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.

Mumbai Photo Blog - A heritage walk through #bhuleshwarbhulbhulaiya

It's a Sunday morning and I have decided to get lost. Figuratively!!

Get lost in the maze that's called Bhuleshwar. 
Khaki Tours has aptly named this heritage walking tour as #bhuleshwarbhulbhulaiya (The Labyrinth of Bhuleshwar) and I have willingly succumbed to its promise. Located in southern Mumbai and to the north of Fort area, it is a popular market place meant for all and sundry, for buying pin to piano (well almost), and I mean it! It is a bustling market place on weekdays which sells items ranging from bangles to sarees, flowers to fruits, metal to gold, vegetables to kitchen accessories and many other things in between. You cannot move ahead in this market without stepping on many toes or jostling through a thick crowd that just does not disperse at any point.
So before I head straight to the photo blog, let me tell you a little bit about Khaki Tours. Khaki Tours is a unique platform which brings to you untold stories of Mumbai and helps you discover its heritage in nooks and crannies...on foot or in an open Jeep! (as its brand tagline says). 
I got introduced to Khaki Tours and Bharat Gothoskar (founder of Khaki Tours) through my friends and I got completely hooked by it's interesting brand promise. It was absolutely something right up my alley (no pun intended). I am someone who loves to discover new places including the little corners and gullies (narrow lanes) whether in Mumbai or outside and also love listening to anecdotes/stories about the people, history, food, architecture and the culture belonging to that place. So when I heard rave reviews about these walking tours from my friends I knew that this was the perfect getaway for me and for those not-so-easily available weekends in my life. 
Who would have thought that a passion for history and heritage preservation could lead to a successful entrepreneurial venture like this. But Bharat did it by giving up his successful job as a marketer and launching his breakthrough venture that which has been carefully crafted over a period of time. I tip my hat to his passion, marketing ingenuity, perseverance, and courage for pulling off an unprecedented concept which had a latent demand waiting to be tapped. 
So here I am on a magical Sunday, a la Alice in Wonderland, ready to slip into a nook and find myself in a cranny. Raring to throw myself in to the trivia that surrounds Bhuleshwar and catch all the nuggets that sneak up from around the corners. And yes, all set to get lost in the Bhul Bhulaiya only so that I can find myself again. I am sure Bharat's stories and trivia will ensure we will get lost in the history and magic of this place...although only for a few hours. 
It is a land trapped between three tanks. CP Tank, Mumbadevi Tank and Bhatia Bhagirathi Tank. Also, its neighboring area is known as Pydhonie. Etymologically the name is derived from the Marathi word Py which means feet, and dhoné which means "to wash". Thus the name means, ''wash feet before entering city''. The story goes that the location of Pydhonie (earlier a marshy land) was reclaimed from the sea and then as people entered on this land to travel further they were needed to wash their feet.
So here I am, all set with a little backpack and a bottle of water and the company of a dear friend. We start on this little journey inside the Chakravhyuv of Bhuleshwar with Bharat from Khaki Tours as our Abhimanyu. Confident steps tread forward reassured in the fact that our Abhimanyu knows his way out too.


Photo Blog:

Bhuleshwar and its location in Mumbai

Our meeting point was Godiji Parsvanath Temple. It is the oldest Jain temple in Mumbai (1812 AD). It was earlier in a Ghardevasar style (which looks like a house from outside but is a temple inside) to avoid Mughal invasions. However, the old look (wooden) has now given way to the new fetish for marble stone. And this is how it looks now. Although it looks grand, the charm of a temple with a wooden façade would have been worth seeing.

Bhoiwada Gully gets its name from the Bhois (porter community) who used to reside here.

Sunday is just another day in Bhuleshwar. Work is worship!

Shree Swaminrayan Temple facade

Hanuman Idol with Panvati at his feet inside Swami Narayan Temple.

The unique Ganpati idol inside Swami Narayan Temple.

Swami Narayan Temple a part of the Swaminarayan Sampraday, is the oldest Swaminarayan Mandir in Mumbai, being over a hundred years old.

A Sunday in Bhuleshwar is supposed to be less crowded...hmmm, now you know what a weekday would look like.

The facade of this shop still retains it's old glory. Check 

the font!

