Introduction to the Precinct:
The Mahalakshmi Temple Precinct is located in Cumballa Hill along Bhulabhai Desai Rd, in Mahalaxmi, Mumbai. The closest station accessible to the precinct is the Mahalaxmi Station, of the Western Line. It is named after the famous temple with the same name. This precinct has two access roads connected to the main spine named Mahalakshmi Road which leads towards the temple. The other access road leads towards the residential zone of the precinct.
Mahalakshmi Temple Precinct Site Context
[Source: Author]
The location has strategic importance due to its proximity to the Railway station (1km) and the Highway – Bhulabhai Desai Marg.
Overview:
It is majorly composed of numerous Hindu temples and shrines, residential complexes and informal housing typologies along the seafront.
Mahalakshmi Temple Precinct – Temples & Shrines
[Source: Author]
The precinct is dotted with temples and shrines, with a ritual pathway threading through narrow streets and linking religious shrines like the Ganpati, Dhakleshwar Mahadev and Hanuman temples within walking distance. These streets are distinctly pedestrian abound with flower sellers, Prasad and garland shops along with other ancillary structures and residential buildings. Co-existing with these temple shrines is a valuable historic fabric of vernacular dwellings that represent some of the local building traditions in the city of Mumbai
The Temple:
The Mahalakshmi temple is an ancient Hindu religious shrine located in the precinct. The shrine is dedicated to Mahalakshmi, the Goddess of wealth. The image of the Goddess is accompanied by the images of Mahakali and Mahasaraswati, with Mahalakshmi placed in the center and depicted holding lotus flowers in her hands. The three idols are richly embellished with several precious ornaments like pearl necklaces, gold bangles and nose rings. These idols make for a magnificent sight and visitors are spellbound by the grandeur of these images. Devotees throng the temple for a glimpse of the deities and offer prayers to the feminine aspect of Hindu religious sentiments. There are several temples dedicated to Goddess Mahalakshmi in India, but this one in Mumbai is considered to be the more prominent one. The shrine is a popular place of worship not only for the residents of the city but also for tourists and pilgrims from all over the world.
The beauty of the temple, its mythological importance, its proximity to the seashore and its Dhwajastambha all combine to make the place a tourist attraction.
The temple itself is a major influence within the precinct. The railway station, nearby public school, national banks and many small shrines erected have the same name. Many temples nearby have associational value with the temple. Many shops around here are purely dedicated to selling accessories associated with religious rituals.
The accessway towards the famous Haji Ali Dargah is located on the North Eastern tip of the Precinct.
Orientation:
The temple precinct is situated beside the ocean. The temple offers a stunning view of the sea and visitors can enjoy the idyllic ambience prevailing in the surroundings. The temple complex is a hive of activity all through the day and especially during festivals, with several stalls within the compound selling flower garlands, coconuts, incense sticks and other Pooja items for the convenience of devotees.
View of the Temple from the Sea
History
Built around 1785, the history of this temple is supposedly connected with the building of the Hornby Vellard. It also has an anecdote attached to it.
Architecture
The architectural style of the temple is unique and based on a well-designed plan. The structural excellence is prominently visible in the façade and elevation of the building. Intricate designs abound aplenty in the interiors and exteriors, adding to the stunning beauty of the shrine. The luxuriously ornamented main doorway is a visual delight and welcomes visitors to the premises of this magnificent shrine. On the whole, the temple represents an example of Indian craftsmanship.
Mahalakshmi Temple
Comparatives with Other Sites
(Religious Structures)
There are a series of three temple under same trust located within the precinct, which adds to the cultural value of the site. These are:
1. Shree Dhakleshwar Mahadev Temple
2. Shree Tryambakeshwar Mahadev Temple &
2. Shree Siddheshwar Mahadev Temple
Shree Dhakleshwar Mahadev Temple
Shree Dhakleshwar Mahadev Temple is one of the oldest temples in Mumbai (Bombay). It was built in 1835. The idol of the temple is Shree Mahadev (Shiva). This temple is located within the precinct.
Shree Tryambakeshwar Mahadev Temple
Shri Tryambakeshwar Mahadev Mandir is a well-managed, clean, constructed with white sangamravari stone and situated just at the entrance to the Mahalakshmi temple road.
Haji Ali Dargah
The Haji Ali Dargah is a mosque and dargah or the monument of Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari located on an islet off the coast of Worli in the southern Mumbai. The entrance to the religious monument is located at the North Eastern tip of the precinct. Similar to the influence of the Mahalakshmi Temple on the precinct, the area near Haji Ali has commercial activities related to it.
