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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.

Photo Gallery

  • Ballaleshwar Ganpati Idol
  • Ballaleshwar temple
  • Varadvinayak Ganpati Idol

How to Reach:

By Air

Nearest Airport is Lohegaon Airport, Pune and Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport, Mumbai, Maharashtra.

By Train

The nearest railway stations for most of the tourist places are Mumbai (CST), LTT, Kurla Terminus, Pune Railway station and Panvel Railway station (in Raigad district) for main lines of Indian Railway. The nearest Railway stations of Konkan Railway in Raigad district are Pen, Roha, Veer etc. Tourists can choose nearest local railway station on Konkan Railway as per their convenience.

By Road

All major towns and tourist places in Raigad district are connected by roads through Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses. Raigad District is connected to Mumbai by Sion Panvel Expressway. The Mumbai-Pune expressway and NH4 passes through Panvel, Khalapur and Khopoli. NH 17, which starts at Panvel, traverses till Poladpur.