Shri Ballaleshwar, Pali

History

• The Raigad district site says the temple stands at Pali, about 60 km from Karjat, near Sarasgad fort and the Amba river. It says the temple is said to have been built by Moreshwar Vitthal Sindkar (Dighe) in 1640, that a bell was brought by Chimaji Appa after the Portuguese defeat at Vasai and Sashti, and that the original wooden temple was replaced in 1760 by a stone temple designed by Shri Fadnis. District Raigad, Government of Maharashtra

Why it matters

• The district site lists Ballaleshwar as one of the eight Ashtavinayak temples. The devasthan is a registered trust (A/215, Raigad, 15 April 1952) and says it received ISO 9001:2015 recognition in 2018. District Raigad, Government of Maharashtra · Shree Ballaleshwar Devasthan, Pali

Location

• Shree Ballaleshwar Devasthan, Pali, taluka Sudhagad, district Raigad 410205. Manager phone 8087874195. Email manager@shreeballaleshwarpali.org. Shree Ballaleshwar Devasthan, Pali

Hours

• Both Ballaleshwar and Dhundi Vinayak are open for darshan from 5:00 am to 10:30 pm. The trust says that after 10:30 pm the temples are not opened under any circumstances. Shree Ballaleshwar Devasthan, Pali · Shree Ballaleshwar Devasthan, Pali

Aarti and rituals

• Every day: shehnai at dawn, dhup aarti, nitya puja, naivedya, and aarti at 8:00 pm. From 5:30 am to 12:00 noon, devotees in ritual purity (sovale) may worship inside the sanctum with the temple priest. Each Chaturthi evening has panchamrit snan, poshakh, naivedya, aarti, a palkhi, and mantrapushpa. Local bhajan is held on Ekadashi. Shree Ballaleshwar Devasthan, Pali
• An abhishek scheme runs from 5:30 am to 1:00 pm and from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, including abhishek, sahasravartan, milk abhishek, and laghu rudra. Shree Ballaleshwar Devasthan, Pali

Festivals

• From Ashadh Shuddha Ekadashi to Kartik Shuddha Ekadashi the trust holds discourses, ending with a granth dindi on Kartik Shuddha Ekadashi. Women attend kakad aarti in numbers during Kartik. Shree Ballaleshwar Devasthan, Pali

How to reach

• The district site’s distance is about 60 km from Karjat, not from Pune. Raigad’s roads are served by MSRTC; the Mumbai–Pune expressway and the old highway pass through Panvel, Khalapur, and Khopoli, which is a different corner of the district from Pali. District Raigad, Government of Maharashtra

Best time to visit

• The morning window is the one the trust ties to personal puja in the sanctum. Kartik is when it says the kakad aarti is especially full. Shree Ballaleshwar Devasthan, Pali

Crowds

Not stated in the sources used for this entry.

Nearby

• Sarasgad fort and the Amba river are the landmarks the district site puts beside the village. Mahad’s Varadvinayak is the other Raigad Ashtavinayak on that page. District Raigad, Government of Maharashtra

Access

• Morning worship inside the sanctum requires sovale, the ritually clean dress the trust names. Nothing on the page describes a wheelchair route. Shree Ballaleshwar Devasthan, Pali