Banganga tank, Mumbai

Ban means arrow and Ganga is the ganges river. Banganga is believed to be an off shoot of the pure ganges river. The Tank was built in the 1127 AD, by Lakshman Prabhu, a minister in the court of Silhara dynasty kings of Thane.
The legend says that lord Rama was extremely thirsty and could not find water so he shot an arrow into the earth and water erupted forming this tank. Today, devotees immerse themselves into this tank to purify their souls. Every February the tank is cleaned and readied for” the Banganga festival”.

Where is Bangatank?
It is situated near the walkeshwar temple, Malabar hill. It has stone steps leading into the tank on all four sides.

How to reach Bangatank?

At the end of Walkeshwar Rd., take the lane just beyond Ghanshyamdas Sitaram Poddar Chowk. You can get off at Grant Road station (western line) and take a taxi towards Bangatank.

Vajreshwari temple, Mumbai

The Shree Vajreshwari Yogini Devi Mandir is a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Vajreshwari. It is located in Vajreshwari town, around 75km away from main Mumbai. The entire town was renamed Vajreshwari after this temple was constructed.

Where is Vajreshwari temple? How to reach?

The temple is located near the post office. The nearest railway station is Vasai. You can take a auto rickshaw to reach the temple.

Are there any temple festivals?

The temple celebrates Navratri in a big way, starting from the 1st day to the 9th day.

What is close to Vajreshwari temple?

There are around 21 hot springs around the temple that you can enjoy. Pilgrims who visit the temple have a holy bath in the springs.

Mumbadevi temple, Mumbai

Mumbadevi temple was originally built by koli fishermen. In the later years, the devotees raised a temple in her honor. In 1739, Mumba Devi temple was destroyed: temple was built again at Bhuleshwar, the present site in Mumbai. The temple doesn’t boast of intricate architecture, rather it is very simple. In the main shrine, the idol of Mumba Devi appears majestic clad in rich clothes with a silver crown, a nose stud and a golden necklace. The altar is always festooned with garlands of marigold flower. to the the left of Mumbadevi Goddess is a stone figure of Annapurna seated on a peacock. in front of the shrine is a tiger , the carrier of the Goddess.

The temple was built in honor of the Goddess Mumbadevi from whose name that the English word ‘Bombay’ is derived. The goddess personifies Mother Earth and is still worshiped by descendants of the Dravidian population of western and southern India.

As per the mythological legends, the temple was the outcome of attacks by Mumbarka. Mumbarka was a cruel giant who used to plunder the city for fun sake. Petrified by the attacks of Mumbarka, the city-dwellers kept their situation before Lord Brahma. It is said that Lord Brahma made a Goddess with eight arms, to slay the demon Mumbarka for the benefit of people. The Goddess slaughtered the demon and as a result, she came to be known as ‘Mumba’.

How to reach Mumbadevi temple?

You can get down at Charni Road station or Marine line station (western line). You can either walk towards the temple which is a 10 min walk or take a taxi.

What is famous next to Mumbadevi temple?

You can visit Crawford market or bhuleshwar market which are close to Mumbadevi temple.

Bhuleshwar temple, Mumbai

Bhuleshwar temple is one of the famous old temple in Mumbai. Bhuleshwar (derived from bholeshwar meaning- the pure one, very innocent is built on a black stone with an ornamental octagonal dome. It was built in 1708 by a wealthy and generous devotee from Prabhu community named Dadaji Laxajirao. This temple was redone in 1830.
The temple is covered with brass plate and has a red flag adorned with representations of the sun and the moon. The lingam at Bhuleshwar is said to have miraculously risen to its present position. The inner shrine also has Parvati maa and Ganesha’s idol.
The temple has a spacious expanse and shows prominent signs of Gujarati style of architecture in its design and construction. The temple also has a spacious conference hall where the devotees assemble for worship and darshan.

How to reach Bhuleshwar temple?

