Ballaleshwar Temple

 Ashtavinayaka is a set of eight temples situated in Maharashtra. 

I have attempted to write about the origin and history of every temple among the eight. 

I would like to start with 

Ballaleshwar of Pali:

There was a village named Pallir (now Pali) in Konkan. And in this village, lived the family of the rich Kalyani Seth. He had a son named Ballal who, from a very young age, was a pious devotee of Lord Ganesha. Not only did the boy spend most of his time in worship, he also influenced his friends for the same. 

This did not go well with Kalyani Seth who was a worldly man. To make matters worse, the parents of Ballal's friends started complaining that he was proving to be a wrong influence on their children. 

One such day, after receiving another complaint from a parent, Kalyani Seth marched out in anger to search for Ballal and teach him an unforgettable lesson. He found his son in a forest, totally engrossed in the worship of Lord Ganesha. 

Enraged, Kalyani Seth threw away the idol of Ganesha and disrupted Ballal's puja. He didn't stop here. He beat up Ballal and tied him to a tree. Kalyani Seth left the forest declaring to Ballal that his beloved Lord Ganesha might come and help him now. 

And the Lord did come! As Ballal cried out for help, Lord Ganesha came to his rescue and freed him. Ballal requested the Lord to stay in his village. The Lord agreed and took the form of a stone, which is now worshipped as the deity of Ballaleshwar Vinayaka. There is an idol of Dhundivinayak in the temple which is believed to be the idol that Kalyani Seth had thrown away in anger. 

Some key points about Ballaleshwar temple:

This is said to be the only temple of Ganesha bearing the name of His beloved devotee. Also, the temple has been constructed such that during Dakshinaayan, the rays of the sun fall on the idol of Ganesha at sunrise. 

One thing that sets aside this temple from others is that - the prasad offered here is Besan Laddoo!

It is said that the shape of the idol resembles the mountain that forms the backdrop of the temple. And the temple itself is said to be in the shape of 'Shri' as written in the Devanagri script.

More trivia coming up on other Ashtavinayak temples!