Inside the GSB Temple Trust - Balaji Ramji Mandir. By the way, it is also their head office and not the one at Banganga Temple. Though that being much bigger and popular.

The only Municipal road - 3rd Phophalwadi, in Mumbai which is built under a building. Trust Khaki Tours to provide you such interesting trivia

The notable religious and historic emoluments owned and administered by GSB Temple Trust are as follows:

- Shree Walukeshwar Mandir & Banganga Talav- Banganga constructed in 1127 AD by a GSB minister, Lakshman Prabhu, in the court of Shilahar Kings in Thane. It was reconstructed by the then famous Rama Kamati in 1715 AD.

Man about work...unperturbed by flash bulbs around him.

Phool Khile Hai Gulshan Gulshan!!

Finally! Bhuleshwar Temple again part of the GSB Temple 

Trust. 

A few glimpses of the insides of the temple.

Bhuleshwar temple as it stands today!

The affable temple priest who had a sweet smile on his face.

An old lady adjusts her Bindi (red dot on forehead) as she sees her reflection in the hand held mirror. This pic resonates with ''Kunku'' - a Marathi movie from eons ago. Kunku means Bindi in Marathi language. 

An Islamic architecture for a Hindu Temple with a Jewish 

emblem on facade. A building of many religious contrasts.

Inside the Shree Krishna Pranami Temple is a Sea of Silver  

Indulging in fragrance

Depiction of entire Ramayana on the Silver doors of Shree Ram Mandir

Shree Ram Mandir from afar 

Land of Lilliputs: Here the shops have extremely low ceilings that  it makes you tower over them. Here's a man engrossed in a phone conversation but cannot help looking in to the lens of my camera as he leans against the shops.

Samudri Mata Mandir is a 1000 year old temple representing

the idol of the Goddess (Mahalaxmi) who appeared from the

sea at the same spot where the temple has been built. 

At the feet of Samudri Mata

Inside Panjarpole. The Parsee Bombay Panjrapole (1834) is an animal infirmary and cow ashram, and the last of its kind in the city.

Panjar Pole or Pinjra Pole - Animal shelter built in 1834 by businessmen Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy and Amichand Shah in 1834 after the Britishers ordered a shoot-at-sight to control the nuisance of stray dogs and pigs on Bombay roads. The place was originally created to care for stray animals like dogs. Panjarpole is now home to robust cows and buffaloes that are continuously fed grass and special laddoos by religious Hindus.

Idol of Surya Narayan
Mumbai’s only sun temple Shri Surya Narayan [Sun god] riding a chariot driven by Arun on a seven–headed horse (1899)

Inside Shri SuryaNarayan [Sun god] Temple where sculptures of priests in different postures look back at you.

Mahakali Temple built by the Tambat Kasar community (traders in metal)

And as the early morning turns to noon, this immersive experience finally comes to an end. A small journey through Bhul Bhulaiya-Bhuleshwar where I got lost in history, culture, architecture from another era. A place that is a perfect microcosm of the city Mumbai with myriads of colours, noises, people and buildings. 

And yes, a place that I have never been to anytime before and a place which I may never get a chance to visit... except now!

Their aim is to take “heritage conservation” from elite/ intellectual circles to the common man.

By the way, did you know Bhuleshwar gets its name from Bholey Ishwar? Innocent god, after whom the locality is named. It is known for being home to over 100 temples including Mumba Devi Temple of Mumbai, the patron goddess of the city of Mumbai, and Swaminarayan Mandir. Bhuleshwar Temple is the only Shiva Temple here under GSB Temple Trust and the rest are Vaishnav Temples built by Gujarati and Rajasthani communities. Walkeshwar, Babulnath and Bhuleshwar are the oldest male god temples in Mumbai. After almost four hours, I find myself back again in the arms of the city I belong to and that I am familiar with. 
It is surprising to know that though I belong to this city there are so many places that I am yet not aware of. Places of historical significance, places that have added flavor to this city and places that are an irrepressible part of this metro city! It has opened my eyes to sights and smells I would have never known existed.

Look forward to many more enlightening experiences where I am transported to another time and place, right here in my own backyard and in my dear city - Mumbai!
Thank you Khaki Tours.