Mumbai Sri Babulnath Shiva Temple- Maharashtra

Address

Mumbai Sri Babulnath Shiva Temple- Babulnath Rd, Chowpatty, Mumbai, Maharashtra- 400004

Diety

Sri Babulnath Shiva Amman: Parvati

Introduction

Babulnath Temple is an ancient Shiva temple in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Situated on a small hillock near Girgaum Chowpatty, it is one of oldest temples in the city, Shiva in the form of the Lord of the Babul tree is the main deity in this temple. The faithful climb up to the temple and obtain Darshan of the shivling and obtain blessings of the Lord.

Puranic Significance

Babulnath Temple Shiva Linga and Idols were originally consecrated in the c by the then king Bhimdev of the region. Over a period of time the temple was buried and lost over a period of time. The idols were re-discovered (unearthed) during the period of 1700 to 1780. The first temple was built in the 1780 year. When rediscovered, 5 original idols were dug out. There are Shiva Linga, Ganesh, Hanuman, Parvati. A legend about Babulnath Temple is popular from about 300 years ago. Back then, the area used to be a pastoral land owned by a rich man named Pandurang. And a boy called Babul looked after his cows. One evening, a cow didn’t give any milk. So, Babul started keeping an eye on that cow in the fields. He found that it poured all the milk at a particular place in the evening. After following her for a few days, Babul reported this strange behaviour to Pandurang. Pandurang too followed the cow and then ordered digging at that place. A large Shivalinga surfaced as a result. And it is what we see as the Babulnath Temple Shivalinga today. Along with it, the idols of Lord Ganesha, Lord Hanuman and Goddess Parvati were also found during the excavation. A Gujarati merchant rebuilt the present temple in the year 1890. At that time, Babulnath Temple tower (gopuram) was the tallest structure in Mumbai.

Special Features

Babulnath Temple architecture, with its beautifully carved pillars, resembles the architectural style of temples. The walls of the temple are intricately carved from limestone, the designs of which delight a lot of devotees. The pillars and ceilings are decorated with stories and figurines from the mythology. Also, the marble flooring has been brought down from Rajasthan, which enhances the aesthetics of this temple.