Urban History and Development
The Hornby Vellard Project and its association with the Mahalakshmi Temple:
The Hornby Vellard was a project to build a causeway uniting all seven islands of Bombay into a single island with a deep natural harbour. The project was started by the governor William Hornby in 1782 and all islands were linked by 1838. The word vellard appears to be a local corruption of the Portuguese word vallado meaning fence or embankment
The purpose of this causeway was to block the Worli Creek and prevent the low-lying areas of Bombay from being flooded at high tide. The cost was estimated at ₹100,000. It was completed in 1784 and was one of the first major civil engineering projects that transformed the original seven islands of Bombay into one island.
The project was not entirely acceptable to the East India Company. However, the governor went ahead with it.
Initially, the water of the sea reached the present area of Byculla. So, travelling to Worli from Mumbai, was possible only with a boat. The British called the water that enters the sea, ‘The Great Breach’. Hornby decided to close the sea traffic and fill the creek. Soon, the work of building ‘Worli Bandh’ commenced. The contract for the construction of this was entrusted to a young engineer named Ramji Shivaji. The construction work began. The work of collecting and stone filling in the bay started. After some progress in the construction, the dam constructed by the sea water collapsed and the work re-started. This lasted for many months. Considering the construction technology of the earlier times, it was a difficult task. But both Ramji Shivaji and Hornby kept going.
Soon, Ramji envisioned Goddess Mahalaxmi in a dream and said, ‘I am at the bottom of the ocean with my sisters. Take me out and then your dam will be completed’ . Ramji believed in the vision and decided to narrate this to Hornby. Since the project began, any delay towards this would flood the coast. Since British EIC was against the project in the first place, Hornby proceeded to search for the Goddess statues without undertaking any permission from them.
Ramji Shivaji started working on this. Smaller boats were invited. The local fishermen’s help was sought. The nets were thrown into the sea. Finally, the three idols of Mahalakshmi, Mahasaraswati and Mahakali were found. Ramji requested a place for the establishment of the goddess. According to the order given by Hornby, the statue was temporarily placed there. Soon, the Worli dam was completed without any obstruction.
After completion of this work, Ramji obtained ground on the hillock as a gift from the English Ruler. He then constructed a Mahalakshmi Temple on the said on top of the hillock by spending Rs.80,000/-. As per the records available, this temple was constructed between 1761 A.D and 1771 A.D.
Process
Diorama of Breach Candy area of pre-Colonial islands of Bombay (right) and Worli (left). 5 marks the shrine of Mahalaxmi, Mahasaraswati, and Mahakali. What is now Breach Candy is largely sea.
Diorama of Breach Candy area of eighteenth-century Bombay, marking Mahalaxmi Temple (20) and showing the island of Bombay joining the island of Worli (24).
'Map of the Port and Island of Bombay with the Adjacent Island', 1724, naming the recently formed bay as 'the Breach'
‘Niebuhr's Map of Bombay', 1764, showing the sea-wall or 'Vellard', and the 'Breach battery'.
The Island of Bombay' by Captain Thomas Dickinson, 1812-16, shows the reclamation of land behind the sea wall or 'Vellard', and marking the Mahalaxmi Temple.
Spiritual Connect
The temple is believed to be the reason of Mumbai’s financial prosperity.
The temple precinct and the neighbouring areas of Breach Candy, Car Michael Road/ Altamount Road and Peddar Road are located in Cumbala Hill. Here lies the residences of India’s biggest businessmen promoting the country’s economy. The richest person in the country, Mr. Mukesh Ambani also lives here in the building named ‘Antilla’
1. Breach Candy
The origin of the name Breach Candy, first attested by 1828 is widely given as an Anglicisation of a supposedly Marathi name Burj-khāḍī ('the tower of the creek'). However, this interpretation is disputed. In seventeenth- to nineteenth-century English, breach had meanings including 'the breaking of waves on a coast', 'surf made by the sea breaking over rocks; broken water, breakers' and 'a break in a coast, a bay, harbour', and may in the context of Breach Candy even have been used to refer to a breakwater at the location. Thus, although the breach part of the name could be an Anglicisation of a local word, it could simply be an English word in its own right. Meanwhile, Candy may be an Anglicisation of Marathi khind ('mountain pass') or Kannada khindi ('a breach').
Bhulabhai Desai Road, also well known by the old name Warden Road (and the part at and near the swimming pool as Breach Candy), is a niche up-market residential and semi-commercial locality of South Mumbai.
Warden Road
The area has many famous landmarks beside its long and winding stretch, from the Breach Candy Hospital to the Amarsons and Tata Gardens and Lincoln House, the former location of the Consulate General of the United States, Mumbai. The elite Breach Candy Club in the neighbourhood features the country's largest India-shaped swimming pool. Just off Bhulabhai Desai Road is the women-only Sophia College.
