Pali in Raigad district, near Nagothane is the third stop of the Ashtavinayak circuit (as per Shastokta)to pray and seek the blessings of Ballaleshwar. He is the only Ashtavinayak who is named after an ardent devotee of his. He was the last Ashtavinayak we visited, being closer to Mumbai.
Ballal was a small boy who lived here and gathered his friends in worshipping Ganpati, totally ignoring his studies, hunger or thirst. The parents of his friends complained to Ballal’a father that he was spoiling their children. Ballal’a father flew into a rage, tied Ballal to a tree and thrashed him black and blue and broke the stone Ballal referred to as Ganpati. It is said that Ganpati took the form of a sadhu, untied Ballal and saved him. Recognising him as Ganpati, Ballal requested him to stay there permanently. Ganpati agreed and disappeared into a stone and was called Ballaleshwar thereafter.
Pali is a small town/ village in a dilapidated state, where the economy revolves round the Ballaleshwar Temple and a booming cottage industry of making different types of papad.
Coming to the temple itself, it has two small ponds, water of one of which is exclusively used for puja purposes. A fairly large temple, where one has to first worship Dhundi Vinayak, who is supposed to be the original stone which Ballal’s father broke and threw away. Then we move to the main sanctum sanctorum to pay obeisance to Ballaleshwar. The hall is beautiful with pillars, staircases and balconies carved in wood.
Seated on a stone throne, Ballaleshwar has rubies in his eyes and navel and he is quite broad and of a different shape when compared to other Ganpatis. When questioned on this, we were told that his shape resembles that of the mountain close by. It was a normal day and the darshan took us close to forty five minutes.
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