Banganga Walk Coming Up
What: An organised tour of the sacred water tank, Banganga, followed by a local breakfast.
Where: Walkeshwar Temple, Malabar Hill
On: Sunday, January 12, 2020.
At: 8.30 am
Cost: Rs 500 per person
Note: Members are requested to sign up immediately as limited slots are available (for 16 persons only).
Legend states that Hindu god Ram paused here on his way from Ayodhya to Lanka in pursuit of the demon king, Ravana, who had kidnapped his wife, Sita. When advised to worship a Shiv lingam, Rama constructed the original lingam of sand, after getting tired of waiting for his brother, Lakshman, to bring an idol.
The name Walkeshwar etymologically derives from the Sanskrit word for an idol made of sand, Valuka Iswar, an avatar of Shiva. Lakshman Prabhu, a minister in the court of Silhara dynasty kings in Thane, built the Tank in the 1127 C.E. Rama Kamath donated money to the Walkeshwar temple to rebuild the tank in 1715 C.E.