History, Importance, Timings, Festivals, Architecture, Social & Religious Activities, Interesting Facts and Travel Guide of Shri Walkeshwar Temple, Mumbai, India
The Walkeshwar Temple, popularly known as the Baan Ganga Temple is located in Walkeshwar, near Malabar Hills (South Mumbai, Maharashtra). The temple is devoted to the Hindu deity Lord Shiva. It is located at the peak of the city. The Banganga Tank lies attached to the temple. The name of the temple (Walkeshwar) is extracted from a Sanskrit word for a statue made of sand – “Valuka Ishwar”, who is an embodiment of Shiva.
History says that the Hindu deity Lord Rama stopped at this spot while traveling to Lanka from Ayodhya. He was going to defeat the demon king Ravana, who had abducted his wife Sita. Someone educated Lord Rama to praise Shiva Lingam. It is said that he then constructed the innovative Shiva Linga made of sand, when he was exhausted waiting for his brother Lakshman, to bring a statue. As the story continued, when Rama was gasping, he did not find any freshwater body nearby, (as only sea water was available). So, he shot an arrow and transported the river Ganges over there. Hence, the place is called Baan Ganga (Baan= Arrow). The water that nourishes the tank comes from a sunken spring at the spot, even after its closeness to the sea.
The Baan Ganga tank is a freshwater tank. Lakshman Prabhu, a Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu minister made this tank in 1127 AD. In the 16th century, when the Portuguese came to rule over Mumbai city, they destroyed the temple. Rama Kamat, a generous entrepreneur, and philanthropist rebuilt this temple in 1715. The main temple is significantly reconstructed and many other smaller temples are built surrounding the Baan Ganga tank.
The western side of the tank has Shri Kashi Math, which is a famous religious place of Gowda Saraswat. There are two Samadhis made in the Math Bhavan. One of them is Shri Madhavendra Tirth. According to mythology, Shri Swami took in rupture even though he was alive. This rupture is considered a highly powerful and effective Samadhi. The second rupture is connected to Shri Varadendra Tirth.
The temple follows a geometrical pattern of Hindu tradition. It has a simple symmetrical structure. Even after being destroyed by the Portuguese, the temple was rebuilt so beautifully that it has become one of the most popular religious places in Mumbai.
A Hindustani classical music festival is celebrated in the temple venue. The festival is popularly known as the Baan Ganga festival. Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) arranges the festival every year, in January. Many renowned artists from classical music backgrounds perform here. The concerts catch the attention of the neighborhood as well as tourists visiting the shrine. At the time of the festival, the entire hummock and the nearby areas get a makeover with flowers, lights, and decorations. The venue turns magical with all the lights and music.
The temple remains well crowded during the time of Full Moon (Purnima) and New Moon (Amavasya) nights. Visitors from different places come to attend the ritual. Besides, the morning aarti starts at 6.30 am every day.
Every day the temple remains open from 6 am to 8 pm. One can visit the temple anytime in between.
You can visit the temple throughout the year. As the temple is close to the sea, the weather is always pleasant here. One can enjoy the weather as well as have a peaceful visit. Though the temple remains crowded from October to March.
To have more information about the temple, one can call the number – 022 2369 2727.
The Walkeshwar temple is one of the most popular tourist destinations because of its geographical location. On the hilltop, the temple reflects indescribable Hindu architecture.
How to Reach Siddhi Vinayak Temple, Mumbai, The capital of Maharashtra, India
The nearest railway station to reach the temple is Grant Road. You can take a bus or a cab to reach the temple. If you are traveling by road, regular bus services are available to reach the temple. Taxis and autos are also available to reach there. As Mumbai is capital of Maharashtra and financial center of India, it is very well connected with all major cities of India and also all the major cities of world. You can easily get flights to reach Mumbai from any corner of world. Mumbai has major railway junctions from where you can get train to reach almost all major cities of India. Every year millions of tourist and visitors across the world reaches here at Mumbai for different purpose. So public transport is also very much develop to facilitate them. Mumbai is located at just 150 km from Pune, 166 km from Nashik, 84 km from Matheran, 82 km from Lonavala, 245 km from Shirdi, 197 km from Bhimashankar, 177 km from Trambak etc.
