Ballaleshwar of Pali

Ballāleśvar at Pali (Raigad district) is the only Ashtavinayak temple named after a human devotee — the boy Ballāla, whose perfect devotion brought Ganesha in person to this site. Ballaleshwar is unique among the Ashtavinayak for two reasons: (1) the deity is named after a devotee, not after a divine episode; (2) the mūrti is the only Ashtavinayak Ganesha seated on a throne (siṃhāsana) rather than cross-legged. The story tells of young Ballāla, whose intense bhakti was ridiculed by village boys.