So one of my resolutions for 2018 is to explore my beautiful city, Mumbai. I am glad that I made this resolution because ever since I made it I’ve visited many places and blogged about quite a few of them. This month my explorations took me to a beautiful place that has religious, spiritual, scenic, and historical importance. Not just that, it also is one of the most expensive places to live in Mumbai-Walkeshwar “The kashi” of Mumbai (the Malabar Hill, Hanging Gardens, Tower of Silence.)
The nearest Station to visit the place was Grant Road. Since I had already explored the area in January this year and because it was practically pouring I chose to take the bus to Walkeshwar. Bus 105 takes you there in around 15-20mins and gives you a view of the area. (Just that you can’t take a halt where you like but it does save a lot of energy which you can use further)
How to travel?
While the bus is a good and pocket-friendly option the other options for traveling are as follows:
-Walking- It will take anywhere between 45 minutes to 1 hour from the station. Advantages-You get to see the stunning architecture and the chowpaty. You can take a pre-halt and visit the Babulnath temple first.
-Cabs are easily available at Grant Road and would take you anywhere between 15-20mins. The charges would vary between 40-50Rupees.
-You can also take your vehicle but parking can become an issue. Hence best to avoid it.
Once you get off near the Khanderai Temple take the lane on the right from that temple and walk towards the Banganga Tank from there you first go visit the Walkeshwar temple.
History of the name:
The Term Walkeshwar comes from 2 different terms “walu” meaning sand and “ishwar” god. Legend states Lord Ram took a halt there before he headed to Lanka to rescue Sita Mata. He was advised to worship Lord Shiva and hence asked Laxman to get a Shivling but since that took a lot of time Lord Ram built a Shiv Linga with sand and worshipped it. Hence the name Walkeshwar.
In around 11 A.D., Laxman Prabhu (a Gaud Saraswat Brahmin) built this into a temple and also constructed the Banganga tank which was then destroyed by the Portuguese and later rebuilt by Rama Kamath (another GSB) in 16 A.D. (Probably this is the reason why Walkeshwar is an important place for GSB) Following which many other temples came up in the vicinity. When you visit the Walkeshwar temple, you will not find any of the old architecture or relics since it has been renovated many times but if you visit the Parshuram temple which is located just beside it you would find some old architecture there.
Banganga Tank
Bang opposite the Walkeshwar temper is the Banganga tank. (Honestly, it was the name “ Banganga” that made me curious and visit this place. )So the legend states, that while Lord Ram took a halt there he needed water and therefore Laxman hit an arrow also known as a “Ban” in Marathi, and then freshwater came in, hence the name Banganga. I was also told that the place where the arrow struck was in the centre where a flag now exists while the origin of the freshwater also known as the ugam stan was located at a corner. Banganga is also known as “Kashi” because all those who cannot travel to Kashi to do the last rituals of their near and dear ones visit this place.
Sadly, most of the stones that were used to construct the temple are used in the present-day construction so there is nothing much of the old temple. As you walk around Banganga, don’t miss out on some of the statues, the broken Ganesha murti, and a few stones from the earlier temple which have the imprints of both Lord Shiva and Parvati.
Journey Ahead:
As we moved ahead, a few minutes away from Banganga is the Raj Bhavan which is the Governor’s house. As you walk down that lane you do get to see some of the most expensive properties of Mumbai.
Around 15 minutes down the road is the beautiful and serene Babu Amichand Panalal Adishwarji Jain Temple. Built in 1904, dedicated to Adishwarji (the first Tirthankara) it belongs to the Shwetambar Sect of Jains.
I’ve always watched the beauty of Jain temples from out but this was the first time I entered into one and I must say this is one must visiting temple-the stunning architecture, carvings, colors, and paintings, will keep you mesmerized. Don’t miss the painting on the ceiling and do visit the first floor for the paintings. I also got to see Id Limbu (a variety of lemon) which is given as a pretty unusual offering.
A visit to a childhood picnic spot:
Further ahead on the same road is the famous Hanging Gardens or Pherozeshah Mehta Gardens built by Ulhas Ghapokar in 1881 over Mumbai’s main reservoirs. The late rainy season or winter would be an ideal time to see the gardens in full bloom but the rains have their own magic.
Bang opposite the Hanging Gardens is the Kamla Nehru Park. Also known as the Shoe park because of the Mhataricha boot (An old Lady’s Shoe). As a kid, my parents would take me to this place at least once a year and I have very fond memories of this place. But as we entered in, I loved the new look of the place. It’s made into a kid’s theme park with play zones, paintings, a mini-open mic area. You can get a glimpse of the Mumbai city from this park.
After visiting the park we walked towards the Tower of Silence where Parsi’s perform the last rituals of their near and dear ones.
Our entire walk ended with a Brunch at B. Merwans a must-visit place when in Grant Road.
