Mumbai

Pilgrimages

[ Malabar Hill | Cave temples in and around Bombay | Haji Ali Dargah ]

Malabar Hill
Malabar Hill is a small hillock in southern Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India, and is the location of the Walkeshwar Temple, founded by the Silhara kings. The temple was destroyed by the Portuguese, but rebuilt again in 1715 by Rama Kamath. At a height of 50 metres (80 feet), this is the highest point in downtown Mumbai.

The Banganga Tank, attached to the temple, is the oldest standing structure in Mumbai. Hindu mythology has it that Lord Rama, on his way to Sri Lanka to rescue his kidnapped wife, Sita, felt thirsty and stopped at the location of the Banganga Tank and shot an arrow into the ground. A water fountain erupted and Rama quenched his thirst. It is believed that the very same hole in the ground still fills the Banganga tank till today. A Jain temple dedicated to Adinath, the first Jain Tirthankara, and the ParsiTower of Silence is two other religious structures in this district. Malabar Hill has three of the best parks in Bombay namely Hanging Gardens, Kamala Nehru Park, and Priyadarshini Park. Some of the poshest people come to walk in these parks in the evening especially in Priyadarshini Park, which is adjacent to the Arabian Sea.

The Malabar Hill district is a upmarket area of downtown Mumbai, and is home to several business tycoons, corporate high rollers and film personalities. The official residence of the Chief Minister of Maharashtra (Varsha) is located here. The Hanging Gardens of Mumbai and Kamala Nehru Park are located in this area. A unhindered view of Back Bay, with the Girgaum Chowpatti beach in the foreground, and the Nariman Point skyline in the background are one of the reasons for the sky-rocketing real-estate prices in this district (Rs. 20000+, or US$ 444+ per square foot).

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Cave Temples in and around Bombay
General information is available in the section on caves in the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) pages.
Elephanta caves contain marvelous high-relief sculptures from the first century AD, and can be reached in about an hour and a half by boat from Bombay. Tourism details can be found in the MTDC writeup.

The Kanheri caves in the Borivili National Park are the remains of old Buddhist cave temples.

Karla Caves containing Chaityas from the second century BC, are about 114 kms from Bombay. There are two other complexes of caves close by.

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Elephanta Caves
The Elephanta Caves are the focal point of the Elephanta Island, located in the Mumbai harbour off the coast of Mumbai, (Bombay) India. In 1987 the caves were designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It is visited by hundreds of domestic and foreign tourists. In recent years complaints have been made that visitors mistreat this important cultural and historic site.

The caves are thought to date back to the Silhara kings of the 9th through 13th centuries (810-1260). Some of the sculptures of this site are also attributed to the imperial Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta (in present day Karnataka), the Trimurti of Elephanta showing faces of Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheswar embodied as one being one among them. This was also the royal insignia of the Rashtrakutas. Other Rashtrakuta sclptures here are the reliefs of Nataraja and Sadashiva and the splendid sculptures of Ardhanarishvara. About the Trimurti, historian Grousset points out, "The three countenances of the One Being are here harmonized without a trace of effort. There are few material representations of the divine principle at once as powerful and as well balanced as this in the art of the whole world".

The site of these magnificent caves contained beautiful reliefs, sculptures, and a temple to the Hindu god Siva. The caves are hewn from solid rock.

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Haji Ali Dargah

Entrance to the dargah
The Haji Ali Dargah is a mosque and tomb located on an islet off the coast of Worli in Mumbai. Lying as it does in the heart of the city, the dargah is one of the most recognized landmarks of Mumbai.

History
The dargah was built in 1431 by a wealthy Muslim merchant and saint named Haji Ali who renounced all his wordly possessions before making a pilgrimage to Mecca. Legend has it that Haji Ali died on his way to Mecca and his body, in its casket, floated back to Mumbai. However, some believe that Haji Ali drowned at the place where the dargah stands today.

As many as 40,000 pilgrims visit the shrine on Thursdays and Fridays. Non-Muslims are also permitted to walk on the causeway and into the mosque compound. The only area out of bounds for non-Muslims is the sanctum sanctorum of the mosque itself.

The structure
The dargah is built on a tiny islet located 500 yards from the coast, in the middle of Worli Bay, in the vicinity of Worli. The islet is linked to the city precinct of Mahalakshmi by a narrow causeway. This causeway is not bound by railings, and is lashed by the sea during high tide. Therefore, the dargah is only accessible only during low tide. This 500-yard-walk on the causeway, with the sea on both sides, is one of the highlights of a trip to the shrine.

The dargah
The whitewashed structure occupies an area of 4,500 metres, and an 85-foot (26 m) tower is the architectural highlight of the edifice. The tomb within the mosque is covered by a brocaded red and green chaddar (bedsheet). An exquisite silver frame supports it. The main hall has marble pillars embellished with coloured mirror work: blue, green, yellow chips. The ninety-nine names of Allah are also written on the pillars.

Most of the structure is corroded due to saline winds blowing from the surrounding sea. It was last repaired in the 1960s, but civil engineers say the structure is beyond further repair. The Dargah Trust is awaiting permission to raze the structure and rebuild it with Makrana marble, the same marble used to build the Taj Mahal. Permission must be obtained from the Central Government as the shrine lies within the Coastal Regulation Zone.

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