Banganga Tank (Mumbai)

India / Maharashtra / Mumbai
 tourist attraction, temple tank / pond
Banganga Tank is part of the Walkeshwar Temple Complex in the city of Bombay, India. It was built by the Silhara dynasty in the 12th century. The tank was rebuilt in 1715 out of a donation for the temple by Rama Kamath. The main temple, has been reconstructed since then and is at present a reinforced concrete structure of recent vintage.

The tank is fed by a spring, and every February the tank is cleaned and spruced up for the annual Banganga Hindustani classical music festival, a major cultural event in the city. An astonishing fact about the tank is that the waters of the tank is sweet despite the presence of the sea just a few decametres away.

Legend has it that it sprung 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. Overcome with fatigue and thirst, he asked his brother Laxman to bring him some water. Laxman instantly shot an arrow into the ground, and water gushed forth from a tributary of the Ganga, which flows over a thousand miles away.

The tank today is a rectangular pool structure surrounded by steps on all four sides. At the entrance are two pillars in which diyas or oil lamps used to be lit in ancient times. On the western flank of the tank is an ancient temple built of by the Silhara kings.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banganga_Tank
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   18°56'43"N   72°47'37"E

Comments

  • This is historical plsce in mumbai.
This article was last modified 10 years ago