PALI - BALLALESWAR MANDIR

THE LEGEND OF BALLALAL

This much-frequented and immensely popular Ballaleswara kshetra, like its counterparts has long legends imbued with undiminishing spiritual glory that is luring steady streams of devotees for over centuries now. According to Ganesh and Mudgala Puranas, it is at this sacred kshetra, a Bala Vinayaka bhakta was liberated, and demonstrated the infinite power of devotion. Once there lived in Pallipur city of this region, a business man called Kalyan, who was blessed with a son of inimitable devotion to Vinayaka called Ballala. From his childhood, like Prahlad, he reposed infinite faith in Vinayaka and started narrating tales about his glory and sports to his friends of his age group. And lo! his devotion took several forms, like treating all stones as gods and conducting congregational bhajans sitting in front of them. He became endeared to all the children, who used to go along with him far off to perform worship with songs etc. All of them used to participate in prayer activities - some building small huts for gods, a few collecting flowers and all hailing at their highest pitch, 'Jai Gajanana' for hours. It so happened, once the children did not return home for days. Knowing that Ballala had taken them out, for bhajans, they scolded his father. Unable to bear humiliation, he went in search of him and found the scene of action. He put to destruction all the idols worshipped and huts made for the deity, besides tying Ballala to a tree and beat him till he vomited blood. Before going he uttered, "Let me see, how you will be protected and by whom"? Ballala then cursed him to become blind, deaf, dumb and hunchback.

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