king Indra worshipped Ganesha here under the Kadamba tree to get rid of the sage Gautama's curse.

[6] According to a story, as per his guru's orders, Morya performed penance at Theur by observing a strict fast for 42 days, within this period, he is believed to have "divine revelations".

[7] Ganesha is believed to have appeared in the form of a tiger to Morya and granted him siddhi (spiritual powers).

[2] The Theur temple along with other Ganapatya centres near Pune, enjoyed royal patronage from the Brahmin Peshwa rulers of the Maratha Empire during the 18th century.

In the period of extreme illness that led to his death, Madhavrao tried to please the Lord by performing Him a perennial abhisheka of milk.

[8] Chimaji Appa, brother and military commander of the Peshwa Baji Rao I, donated a large European bell, which still hangs in the temple.

The Rama-Madhav Punyostav on the eighth day of the Kartik month commemorates the death anniversary of the temple's best known patron, Madhavrao and his wife Ramabai, who performed Sati on his funeral pyre and was burnt with him.