Pali Ganapati is called the Shri Ballaleshwar, Pali and the original wooden temple was reconstructed in to the present stone temple in 1760. Along the two sides of the temple are lakes and one lake is used exclusive for the puja rituals of the deity. Pali Ganapati temple faces the east and has two sanctums. The inner sanctum houses the idol and has a Mushika ( Ganesha vahana- Mouse) with the modaka in his front paws in front f it. The main hall is supported by eight craftily carved pillars and it demands much attention like the idol. The eight pillars portray the eight directions and the inner sanctum is 15 feet tall and the outer sanctum is 12 feet tall. The temple is designed in such a way that after winter ( dakshinayan) the sun rays falls on the Ganesha idol at sunrise. The temple is built with stones which are stuck together very tight using melted lead.
The trunk of the Ganesha is turned towards the left side and the idol has diamonds embedded in the eyes and navel. In all the Ganesha temple Modak is normally offered as Prasad but here the Prasad offered is Besan Laddu. The temple is situated with a mountain as the backdrop and the shape of the idol has a prominent similarity of the mountain. The temple is located in the town of Pali which is off the Mumbai – Pune highway and about 11 kilometres before Nagothane on the Mumbai-Goa highway. It is 30 kilometres away from the Karjat railway station. The famous Shri Dhundi Vinayak temple is situated just behind the Pali Ganapati temple and this is a rare idol which faces to the west. The story of temple is that Ganesha saved a boy devotee called Ballala who was beaten up by the local villagers and his father for his single minded devotion towards Ganesha.
