Walkeshwar Temple

History

Maharashtra Tourism’s Mumbai City district narrative places Walkeshwar south of Chowpatty along the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose (Marine Drive) corridor.

The Banganga stepped tank and surrounding shrines form a compact pilgrimage quarter above the Arabian Sea.

Stories

Rama's Sand Linga and the Arrow

Tradition says that Rama paused on this spot while travelling from Ayodhya towards Lanka. Advised to worship Shiva, he is said to have shaped a linga from sand, and the name Walkeshwar is traced to valuka, the Sanskrit word for sand.

The legend adds that Rama was thirsty, and Lakshmana shot an arrow into the ground. Water gushed up, said to be the Ganga herself, which gave the tank its name Banganga, from bana (arrow) and Ganga.

Silhara Minister to Portuguese Ruin

Accounts say the temple and the tank were built in 1127 by Lakshman Prabhu, a minister at the court of the Silhara kings who ruled Thane and the islands of Mumbai. The Portuguese are said to have destroyed the temple in the 16th century.

It was rebuilt in 1715 with funds from the Mumbai businessman Rama Kamath. The main temple has since been reconstructed again and is now a recent concrete structure, while many smaller shrines grew up around the tank.

Sweet Water Beside the Sea

The Banganga tank is a rectangular pool with steps on all four sides, set only a few dozen metres from the Arabian Sea. It is spring-fed, so its water stays sweet despite the nearby salt water. In November, at Dev Diwali, crowds place lamps around the tank with bhajans and chanting.

Good to know

Banganga tank and Walkeshwar Shiva precinct

Malabar Hill heritage quarter — Maharashtra Tourism context

Near Raj Bhavan and Marine Drive

Getting there

Nearest airport: Mumbai (BOM). Walk from Malabar Hill / Walkeshwar bus stops; parking is limited on hill roads.