Soaked in History | Banganga Parikrama Walk

 I was one of the 20-odd history/culture buffs who joined the Banganga Parikrama Walk by Khaki Tours. Soaked in many ways was I in this Parikrama on a warm and humid Sunday evening.

Soaked with absorbing stories. Soaked in Mumbai sweat. Soaked in the holy Ganga water (well, feet and hands only).

I am sure not many people are aware that Banganga is the oldest continuously inhabited settlement.

Steeped in many such interesting facts, absorbing stories, legends, and fascinating history, this was a place I had been dying to visit (pun not intended) for a long time.

Banganga at Walkeshwar - Built in 1127 CE by Laxman Prabhu a minister during the Shilahara dynasty was renovated in the 1700s by a wealthy GSB Rama Kamat. The Banganga precinct continues to be under the GSB Temple Trust even today. Hearing this the GSB pride in me was quite stoked. It is believed that some families have been staying here for as long as 15 generations. With a Grade I heritage status this place is a treasure trove within its by-lanes and gullies.

The sacred tank gained religious importance thanks to a mythological story. Legends say that Rama and Lakshman on their way to Lanka in search of Sita made their pit stop here to pray to Lord Shiva. Ram created a Shiva linga from sand, which came to be known as Valuka Ishwar (meaning an idol made of sand in Sanskrit), thus lending the area its current name – Walkeshwar. Tired and thirsty from long travel, Ram (or Lakshman) shot an arrow (Baan) into the ground and a freshwater tributary (supposedly) of the Ganga sprouted from below the surface. That is how this temple/sacred tank got its name – Banganga. There is also another version mentioned in Skanda Purana. Lord Parshuram, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who is believed to have created the Konkan Coast, created the freshwater spring at Banganga by shooting his arrow into the ground.

Whichever legend you would like to believe or not believe, this sacred tank for Hindus according to me is the consequence of an act of faith. A faith that draws thousands of believers from all over the country.

Interestingly, the Banganga precinct is not just about the temples and houses of its long-time residents. It also has a Dhobhi Ghat and a Hindu graveyard (yes, you read it right) for Sanyasis located at the back side of the tank. So, you see, the Banganga precinct offers us assorted cleansing options, whether it’s your soul or soiled clothes.

Among all stories, one story, however, tugged at my heart. Within the precincts of Banganga also lie the ruins of the house where Pandit Vishnu Bhatkhande was born and lived. A scholar who many may not know was an Indian musicologist who wrote the first modern treatise on Hindustani classical music. Art that had been propagated for centuries mostly through oral traditions got codified thanks to him. The classic document “Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati” (in four volumes), written by him, forms today the standard text on Hindustani music, an indispensable starting point for any student of Hindustani Classical Music.

If born in Europe, a man of his stature would have had a museum. Sadly, his house lies in ruins.

Lastly, thanks to Ninad Phatarpekar, Khaki Tours for regaling us with stories and humor on our two-hour walk through the by-lanes and gullies of 800-year-old history.