Banganga Tank

Legend has it that Lord Ram (of the Hindu epic Ramayana), tired while searching for his kidnapped wife Sita, asked his brother Lakshman to bring him some water. Lakshman then shot an arrow (baan) into the ground, causing a tributary of the Ganga to spring forth – and thus created what today’s known as Banganga Tank.

The tank’s a stark contrast to the high-rise glamour and frenetic pace of South Mumbai, the neighbourhood it’s located in. Built in 1127 AD by Lakshman Prabhu, a minister in the court of the Silhara kings of Thane, it continues to be an essential node in the city’s spiritual lifeline, with hundreds of devotees still performing rituals there and taking holy dips on its ghats. The layout, with the surrounding temples, only accentuates the rippling water in the tank. 

The air here is usually thick with the aroma of incense, the sound of temple bells, and the chanting of priests. The colourful old houses and murals on the narrow lanes, owned and managed largely by the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin Temple Trust, serve as a living, chaotic scrapbook for the city’s enduring traditions.