Ballaleshwar Pali Ganpati Temple

Shri Ballaleshwar Pali Ganpati temple is one of the eight major temples of Lord Ganesha which constitutes the divine Ashtavinayak temples. Among Ganesha temples, Ballaleshwar is the only incarnation of Ganesha that is known by his devotee’s name.

History

The history of the Pali Ganpati Temple is that it is considered to be initially constructed in the 11th century. Moreshvar Vitthal Sindkar contributed to the construction of the temple in 1640. It was initially made of wood and was remodeled in the year 1760 by Moropant Dada Phadnavis.

Legend of Balleleshwar: According to Ganesh Puran, Kalyansheth was a successful businessman in Pallipur. His child Ballal was a devout child who devoted most of his time worshipping and praying to Lord Ganesh. One day he invited all the children from his town for a unique Pooja.

Ballal and his friends kept one big stone and worshipped it as Lord Ganesh. The kids were so fascinated in their prayers that they did not return home for days. This irritated the villagers who complained to Kalyansheth. He came to the Pooja and damaged the stone and connected Ballal to a tree as punishment.

Ballal hoped and cried to Lord Ganesh who appeared before him as a Sadhu. Ballal identified the Sadhu as the Lord himself and requested his true blessings. He also asked the Lord to constantly be with him and remain in this place. Lord Ganesh accepted Ballal and disappeared into a stone. This stone ended up being Lord Ballaleshwar’s idol.

Legend of Dhundi Vinayak: The big stone that Ballal’s father Kalyansheth threw to the ground was considered as Dhundi Vinayak. This is considered to be self-manifested or Swayambu and is worshipped before Lord Ballaleshwar.

Importance

• The magnificent idol of Lord Ganpati inside the sanctum of Ballaleshwar Pali Ganpati Temple
• The significance of Pali Ganpati Temple is that it faces east and is wonderfully planned to ensure that the rays from the winter solstice’s rising sun fall straight on the main idol. The temple has 2 sanctums– the inner sanctum measuring 15 feet and the external sanctum measuring 12 feet.

• A devotee by the name of Krishnaji Narayan Pinge built 8 pillars in 1910. The pillars are in the front of the temple and represent the 8 directions. Lord Ballaleshwar’s idol is 3 feet high and looks like the shape of a nearby mountain. He is accompanied by his consorts Riddhi and Siddhi on either side.

• The Dhundi Vinayak is and has a different shrine among the rarest idols to face west. Devotees worship the Dhundi Vinayak. The Pali Ganpati temple structure is of concrete with molten lead. Visitors can also see a few of the building and construction devices such as the churning wheel. The temple also consists of 2 stunning lakes.

Architecture

• Today temple was constructed by Shree Phadnis of Moradabad and has a special design look that represents the word श्र(Shree).
  Today temple’s development work is believed to have been finished by Shri Phadnis of Moradabad. It was constructed in a way that the word श्री (Shree) would form and face the east so that the beams of the Sun would fall legitimately on the god. The main fascination of this temple is the 15-foot high sanctum.
• There are 2 Sanctums (Girbhagriha) in the temple. The internal sanctum is very big and is 15 feet high. The external sanctum is 12 feet high and it has a rat icon with a Modak in his grasp and facing Lord Ganesh. The Temple walls are made extremely strong by mixing lead with concrete during construction.
• Passage of the temple is 40 feet long and 20 feet broad and it was constructed by late Shri Krishnaji Ringe in 1910 A.D. The Hall is incredibly fantastic with 8 columns appearing like Cyprus royal throne tree. The temple’s crest also considered as Kalas is enriched with a brilliant golden sheet which was offered by contributions from devotees.
• The large metal bell of the temple was made in Europe.
  The Palakhi used for the procession is additionally covered with silver plates. This likewise has stemmed from contributions by devotees.
  The bathing utensils of Lord Ganesha like the circular pot known as the Ghangal and the sitting device the Chaurang, the arms of the icon, and the focal hanging the Zumber are covered totally with silver plates.
  Gold and silver crowns can be seen decorating the icon and fish, which are also provided by devotees.

Idol

The divine idol of Lord Ganpati inside the sanctum of Ballaleshwar Pali Ganpati Temple

List Of Ashtavinayaka Temples

1. Morgaon Ganpati Temple
2. Siddhatek Ganpati Temple
3. Ballaleshwar Pali Ganpati Temple
4. Mahad Ganpati Temple
5. Chintamani Ganpati Temple
6. Lenyadri Girijatmaj Ganpati Temple
7. Ozar Ganpati Temple
8. Ranjangaon Ganpati Temple

Festivals

1. Ganesh Chaturthi or Bhadrapada Shuddha Chaturthi – (August or September)
2. Magh Shuddha Chaturthi – (January or February)
3. Vijayadashami (Dasehara) –
4. Dhundi Vinayak Utsav – (January)

Nearby Attraction

• Triambakeshwar Temple
• Girijaatmaja Vinayak Temple
• Chintamani Vinayak Temple
• Bhimashankar Temple
• Grishneshwar Temple
• Mumba Devi Temple
• Shirdi Sai Baba Temple
• Mahalakshmi Temple

How to Reach

• By Air: The nearby Airports are in Mumbai and Pune at a distance of 105 km and 127 km 
• By Train:  The nearby Railway Stations are in Khopoli and Karjat. 
• By Road: Pali enjoys good roads and many buses operate from Mumbai, Thane, as well as Pune. The Red Bus operates a bus from Mumbai to Ballaleshwar Pali in every 15 minutes. 

Temple Timings

Darshan Timing

5:30 AM to 10:00 PM

Aarti, Bhog and Pooja Timing

TIMINGS	FROM	TO
Regular Temple Timings	05:30 AM	10:00 PM
Inner Sanctum Timings	05:00 AM	11:30 AM
Outer Sanctum Timings	05:00 AM	10:30 PM
Sankat Chaturthi Timings	06:00 AM	09:00 AM

Temple Video