Amarson's Garden
The 18th-century Mahalaxmi Temple, which honours the Hindu goddess of wealth and wisdom, is situated nearby on the edge of the sea. It is one of the most famous temples in Mumbai and attracts millions of devotees and tourists each year.
Geographically, this road curls around the Arabian Sea. Because of its picturesque location, real estate prices here are among the most expensive in the country
2. Altamount Road/ Carmichael Road - Billionaire’s Row
Altamount Road, also known as India's billionaire's row, is an affluent neighbourhood in the city. It consists of ultra-luxury residential skyscrapers, constructed or in development. The most influential towers are The Imperial, Lodha Altamount, Antilia and Raheja One Altamount present on this affluent street.
Lodha Altamount
On Altamount Road are the consulates of Indonesia (No. 19) and of South Africa (bungalow 20); on the connecting Carmichael Road are the Belgian, Chinese, and Japanese consulates. The road has been in the news in recent times because of the completed construction of the costliest home in the world, Antilia, a 27-storey mansion by the Indian industrialist, Mukesh Ambani. Recently it has been rated as the 10th most affluent street in the world. Altamount Road is a very affluent area and is also home to several industrialists. The Mafatlal complex is also located here, as well as the designer store 'Azaa'. Also, it is home to Lodha Altamount which created history in November 2015 by selling the most expensive apartment in the country.
Altamount Road
The road was officially renamed "S. K. Barodawalla Marg" in the 1990s, but residents, the city's taxi-drivers and others continue to refer to it by its former name. It has a large number of trees and heritage buildings, such as the official residence of the Chairman of the Bombay Port Trust, the residence of the Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai, the consulate residence of Japan, Belgium and formerly the United States, and the official residence of the General Manager of Western Railways. The residential bungalow of the Bombay Port Trust was originally made by George Wittet who also designed the Gateway of India and The Grand Hotel at Ballard Estate.
3. Peddar Road
Pedder Road is an arterial road passing through the affluent Cumballa Hill neighbourhood. The Road was renamed as Dr. Gopalrao Deshmukh Road after the first Mayor of Bombay.
Peddar Road, Archival Image
The road begins at the well-known intersection of Kemp’s Corner and extends down Cumballa Hill past the Mahalaxmi Temple to the Haji Ali intersection. The very first flyover built in Mumbai connected Hughes Road to Gopalrao Deshmukh Marg at Kemp's Corner. Since at least the early 20th century, it has been considered to be a posh residential area with some of the flats fetching a price of over Rs.10 crore as of 2006.
According to a Times of India article in 2006, in new constructions coming up on this road and nearby localities, transactions "routinely take place" at over 1,00,000 Rupees (2000 USD) per square foot.
Jindal House
Some of the famous landmarks in the area include Jaslok Hospital, Sophia College, Jindal House, Residence Quarters of the Income Tax Department, Russian Cultural Centre, Film Divisions of India and Antilia
Building Funding and Economics
Shri Mahalakshmi Temple is managed by a Trust called ‘Shri Mahalakshmi Temple Trust’. It is a Religious and Charitable trust.
Social Aspects
Festivals
Fridays are considered auspicious and many visit the shrine to worship the deity.
Navratri & Diwali are the special events that are celebrated at Shri Mahalakshmi Temple between March- April and between September- October and Diwali during October – November. During Navratra, the temple is decorated from the entrance to the gabhara. The entire temple's surroundings are decorated with various series of lights, flowers, garlands, etc. Special arrangements for keeping footwear of devotees, free of cost are made by the temple and the Pandals are erected on the footpath near Bhulabhai Desai road. During the Navratra festival, a special railing and arrangements are made in the temple Sabhamandap to facilitate proper darshan of Deities to every visitor. There is a heavy rush of visitors during the Laxipoojan of Diwali. The entire complex comes alive during festivals and the place is decked up during this period. Offerings of flowers, coconuts and sweets are made to the deity, with devotees forming long queues and waiting patiently to get a glimpse of the Goddess. A special aura pervades the temple and its vicinity during festivals and people come from far and wide to get the blessings of the Divine Mother.
Shops selling garlands and ritual items
[Source: Sanjay Makwana]
Garland Stalls
Detailing
On entering the temple compound one sees about 10.60 m high single wooden block covered with silver sheets Dhwajstambh (flagstaff) and also Deepmala (Row of Lights) carved in stone. Then on entering the Sabhamandap (Assembly Hall), one sees a Lion (covered with silver) fixed in the center of the Sabhamandap facing the deities. The area of the Sabhamandap facing the deities is approximately 12.10m * 9.10 m. There are 27 apex tops on the Sabhamandap. There are two wooden idols of Jay-Vijay covered with silver located on two sides of the main door of Gabhara (The inmost division of a temple; Sanctuary).
