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PONDICHERRY, INDIA, April 7, 2003: Mother of Shri Aurobindo Ashram, affectionately known as Shri Ma, was a great devotee of Lord Ganesha. The Pondicherry Shri Manakkula Vinayaka Devasthanam released a booklet in August, 2001, which gives an inspiring story of Shri Ma and her relationship with Lord Ganesha. “There is a famous 700-year-old temple of Manakkula Vinayaka adjacent to the Ashram. In the early sixties, Mother volunteered to give some land to the temple. It was a piece of land 120 feet by 12 feet belonging to the Sri Aurobindo Memorial Fund Society. Mother said it was to be done even if it meant demolition of part of the Ashram property. Mother also said that a partition wall could be built at the temple’s cost if the temple management wanted to construct it, or it could be done at the Ashram’s cost. The temple authorities had failed earlier to get the required land for Parikrama (path to circumambulate the temple) from the previous owner. So, they were very happy and grateful to Mother. Mother had recorded that in 1930 she had a vision of Ganesha during meditation and in that darshan, the Lord granted the boon of material help in abundance on Mother. The help ‘came in torrents’ as Mother herself described it.”