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The Banganga Tank is a temple tank which is part of the Hindu Walkeshwar Temple complex in the Malabar Hill area of the city of Mumbai, India.
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The Banganga Tank is a temple tank which is part of the Hindu Walkeshwar Temple complex in the Malabar Hill area of the city of Mumbai, India.
The tank was built in AD 1127 by Lakshman Prabhu, a minister in the court of Silhara kings of Thane. [1] [2]
It was rebuilt in 1715, funded by a donation from Rama Kamath. [3] The main temple has since been reconstructed and is now a reinforced concrete structure of recent construction.
According to local legend, the temple sprang forth when Rama, the exiled hero of the epic Ramayana , stopped at the spot in search of his kidnapped wife, Sita.
As the legend goes, overcome with fatigue and thirst, Rama asked his brother Lakshmana to bring him some water. Lakshmana 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, ie the Ganga created by a baan (arrow). [4]
The Banganga also houses the Shri Kashi Math and Shri Kaivalya/Kavale Math of the Goud Saraswat Brahmins on its banks, including samadhis of the maths ’ past heads. [5]
The area also has a Hindu cremation ground [6] which after 2003 received a makeover to house a gas crematorium. [7]
The area still has an old Hindu cemetery consisting of samadhi shrines of various advaitin gurus, such as Siddharameshwar Maharaj (1888–1936) and his disciple, Ranjit Maharaj (1913–2000),Nisaragdatta Maharaj(1897-1981), Bhainath Maharaj ( [8] [9]
The tank today is a rectangular pool structure surrounded by steps on all four sides. At the entrance are two pillars in which diyas (oil lamps) were lit in ancient times.
The tank, as well as the main Walkeshwar Temple and the Parshuram Temple, belong to the Goud Saraswat Temple Trust, which once owned most of the property in the complex. Many Goud Saraswat Brahmin families (Rege, Anaokar, Mulgaonkar, Kenkre, Sakhardande, Sukthankar, Keni, Marudkar, Naik, Wartikar, Warerkar, Bidikar, Bhende, Prabhawalkar, Pagnis) still reside in the Temple Trust buildings in the complex.
The tank is spring-fed; thus its water remains sweet, despite being located only a few dozen meters away from the sea.
Apart from being a cultural hub, the place over the years has provided inspiration to many artists, be it on film or on canvas.[ citation needed ]
Malabar Hill is a hillock and upmarket residential neighbourhood in South Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Malabar Hill is one of the most exclusive residential areas in Mumbai. It is home to several business tycoons and film personalities. Notable residents include Adi Godrej, Radhakishan Damani, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Cyrus Broacha, Ashish Pandey the Birla family, Shashi Ruia and family, Pallonji Mistry, the Jindal family, the Petit family, the Bhavya Samir Shah family, the Aagam Ashish Sanghvi family, the Bilakhia family, and the Thakkar family. It is one of the most expensive areas in the world regularly featuring in the top 10 world wide localities.
Washim (Vatsagulma) is a city and a Municipal Council in Washim district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Washim is the district headquarters of Washim district.
Walkeshwar Temple, also known as the Baan Ganga Temple, is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Walkeshwar, near Malabar Hill neighbourhood, in South Mumbai precinct of the city of Mumbai, India. It is situated at the highest point of the city, and close to the temple lies the Banganga Tank.
Gajanan Maharaj was an Indian Hindu guru, saint and mystic. His origins remain uncertain. He first appeared at Shegaon, a village in Buldhana district, Maharashtra, as a young man aged 30, probably on 23 February 1878. He attained Sanjeevana Samadhi on September 8, 1910, which is thought to be a process of voluntary withdrawal from one's physical body. This date of his Samadhi is commemorated every year as part of the Shree Punyatithi Utsav. The date of his first appearance is considered an auspicious day and is celebrated as Prakat Din Sohla.
Shirali is a village in Bhatkal taluk of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka. Shirali is home to two prominent temples: the Chitrapur Math and the Maha Ganapathi Mahammaya Temple. The Chitrapur Math is the holiest temple of the Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin community, and the Maha Ganapathi Mahammaya temple is the Kuladev to the Kamaths, Bhats, Puraniks, Prabhus, Joishys, Mallyas, Kudvas and Nayak families from the Goud Saraswat Brahmin community.
Shri Manguesh temple is hindu temple, located at Mangeshi Village in Priol, Ponda taluk, Goa. It is at a distance of 1 km from Mardol close to Nagueshi, 21 km from Panaji the capital of Goa, and 26 km from Margao. Shree Mangueshi is the Kuldeva of Saraswat Brahmins and other gotras. Shrimad Swamiji of Shri Kavale Math is Spiritual chief Of Shri Manguesh Saunsthan, Mangueshi. This temple is one of the largest and most frequently visited temples in Goa.
