Ashtavinayaka - Ballaleshwar

Contributed by Rupali

Pali's Ballaleshwar is third Ganesh of "Ashtavinayak".This Ganapati Shrine is in Raigad District,30 kms.away from Karjat and 110 kms from Pune,in Maharashtra,India.Ballal Vinayak is associated with the legend of young boy,Ballal and his devotion to Ganapati. They had a son named "Ballal" who was a staunch devotee of Ganpati. Ballal used to worship,small stones being treated as Gods along with other children.Once the children  saw a big stone outside the village. At the insistence of Ballal, the children treated the stone as Ganpati & started worshipping it day and night and forgot their hunger and thurst.

Their parents were worried for the children since they did not come homeThey all went to Kalyan's and complained about Ballal. Kalyan seth become furious and went in search of children. He saw children listening Ganesh purana outside the village In anger he broke the small temples built by the children  Ballal who was submerged in meditation was caught by his father  and beaten up badly.

His father tied him to a tree and smashed all pooja materials collected by the children. He threw away the big stone which wastreated as Ganpati,by the children. Ballal continued his meditation

Lord Ganpati was moved byBallal's devotion and appeared in the form of a Brahmin before him and gave him a miraculous touch. Ballal's thirst hunger vanished, wounds were healed & he felt a new vigour moving in his body.

He prostrated before the Brahmin whom he recognised as Gajanan & worshipped him. Ganpati told Ballal to ask for a boon. Ballal said ,"You must stay at this place and remove the miseries of the people coming to you." Ganesha agreed and said, "I will take your name before mine and be called as Ballal Vinayak."

Then he embraced Ballal & vanished into the nearby stoneThat stone statue is called Ballaleshwar. The stone idol which Kalyanseth threw away is called as Dhundi Vinayak. This is a swayambhoo Moorti. He is worshipped before Ballaleshwar is worshipped.