Religious Places in Raigad District

• Varadvinayak Temple, Mahad :

  Varadvinayak Temple, is one of the Ashtavinayak temples of the Hindu deity Ganesha. It is said that the temple was built (restored) by Peshwa General Ramji Mahadev Biwalkar in 1725 AD. This temple also has the idol of Navagraha Devatas, Mushaka and Shivalinga. 

  There are 4 elephant idols guarding the 4 sides of the temple. Devotees visit the Varadvinayak shrine throughout the year. During the festivals like Magha Chaturthi, huge crowds can be seen in this temple.

  The Varadvinayak Temple is located in Mahad village in Khalapur taluka, near the town Khopoli of Raigad district Maharashtra, India.

• Ballaleshwar Temple, Pali :

  Ballaleshwar temple is one of the eight “Ashtavinayak” temples of Lord Ganesha. It is located in the village of Pali which is at a distance of about 60 km from Karjat in the Raigad district. It is situated in the vicinity of fort Sarasgad and the river Amba. 

  It is said that the temple was built by Moreshvar Vitthal Sindkar (Dighe) in 1640AD.  There is a bell in the temple that was brought back by Chimaji Appa after he defeated the Portuguese in Vasai and Sasti. The original wooden temple was renovated in 1760 to make way for a new stone temple designed by Shri Fadnis.

• Harihareshwar Temple, Shrivardhan :

  Harihareshwar is a town in Raigad district of Maharashtra. Harihareshwar Temple is said to be blessed by Lord Shiva. Harihareshwar is Kuladaivat or the family deity of the Peshwas and it is said that they renovated the Harihareshwar temple complex in 1723AD. 

  Other temples in the vicinity of Harihareshwar are Kalbhairav temple, Mahalaxmi Temple etc. Harihareshwar along with Shrivardhan and Diveagar forms a popular sea-shore tourist attraction.

• Kanakeshwar Temple, Alibag :

  Kanakeshwar Temple is 10 kms away from Alibag. Cool climate and old temple of Lord Shiva. The temple is situated on a small hill and the nearby village is ‘ Mapgaon ‘ which is almost 12 kms. from Alibag. The hill is almost 370 m high and we have to climb 700+ steps to reach the temple. ‘Nagobacha Tappa’, ‘Devachi Payari’, ‘Pushkarni’,’Gaymukh’ and ‘Vyaghreshwar’ etc can be seen at nearby places.

• Suvarnaganesh Tepmle, Diveagar :

  Suvarnaganesh Tepmle, Diveagar, is around 75 Km. away from Alibag. History of Suvarnaganesh is quite fascinating. A copper box was found beneath the earth, containing a golden Ganesh Idol and some ornaments belonging to Lord Ganesha, in coconut cultivation area near the temple. Suvarnaganesh is an idol of Lord Ganesha made of gold weighing over 1 Kg. Idol was made approximately 300 to 400 years ago as per local saying.

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