Nestled between the majestic fort of Sarasgad and the
flowing waters of river Amba, is the small village of Pali, the abode of
Ballaleshwar. The only incarnation of the Vinayaka, known by his devotee's
name, this is the third temple in the Ashta Vinayaka pilgrimage. The shrine at
Ballaleshwar Pali is first believed to have constructed in 1640 by Moreshvar
Vitthal Sindkar (Dighe). In 1770,
the wooden temple of Ballaleshwar was
converted into a stone temple by Mr. Baburao Phadnavis and his son Moroba Dada
Phadnavis. The temple bell is said to have belonged to Chimaji Appa which was
gifted to the temple by the Peshwas.
Location Maharashtra, Raigad, Mumbai
Legend
Legend describes that a young boy Ballala, an ardent devotee
of Lord Ganesh organized a special puja in his village of Pali. The puja
attended by all the children of the village, went on for several days as the young ones remained engrossed in
devotion. On hearing complaints from the annoyed parents, Kalyan, father of
Ballala, went to the place of the pooja, broke the Ganesh idol and beat him up
harshly. The injured youngster continued with his chants of Lord Ganesha.
Pleased with Ballala's devotion, Lord Ganesh appeared before him and healed his
wounds. The Lord accepted the boy's request to reside in the village and told
Ballala that he will be known here by the name of Ballaleshwar.
This Temple is part of famous Ashtavinayak Yatra
Architecture
Shaped like the letter Shree in the Devnagiri script, the
Ballaleshwar temple has two sanctums. In the outer sanctum Mooshik(mouse) faces
the deity holding a modak in his paws. In the inner sanctum is the idol of
Ballaleshwar, dressed up as a Brahmin, along with Riddhi and Siddhi. The
murti's eyes and navel contain diamonds. The speciality of the Ballaleshwar
Pali temple is that during the months of Dec-Jan, the rays of the Sun falls on
the idol of Lord Ballaleshwar. The main hall has eight carved pillars and the temple
complex encompasses two lakes. The dome made of bricks and lime is captivating.
Pic courtesy: Pali- Shri Ballaleshwar by Borayin Maitreya
Larios - originally posted to Flickr as Pali- Shri Ballaleshwar. Licensed under
CC BY 2.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pali-_Shri_Ballaleshwar.jpg#/media/File:Pali-_Shri_Ballaleshwar.jpg
Culture
The twin forts of Sarasgad and Sudhagad, from the era of
Chhatrapati Shivaji, are popular
trekking destinations.
Darsan Info
Ballaleshwar Pali Temple timings : 5.30 AM to 10.00 PM
On Chathurthi days, devotees can perform pooja only from
6.00 AM to 9.00 AM. Paying obeisance here during Bhadrapad Shukla Chathurthi is
considered to fulfill wishes.
Darsan Dresscode
Men should wear dhotis to perform pooja in the sanctum of
Ballaleshwar Pali Temple.
Famous Festival
January - Magh Utsav (Jan/Feb)
May - Shree Dhundi Vinayak Utsav (May/June)
August - Krishna jayanthi
September - Ganesh Chathurthi
October - Vijayadashami
November - Karthika Poornima
Temple Rituals
Devotees can perform pooja in the inner sanctorium of
Ballaleshwar Pali Temple with the assistance of appointed priest till 11.30 am
every day.
Special Rituals
It is customary to first pray at the Dhundi Ganapathy temple
which is just before the main temple.
Additional Info
Ballaleshwar Pali Temple provides lunch and dinner. Small
eateries available around the temple premises.
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