Get off at Marine lines station (western line) and take a taxi towards the temple. There are many buses that ply from the station towards the temple.

Surya narayan temple, Mumbai

The Surya Narayan temple is located in Surajwadi, Panjiapol Lane, Bhuleshwar. it was built in 1899. This temple is dedicated to the Sun God. The temple is made of white stone and there are two carved figures of Jay and Vijay at the enterance , the celestial gatekeepers. There is a large hall for the reading of the holy books (Puranas) and a number of galleries which are used by the sadhus and devotees.

At the entrance of the inner sanctuary which is made of marble, stands figures of Maruti, Ganesh and the ‘Apsaras’ or the celestial damsels. On stone pillars are sculpted the seven sages or the Sapta Rishis. In the inner sanctuary  seated on a one wheeled chariot is the Sun God. Flanked on either side of the Sun God is his two wives Prabha and Chahaya. The chariot is drawn by a horse with seven heads and the driver is the Sun Gods charioteer Aruna.

Where is Surya Narayan temple?

The temple is in bhuleshwar in south Mumbai. You can get off at Marine linesstation (western line) and take a taxi towards the temple.

Iskcon Temple, Juhu, Mumbai

Iskcon temple is also know as Hare Rama Hare Krishna mandir or the Iskon temple. Hare Krishna Land (ISKCON Juhu) is set upon four acres of prime land and a stone throw away from Juhu beach. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of ISKCON, inspired the construction of one of India’s most beautiful temple of Lord Krishna in Mumbai. It is a temple dedicated to Lord Krishna, where thousands of devotess come to seek peace.

Temple Timings:

4:30 am :  Mangala arati
5:15 am :  Tulsi-puja
7:15 am :  Sringar darshan
7:30 am :  Guru puja
8:00 am :  Bhagavatam discourse
12:30 pm: Raj Bhoga arati
4:30 pm :  Usthapana arati
7:00 pm :  Sandhya arati
7:30 pm :  Bhagavad-gita discourse
8:30 pm:   Shayana arati
Temple is closed at the following timing: 1:00 – 4:30 pm and 9 pm onwards

The temple also has a Guest house which can be used by visitors and by life members (patrons). The guesthouse has 76 rooms, which include single / double AC, NON AC rooms. The tariff is not very high and you could get a Double AC Room for Rs 3000/-. It is advisable that you book your room atleast a month in advance. You can call the following numbers to book yourroom. Tel +91 (22) 2620-6860 / 2620-0870 / 2620-2226

Life membership at Iskcon

You can become a life member of the Iskcon temple. Currently, the temple has more than 50,000 life members. For  more information on Life membership and its costs, you can call the office directly at the following numbers – 26200337 or 26206860.

How to reach Iskcon temple?

JVPD is the closest bus depot and you have trains running every 20 mins to Andheri station (which is on the western line). You can take an Auto rickshaw from Andheri station if buses are not available.

Whats close to Iskcon?

Juhu beach is very close to the temple, where you could take a walk, or eat at the many stalls after your temple visit.

Shree Siddhivinayak temple, Mumbai

Shree Siddhivinayak temple is dedicated to God Ganesha (Ganpati). Shree Ganesh (Ganpati) is the first to be worshipped before beginning any new project or venture as he is the destroyer of obstacles. This is Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple at Prabhadevi in Mumbai, a two-century-old Temple that fulfills the desires of the worshipers. This temple was first consecrated in November 1801.

What is this Temple famous for?

Since Mumbai has a huge following of Ganpati, lakhs of devotess visit this Temple daily. Tuesday is supposed to be Ganpati ji’s day and there are many Mumbaikars to start walking from their homes on Monday night to reach the Temple for the tuesday aarti. There are some who drive down to the Temple but there are many who prefer to walk, some even bare-foot. Some noted bollywood personalities have also walked from their homes to Shree Siddhivinayak Temple.