Walkeshwar is an affluent area in South Mumbai, India, at the north-western end of the Marine Drive loop. It has a large Gujarati population. It is mostly known for Walkeshwar Temple, Banganga Tank and Jain temples.
Kashi Math is a matha (monastery) and a spiritual organisation followed by the Madhva section of Gaud Saraswat Brahmins, who are also referred as Madhwa Saraswat Brahmins or Vaishnava Saraswat Brahmins. It dates back to the 16th century. With its headquarters in Brahma Ghat, Varanasi. Kashi Math has followers all over the Konkan belt, prominently in Mumbai, Goa, Udupi, Mangalore, Kochi and other parts of Karnataka and Kerala.
The Ramnathi temple is located in Ramnathim, Bandivade in Goa. Goud Saraswat Brahmins (G.S.B) community, Daivadnya Brahmin and vaishyas are primary worshippers. Similar to other Goan Brahmin temples, Ramnathi too incorporates the system of Panchayatan, therefore, this temple houses 5 main deities namely - Shri Ramnath, Shanteri, Kamakshi, Laxmi Narayan, Ganapati, Betal and Kalbhairav, along with other family purushas.
Shri Chitrapur Math is the central math for the Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin sect. It has been located at Shirali in the Bhatkal Taluk in the North Kanara district of Karnataka since 1757. The other maths of the community are located in Gokarna, Karla, Mangalore and Mallapur. All of the maths have the insignia of the saffron flag.
Shri Shantadurga Temple is a hindu temple, belonging to the Goud Saraswat Brahman Samaj located 30 km (19 mi) from Panaji at the foothill of Kavalem village in Ponda Taluka, Goa, India. Shrimad Swamiji of Shri Kavale Math is spiritual head Of Shree Shantadurga Saunsthan, Kavale.
Lakshman Prabhu was a minister in the court of the Silhara dynasty that ruled the islands that today constitute the Indian city of Mumbai. He was Gaud Saraswat Brahmin. He is known for overseeing the construction of the famous Walkeshwar Temple and the adjoining Banganga Tank in 1127 AD. The temple, later destroyed by the Portuguese, was rebuilt in 1711 in the South Mumbai precincts of Mumbai city by the financial help of another Gaud Saraswat Brahmin,Rama Kamat.
Shri Gokarna Math or Partagali Math is the first Gaud Saraswat Mathas of the Dvaita order, a system established by Jagadguru Madhvacharya in the 13th century AD. This matha also called Partagali Jivottama and is headquartered in Partagali, a small town in South Goa, on the banks of the river Kushavati.
The Chitrapur Guru Parampara or Guru Heritage of the Chitrāpur Sāraswat Brahmins is the lineage of spiritual teachers (gurus), also known as Mathadhipatis who have led the community throughout its history.
Swami Shankarāshram II was the fourth head guru or Mathādhipati of the Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin community. He reigned from 1770 to 1785.
Shrikshetra Nagzari is a village in Shegaon tehsil of Buldhana district, Maharashtra State, India.
Shri Gaudapadacharya Math, also known as Kavaḷē maṭha, located in Kavale, Ponda, Goa, is the oldest matha of the Smarthan Saraswat Brahman Samaj. It was founded by Gauḍapāda around 740 AD, whose student was Govinda Bhagavatpada, the guru of Adi Shankara, a highly influential figure in Hinduism. There is also a belief that Gauḍapāda himself established the Shri Gaudapadacharya matha when he lived in Gomantak (Goa). Thus, the matha came to be known as Shri Saunstan Gaudapadacharya matha. Unlike other mathas, Shri Gaudapadacharya matha is not a polemical center established to influence the faith of all Hindus, its jurisdiction is limited to only Dakshinatya Saraswat Brahmins. The Peetadhipathi "head monk" is Śrī Gauḍapadācārya. Smartist Goud Saraswat Brahman Samaj and Rajapur Saraswat Brahmin are its main disciples.
The Sri Laxmi Venkatesh Temple is foremost temple of Gowda Saraswatha Brahmins in and around Kanhangad.
Shri Katyayani Baneshwar Temple ,(Sanskrit:श्री क़ात्यायनी बाणेश्व् र मन्दिर), or the Aversa Hindu Narayani is a Hindu temple in the coastal town of Aversa near Ankola, in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka. It is around 100 km (62 mi) from Goa, India, 500 km (310 mi) from Bangalore and 136 km from Hubli.
The Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Temple is the foremost temple of Gowda Saraswatha Brahmins in and around Thalassery.
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