Reached within 1 hour after leaving Mahad. The way is littered with narrow streets, which can get clogged if there is traffic from the other end.
At the temple, it is a tradition to first take blessings from Dhundivinayak ganapati temple located near entrance.
From there a serpentine queue will lead you to a stone temple. Walls made up of massive black stones with carved designs. A massive grind wheel. Also a map of all the 8 Ganapati temples that form a part of the Ashtavinayak pilgrimage.
The inside has a big hall flanked with what appears to be a mezzanine floor with wooden gallery on either side. Off to one side is a counter for donations and offerings for Abhishek. The hall leads inside to a smaller closed hall with a huge chandelier and a bug stone statue of Undirmama. This smaller hall leads to the actual gaabhara / Darshan chamber.
Inside we get the Darshan of the majestic Ballaleshwar Ganapati. All the 8 Ganapati idols that constitute the Ashtavinayak (8 holy Ganapati pilgrimage) are abstracts. None of them have distinctly carved shapes, and yet each idol has been so artistically shaped out on the stone, and painted the traditional saffron, that they all represent the aesthetic and majestic form of the beloved Bappa. The Ballaleshwar Ganapati idol stands out as the broadest of the 8 idols, with its broad sides representing the strong shoulders on which Bappa takes the weight of all our worries. Truly majestic to behold.
Darshan was too hasty, unfortunately. The tour guide organized an Aarti for all members of the tour. Some of the members got to hold the aarti dish.
On our way back, we had a tender coconut - same price as the city. Shacks offer juices, but we generally avoid outside drinks, unsure of the purity of water used and our cosmopolitan stomachs are too used to over-treated hyper-sanitized city water.
The public toilet is conveniently located on the way back.
Next we have a long 5 hour journey to Ranjangaon in Pune district.
But, before that, time to appease the hunger pangs.
It took us half an hour to reach Jambhulpada (taluka - Sudhagadh, Dist - Raigad). Near the Government Medical Center is a 'khanawal' - a mess (not the kind we do in work. The kind where patrons sit and people serve food). I think it's called Dixit Bhojanalay.
The food was sumptuous - home-made - and there were modaks! Yummy, my favourite! This was the best food we had during the entire tour.
We were done and ready to leave by 3:40. Looking forward to a long road-trek of 5 hours before we reach our final destination for the day...
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