What are theAarti timings at Siddhivinayak temple?

Aarti timings on all days except Tuesday

• Kakad Aarti – The early morning prayer: at 5.30 am to 6.00 am
• Shree Darshan – morning at 6.00 am to afternoon 12.15 pm
• Naivedhya – afternoon at 12.15 pm to afternoon 12.30 pm
• Shree Darshan – afternoon at 12.30 pm. to evening 7.20 pm
• Aarti -Evening – The evening Prayer : 7.30 pm to 8.00 pm
• Shree Darshan – at 8.00 pm to 9.50 pm
• Shejaarti – The last Aarti of the day before bedtime : night 9.50 pm (The temple doors remain closed after shejaarti)

Aarti Timings on Tuesday

• Shree Darshan – The early morning darshan: 3.15 am to 4.45 am
• Kakad Aarti – The early morning prayer: 5.00 am to 5.30 am
• Shree Darshan – morning at 5.30 am to afternoon 12.15 pm
• Naivedhya – afternoon at 12.15 pm to afternoon 12.30 pm
• Shree Darshan – afternoon at 12.30 pm to night 8.45 pm
• Aarti – Night Prayer :Night at 9.30 pm to night 10.00 pm
• Shejaarti – The last Aarti of the day before bedtime : night 12.30 am (The temple doors remain closed after shejaarti)

How to reach Shree Siddhivinayak Temple?

You can alight at Dadar station (Western line) and take a taxi from there to the temple. You can tell the taxi driver to need to go to Siddhivinayak temple and he will take you there, with no questions asked. There are many buses that ply from the station too. The area that the temple falls under is known as ‘Prabhadevi’ area.

How can I book a Pooja online?

If you wish to book to do a Pooja online at the Shree Siddhivinayak Temple, you can do so at the official website of Siddhivinayak.

What can I do next to Siddhivinayak Temple?

You can visit Shivaji park, Dadar beach, Worli sea face after visiting the temple.

Mahalaxmi Temple

The Mahalaxmi Temple sits atop a long flight of steps on the edge of the Arabian Sea. It is devoted to Laxmi, the Goddess of Wealth, and Lady Lucre to millions of adoring Indians. Way back before the British era, there were three temples dedicated to Laxmi, Saraswati and Kali Maa north of Malabar hill which was totally destroyed by the invaders. Later the British chose to connect Malabar hill to worli via breach candy, but the tides swept in and destroyed several such attempts. At this time Goddess Laxmi appeared in Ramji Shivji’s dream who was the contractor and told him to remove the three statues from the seabed and establish them in a shrine.

Sprawling along Mumbai’s posh locale of Breach Candy northern foot of the malabar hills, Mahalaxmi temple was constructed on a creek to the North that separated the island of Mumbai from the Koli island of Worli. The creek was filled after the completion of the Hornby Vellard in 1784. And, the modern temple of Mahalaxmi came up at the site. Beyond the ornate gate is the shrine, which houses the goddess of Lucre – Laxmi.

Mahalaxmi temple is the sacred seat of three beautiful idols of Hindu goddesses, Mahalaksmi, Mahasaraswati and Mahakali, each molded in gold. All three images are adorned with nose rings, gold bangles and pearl neclaces and the image of Mahalaxmi is shown riding a tiger and a demon (Mahishasur) in tandem.

Navaratri is the festival when Mahalaxmi temple is extravagantly decorated and the devotees from across Maharashtra converge in great numbers, offering coconut, flowers and sweets to the goddesses. On the weekends too the queue to the temple grows exceptionally long.

How to reach Mahalaxmi temple?

Get off at Mahalaxmi station (western line) and take a taxi to the temple. There are many buses that ply from the station to the temple.

What is famous next to Mahalaxmi temple?

You can visit Heera Panna shopping centre, or Haji Ali darga. Atria Mall is about 5 mins away but worth a visit.