Chintamani is a mantra in Hinduism and it is also the name of a precious stone. It is said that Poet Kalidasa became famous and a Mahakavi (great poet) after he chanted the Chintamani mantra before Goddess Tripura Ambika. His unwavering devotion and single-minded focus got him the blessing of the Goddess.
As per Kamba Ramayana, Chintamani is a precious gem and it was retrieved from the ocean during Samudra Manthan or churning of ocean.
It is said in Padma Purana that Chintamani is precious stone which can turn anything that it touches into gold. It is said that some saints who live in the Himalayas far away from human civilization possess the Chintamani stone. Once in a while they arrive at inhabited places and turn bricks and iron to gold and amaze people. The saints soon disappear and therefore no one knows there whereabouts.
Another belief is that Chintamani stone has the power to fulfill the desires of the person the moment the person thinks about it. Thus a person in possession of the stone just need to think about something and it will be fulfilled.
Symbolically, Chintamani means the power hidden human beings – the power of self realization – which is found through knowledge. This knowledge is got through proper thought (Chinta). When this happen everything they see and feel will be gold. They will not see any difference as they see God in all moveable and immovable.