There are small idols of Shri Ganpati and Vithal Rukmini on two sides outside the Gabhara or the Sancto Sanatorium. The Gabhara is about 11m * 11m. On entering the Gabhara, the visitor first gets the darshan of the three Goddesses (ie Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati and on top of the Simhasan, sits Annapurna). The throne of the deities is beautifully carved and part of it is covered with carved silver sheets. The top, ie Kalash is about 15 m in height. On the main gate of the Gabhara is the ‘Shreeyantra’ / ‘Laxmi Yantra’
The entire Simhasan in the Gabhara is covered with beautifully carved silver sheets with elephants and peacocks on the front side pillars.
Urban Legend
As the story goes, the Hindus immersed the three idols of the Goddesses into the sea near Worli Creek to avoid the destruction of the idols by the Muslim invaders. Subsequently, during British Rule, Lord Hornby decided to connect the two islands viz. Worli-Malbar Hill Creek and the work was entrusted to Shri Ramji Shivji Prabhu, a Govt. Engineer who tried through his other engineers and technicians to link the two islands (creeks). They were not in a position to connect two islands by constructing two ways and could not complete the project on account of Sea – Waves.
One night Shri Mahalakshmi Goddess instructed him in a dream and asked him to take out all the idols which were in the creek of Worli and place them on top of the hillock. He did so. Accordingly, the team working on the construction of the connecting of Worli Creek and Malabar Hill Creek took out all three idols of the goddesses from Worli Creek. Then only he succeeded in connecting the said two creeks.
Who built the temple?
Many instances of the historical narratives suggest that an engineer/contractor named Ramji Shivaji Pathare constructed the temple in the 18th century after the completion of the Hornby Vellard Project.
However, the Temple Association itself suggests that a Hindu Merchant named Dhakji Dadaji built the temple in 1831. However, this narrative is devoid of the Hornby Vellard Project.
In both instances, the people associated with the construction of the temple belong to the Pathare Prabhu community.
Heritage Status
The Mahalakshmi Temple has a Grade III Heritage Status.
The Mahalakshmi Complex is designated as a heritage precinct due to its architectural/ archaeology value, unique streetscape and intrinsic quality of historic settlements dotted with traditional temple shrines. It has a unique ambience of vernacular and domestic architecture and temple forms. It has a picturesque street character and low-rise residential buildings along pedestrian thoroughfares, lined with flowers and sweets dealers
It was declared a heritage precinct under the 'Heritage Regulations for Greater Bombay, 1995.
Conservation & Upkeep
There are Urban Conservation Recommendations published by MMR Heritage Conservation Society in collaboration with the conservation architect Abha Narain Lambah for the management plan of the precinct.
Future Development
There is only one way of entering the temple premises and going out of the temple from the same route as the temple is surrounded by sea on all three sides.
The trustees have certain plans for the development of the entire temple complex for the convenience of the visitors for which funding is required.
Beautification of the Temple Precinct: including the road approaching the front side staircase of the temple is likely to be carried out soon. The proposal is still pending with the BMC.
Emergency Exit: The Temple Association sent out a proposal to the Govt to consider an additional way (exit) ie Skywalk for devotees from the seashore to BD Road near the Akruti Park Building. The proposal was sent out in consideration with the Navratri/ Diwali/ Margashirsh or at the time of festivals to avoid any mishap. The visitors can exit the temple premises with ease if and when needed.
Another plan is to provide a large platform in the sea area on the rear side of the Hanuman temple as a spillover space. This proposal is also still pending with the Govt.
Old Photographs of the Site
Mahalakshmi Temple, 1855
The oldest temple, Dhakleshwar Mahadev Mandir near Mahalakshmi Temple at Breach Candy, Bombay by Francis Frith (between 1850 & 1879)
Resources:
Books
1. Samuel T. Sheppard, Bombay Place-Names and Street-Names: An Excursion into the By-Ways of the History of Bombay City] (Bombay: The Times Press, 1917), pg. 77-78.
Documents
1. Mahalakshmi Temple Precinct Documentation and Urban Guidelines. Prepared by Abha Narain Lambah; Initiated by Shree Mahalakshmi Temple Charities and sponsored by MMR- Heritage Conservation Society, MMRDA.
2. A Conservation Manual for Mahalakshmi Temple Precinct by MMR - Heritage Conservation Society, MMRDA
Websites
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