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Conservationists restore temple |
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Ashutosh Shukla |
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At the south-west end of the Banganga Tank in Walkeshwar lies a small Ganesha Temple. Juxtaposed with the tank, which has mythical significance dating back to the Ramayana times, the 150-year-old temple is all set to get a fresh but not new look by beginning of next week to show off its ancient glory.
Walkeshwars devotional hub is undergoing a change that promises to be a throwback to over a century back, thanks to the restoration work being undertaken with the support of locals and heritage conservationists.
Built under the concept of ghar dehasars (temples built for family worshippers), the work on them was undertaken after some conservationists decided to preserve the heritage precinct. There are around eight of them near the tank. The first one, Rameshwar Temple, was restored in November 2005. The work on the Ganesh Temple started in November 2007.
On hearing that Banganga Tank was to be filled to make way for highrise, a group of citizens wanting to conserve citys heritage organised the first Banganga Festival in 1992. Since then, we have worked hard to raise funds and convince people to help us restore the heritage precinct, said Anita Garware, resident of Malabar Hill and chairperson of Indian Heritage Society-Mumbai. The architect is Rahul Chemburkar.
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