Ballaleshwar Temple, Pali

बल्लाळेश्वर मंदिर, पाली

Ganesha · Ballaleshwar

Pali, Pali, Raigad district, Maharashtra · Ganapatya tradition

It is the only Ashtavinayak temple named after a devotee rather than after the deity: Ballaleshwar means Ballal's lord.

Read the story
Directions

At the gate

Getting there
Train: PanvelAir: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai

Not yet confirmed: darshan hours, dress code, phone rules, entry for visitors of other faiths, walking distance. Ask at the temple office or enquiry counter — and if you know, tell us. hello@aalayakatha.com

Full visiting details

Sthala purana

The story of this place

Told in: Pali temple tradition, commonly attributed to the Ganesha Purana (chapter not traced)

The boy tied to the tree

Pali is a merchant's town, and Kalyan is one of its merchants. He and his wife Indumati have a son, Ballal, who spends his days not at work but at play that turns into worship: he gathers the village children around a large stone, and together they treat it as Ganesha and worship it.

The children stay out late, and the other parents complain. Kalyan goes looking for his son and finds the boys at their stone. In anger he breaks up their small shrines, beats Ballal, and ties him to a tree. He throws the stone away and leaves the boy there.

Bound to the tree, Ballal curses his father and then calls on Ganesha. Ganesha comes to him in the form of a wandering ascetic, frees him, and offers him a boon. Ballal asks that Ganesha stay in that place.

Ganesha agrees. He enters a large stone nearby, which becomes whole and stands as his image, and he takes the boy's name with him: Ballaleshwar, Ballal's lord.

The stone Kalyan threw away is not discarded either. It is worshipped as Dhundi Vinayak, a self-manifested image, and in the Pali tradition pilgrims go to Dhundi Vinayak before they go to Ballaleshwar.

The story explains the feature that sets Pali apart among the eight Ashtavinayak temples: it is the one named after a devotee rather than after a form of the god. The temple's two images, the main one and Dhundi Vinayak, are the two stones of the story.

Where this account comes from

  • Government: Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, Ashtavinayak: Pali maharashtratourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

In one minute

Why Ballaleshwar Temple, Pali matters

Each line says who it comes from and how settled it is. What the labels mean

  1. It is the only Ashtavinayak temple named after a devotee rather than after the deity: Ballaleshwar means Ballal's lord.

    Source for: It is the only Ashtavinayak temple named after a devotee rather than after the d
    • Government: Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, Ashtavinayak: Pali maharashtratourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  2. A wooden temple built here in 1640 by Moreshvar Vitthal Sindkar (Dighe) was rebuilt in stone in 1760 to a design by Fadnis.

    Source for: A wooden temple built here in 1640 by Moreshvar Vitthal Sindkar (Dighe) was rebu
    • Government: District Administration Raigad, Government of Maharashtra, Religious Places in Raigad raigad.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  3. Its bell was brought back by Chimaji Appa after his victory over the Portuguese at Vasai and Sasti.

    Source for: Its bell was brought back by Chimaji Appa after his victory over the Portuguese
    • Government: District Administration Raigad, Government of Maharashtra, Religious Places in Raigad raigad.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

Shilpa

When you visit, look for…

Architectural style not yet identified

A stone temple of 1760 replacing a wooden one of 1640, per the Raigad district administration. No architectural survey assigning it a style has been found.

  • Sanctum

    The 1760 stone temple

    The stone building that replaced the original wooden shrine in 1760, designed by Fadnis.

    1760

  • Detail

    Chimaji Appa's bell

    The temple bell, brought back by Chimaji Appa after his victory over the Portuguese at Vasai and Sasti.

    18th century

  • Detail

    Dhundi Vinayak

    The shrine of Dhundi Vinayak, the stone Kalyan threw away in the Ballal story; in the Pali tradition pilgrims visit it before the main image.

Yatra

Plan your visit

Darshan times

We could not confirm the opening times from the temple’s own notice, so we are not printing any. Please check with the temple office or the devasthanam before you travel.

Before you go

  • No dress code or entry rules have been confirmed for this temple yet. Traditional, modest clothing is always the safe choice; ask at the entrance.

Walking, steps and access

We have not yet confirmed how much walking or climbing is involved, or whether there is wheelchair access. If you are travelling with elders, ask at the temple office or the devasthanam enquiry counter before you set out.

Getting there

  • By air: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, MumbaiPune (Lohegaon) is the other airport the district administration lists.
  • By train: PanvelThe district also lists Konkan Railway stations at Pen and Roha.
  • By road: KarjatPali is about 60 km from Karjat, near Sarasgad fort and the Amba river; MSRTC buses serve the district.

PIN 410205 (not yet checked with India Post)

The order of darshan

No published source gives the order in which to visit the shrines here, so we have not invented one. Follow the queue and the temple staff.

Festivals

  • Ganesh Chaturthi

    Aug–Sep · Bhadrapada, Shukla paksha, Chaturthi

    The main Ganesha festival of the year, observed at all eight Ashtavinayak temples.

  • Maghi Ganesh Jayanti

    Jan–Feb · Magha, Shukla paksha, Chaturthi

    Ganesha's birth festival in Magha.

Itihasa

Through time

Two registers, kept apart on purpose: what the Puranas tell, and what the historical record shows. They answer different questions and we do not force them to agree.

In the Puranas and tradition

No events in this register have been sourced.

In the historical record

  1. 1640

    Wooden temple built

    The district administration records that the temple is said to have been built in 1640 by Moreshvar Vitthal Sindkar (Dighe).

    Source for: Wooden temple built
    • Government: District Administration Raigad, Government of Maharashtra, Religious Places in Raigad raigad.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  2. 1760

    Rebuilt in stone

    The wooden temple was replaced in 1760 by a stone temple designed by Fadnis.

    Source for: Rebuilt in stone
    • Government: District Administration Raigad, Government of Maharashtra, Religious Places in Raigad raigad.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  3. Chimaji Appa's bell

    Chimaji Appa brought a bell to the temple after defeating the Portuguese at Vasai and Sasti. The source gives no year.

    Source for: Chimaji Appa's bell
    • Government: District Administration Raigad, Government of Maharashtra, Religious Places in Raigad raigad.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

Around here

Worth the detour

  • Fort

    Sarasgad fort

    The hill fort above Pali, named by the district administration as the temple's landmark.

  • Temple

    Varadavinayak Temple, Mahad

    The next stop on the Ashtavinayak circuit, also in Raigad district.

Sources

Where this page comes from

  • Government: District Administration Raigad, Government of Maharashtra, Religious Places in Raigad raigad.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, Ashtavinayak: Pali maharashtratourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

Cite this page

Aalaya Katha Foundation, “Ballaleshwar Temple, Pali”, Aalaya Katha, version last reviewed 2026-10-09. https://www.aalayakatha.com/temple/ballaleshwar-pali (accessed ).

Last reviewed 2026-10-09. How we label sources and confidence