Banganga Tank

From New World Encyclopedia
Revision as of 22:00, 13 June 2008 by Dan Davies (talk | contribs)

Banganga or Banganga Tank is an ancient [1] water tank which is part of the Walkeshwar Temple Complex in Malabar Hill area of Mumbai in India.

The Banganga Tank during the 'Banganga Festival'.

Walkeshwar Temple

Ancient statues around BaanGanga, Walkeshwar.

Walkeshwar Temple, also known as the Baan Ganga Temple, is a temple dedicated to the Hindu god, Shiva located on Malabar Hill neighborhood, in South Mumbai precinct of the city of Mumbai, India.

Legend

Legend has it that Hindu god, Ram paused at that spot on his way from Ayodhya to Lanka in pursuit of the demon king, Ravana who had kidnapped his wife, Sita. Then Lord Rama was advised to worship Shiv lingham and he is said to have constructed the original lingam of sand, after getting tired of waiting for his brother, Lakshman to bring an idol. The name is etymologically derived from the Sanskrit word for an idol made of sand - Valuka Iswar, an avatar of Shiva.

As the story progresses, later when Ram was thirsty, as there was no fresh water readily available (except sea water), he shot an arrow and brought Ganga over here. Hence Bana (arrow in Sanskrit) Ganga. The water that feeds the tank stems from an underground spring at that spot, despite the proximity to the sea.

History

Kashi Math, Walkeshwar.

The temple and the attached fresh water Banganga Tank were built in 1127 C.E. by Lakshman Prabhu, a Gaud Saraswat Brahmin minister in the court of Silhara dynasty Kings who ruled Thane, and the islands of Mumbai during 810 to 1240 C.E. The temple was destroyed by the Portuguese during their reign over Mumbai (Portuguese Bom Bahia) in the 16th century. It was rebuilt due to the generosity of Mumbai businessman and philanthropist, Rama Kamath, another Gaud Saraswat Brahmin (known in British records as 'Kamati') in 1715. The main temple has been substantially reconstructed and many smaller temples have come up around the Banganga tank.

Worship

The temple is generally busy every month only during the full moon, and at Amavasya (new moon). In the past it was a favorite of the Malabar pirates who used to frequent the islands during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Gowd saraswat Brahmin Jatiche Devalaya Shree valukeshwar

It is currently the site of an annual Hindustani classical music festival, which in 2005 featured musicians like classical singers Rajan and Sajan Mishra, and Santoor maestro Shivkumar Sharma.

A branch of the Shri Kashi Math, a famous religious seat of Gaud Saraswat Brahmins, is located on the western bank of the tank.

Commons-logo.svg
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Banganga Tank

Mythology

According to local legend, it sprang forth when the Hindu god Ram, the exiled hero of the epic Ramayana, stopped at the spot five thousand years ago in search of his kidnapped wife Sita.

As the legend goes, overcome with fatigue and thirst, Rama asked his brother Laxman to bring him some water. Laxman instantly shot an arrow into the ground, and water gushed forth from the ground, creating a tributary of the Ganges, which flows over a thousand miles away, hence its name, Banganga, the 'Ganga' created out on a 'Baan' (Arrow)[2].

The Banganga also houses the 'Shri Kashi Math' of the Goud Saraswat Brahmins at its banks and samadhis of their various past heads of the Math [3].

The area also has a Hindu cremation ground [4] which after 2003, received a makeover to house a Gas crematorium [5].

The area still has an old Hindu cemetery consisting of samadhi shrines of various Advaita gurus, such as Sri Ranjit Maharaj (1913-2000) and his guru Sri Siddarameshwar Maharaj (1888-1936) [6] [7].

History

The Tank was built in the 1127 C.E., by Lakshman Prabhu, a minister in the court of Silhara dynasty kings in Thane [8]. The tank was rebuilt in 1715 C.E., out of a donation for the Walkeshwar temple by Rama Kamath [9]. The main temple, has been reconstructed since then and is at present a reinforced concrete structure of recent construction.

Contemporary

The tank today is a rectangular pool structure surrounded by steps on all four sides. At the entrance are two pillars in which oil lamps called diyas were lit in ancient times.

Banganga Tank

The tank is spring fed and so its water remains sweet, despite being located only a few dozen meters away from the sea. It is cleaned and spruced up each year, for the annual 'Banganga Festival', of Music organised by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), which takes place here in every January [10], and now has become an important event in the cultural calendar of the city [11]. Apart from being a cultural hub, the place over the years has provided inspiration to many a artists, be it on film or on canvas [12]. Earlier the site was used for many film shoots, which was banned in November 2007, to protect this heritage site, which is also one of Mumbai's oldest surviving structures [13].

Notes

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Mallya, K.G. The Merchant Of Bombay. Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

External links


Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.