It had been a long time since we left our Ashtavinayak Pilgrimage. I have written here about our trips to Mayureshwar and Siddhivinayak temples. We had done these in January 2026.
Personal illness, kids exams, etc led to a delay in the next trip. We headed for Ballaleshwar on 28 March 2026. A day earlier we met Rakesh ettan and family the previous day during our weekly run to Kerala Stores. He suggested that both Ballaleshwar and Varadavinayak were close by and hence could be covered in the same trip. They had done the Ashtavinayak circuit in 3 days.
Ballaleshwar Temple, Pali
We left home around 7:30 am. We took the route through Nigdi out towards the Mumbai Pune Expressway. I was happy to see the conditions of the road had improved at Ravet. We made a pitstop at the Hindustan Petroleum bunker which hosted a German Bakery for a bathroom break for us and a refuel for our Logan.
We headed back onto the Expressway. We took the exit at Khopoli and went down to Pali to reach there around 11 am.
I parked the vehicle a bit farther than usual thanks to a Mandir security guard he wanted the vehicle in the free parking spot provided by the Temple Trust. This was farther and left our vehicle exposed to the harsh March Sun. It also robbed us of a shaded pay and park provided right outside the temple entrance.
We went directly into the Ballaleshwar temple right past the Dhundi Vinayaka shrine. We prayed at the Ballaleshwar Temple quite peacefully. We didn’t experience the usual pushing and shoving one has gotten used to in Hindu temples.
When we left the temple, we saw a sign that said that one usually prays at Dhundi Vinayaka before one prays at Ballaleshwar. So, we prayed at the Dhundi Vinayak shrine and then took a route from within that temple into the Ballaleshwar temple.
I loved the atmosphere in the Ballaleshwar temple. One could play a big drum placed on one side, ring the bell, and we sat for a while in a wooden outer sanctum for a while before we left the temple a second time.
Ballaleshwar temple’s legend was narrated by Sharath A Haridasan in his series on Ganesh Puran. My wife and I had heard it together. So, when I mentioned it to her she remembered it easily. This shrine is associated with children and we related it to our daughter as well. Our son was more interested in the animal figurine toys along the two sides of the path leading to the temple.
We had food at Hotel Sukh Sagar. When I searched for the Varadavinayak temple, I found out that it was only less than an hour away from Ballaleshwar. After a light meal we headed off to Varadavinayak temple.
Varadavinayak Temple, Mahad
Google Maps acted weird on the way here. We had to drive around a little to figure out the entrance to the temple. This place had parking with some tree cover but with the Sun directly above us, the trees offered little to no shade. My wife carried my son all the way up the hill.
The temple had a very unassuming modern structure unlike the other Ashtavinayak temples we had been to so far. It was on top of a hillock. We were allowed to do puja ourselves – which was an offering of coconuts, some hibiscus flowers, and some peda. Our son didn’t have the patience to offer the peda to the God and so took it away before we had the chance to offer it.
The legend related to this temple can also be found both on Wikipedia or the playlist on the Ganesh Puran by Sharath A Haridasan. This story is more related to the Gods compared to other Ashtavinayaka shrines.
It was 3 pm by the time we left the temple and headed back home. Google Maps took us through the old Highway and I enjoyed driving up the big upward curves on the ghat roads before we entered the flattish Expressway.
We stopped at the McDonald’s after the Talegaon Toll Plaza for a bathroom break and some cold coffee for a respite from the heat.
We returned home happy to have completed half of the Ashtavinayak pilgrimage.
Parallel Spirals 