हिंदीOn this day
Standing

Babulnath Temple, Mumbai

A Shiva temple on the hillock above Girgaum Chowpatty, named for the babul tree under which the linga was found. Its tall spire was once among the highest points of the city.

Built: Linga rediscovered in 1780; present temple late 19th centuryWhere: Maharashtra (Mumbai, Girgaum)Deity: Bhagwan Shiva as Babulnath, lord of the babul tree18.96° N, 72.81° E
  1. 1780
  2. Late 19th century
Photo: Pradeep717 · CC BY-SA 4.0

01The herdsman and the babul

The slope of Malabar Hill was once grazing land, and the temple’s account remembers a cowherd named Babul whose cow gave its milk at one spot under a babul tree. In 1780, digging there, people found a Shiva linga with other murtis of Ganesh, Hanuman and Parvati, held to be the remains of an older temple buried long before. The linga was installed where it was found, and Shiva here took the name of the tree. The present temple, with its steep climb of steps and its tall spire, dates from the late 19th century, built with gifts from the city’s Gujarati and Marwari merchants.

02Shravan Mondays

On Mondays of Shravan and on Mahashivratri the steps fill from dawn with people carrying milk, water and bilva leaves. A lift now helps the elderly, but most still climb. From the top the old view over the bay at Chowpatty, where Ganesh murtis are immersed at the end of Ganeshotsav, is still there between the towers.

The life of this place

  1. 1780The linga and other murtis are found under the babul tree.
  2. Late 19th centuryThe present temple with its tall spire is built.
Visiting

At the north end of Girgaum Chowpatty; Grant Road and Charni Road stations are close by.

Nearby

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Mahalakshmi Temple, Mumbai

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Mumba Devi Temple, Bhuleshwar

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Shri Siddhivinayak Temple, Prabhadevi

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