Sthala Mahātmyam
Ballaleshwar at Pali, in Raigad district, is unique among all Ganesha shrines, and among the Ashtavinayaka, as the only one where the Lord is worshipped by the name of his devotee. Sthala mahatmya: a devout boy named Ballal gathered the village children to worship a large stone as Ganesha; so absorbed did they become that they forgot hunger, thirst and rest. Ballal's enraged father Kalyan beat him, tied him to a tree, and smashed the worship materials. Moved by the child's unwavering devotion, Ganesha appeared, freed and healed him, and granted his wish that the Lord dwell there forever and take the devotee's name before his own, becoming Ballaleshwar. The stone hurled aside by the father is venerated separately as Dhundi Vinayak, worshipped before the main deity. The east-facing murti has a left-turned trunk with diamonds set in its eyes and navel and is seated on a stone throne within a temple shaped like the sacred syllable shri. Festivals: Ganesh Chaturthi and Maghi Ganesh Jayanti are celebrated grandly.
