Sights · Our pick in Mumbai
Banganga and Malabar Hill: the back story
The back story
About Banganga and Malabar Hill: the back story
Below the mansions and towers of Malabar Hill lies one of Mumbai’s oldest places: Banganga Tank, a deep, stone-stepped pool inside the Walkeshwar Temple complex, fed by an underground spring and ringed by temples and ghats (BMC, Mumbai Legacy Project).
An arrow and a spring
The name tells the legend. In the Ramayana, Rama, searching for his abducted wife, reaches a shore with no fresh water and shoots an arrow (ban) into the earth; water as holy as the Ganga rises from below. Another version credits Parashuram, whose arrow is said to have come to rest here. The BMC’s heritage sheet tells both stories.
Eight centuries of steps
The tank is about 33 feet deep and built of cut stone. Its steps were given by the Silhara dynasty in 1127 as an offering to Shiva. After the temple was destroyed under Portuguese rule, it was rebuilt in 1715, and the tank became part of the new temple complex. In 1885–86 the stagnant water was cleared and replaced with fresh water piped from Vihar, the city’s first piped water scheme (BMC).
Legend says the spring rose where Rama’s arrow struck the ground.
A place of ritual
Banganga is still a place of pilgrimage. Families who cannot travel to Varanasi come here to perform rites for their dead, and people bathe on holy days such as Mahashivratri. Even the name Malabar Hill may come from the tank: an English visitor in 1673 wrote that “the Malabars visit it most” (BMC).
The Banganga Festival
Every January, over two days, the Banganga Festival brings Indian classical music to the ghats. It began in 1992 and is organised by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation with the Indian Heritage Society. A restoration of the tank began with a ceremony on 18 December 2023 (BMC).
Visiting
This is a working place of worship: dress modestly, take your shoes off where others do, and ask before photographing people at prayer. Combine it with the Hanging Gardens and the treetop Nature Trail at the top of the hill.
Our advice: come early in the morning, when the light is soft on the steps and the ghats are quiet.
Why it's on our list
- An arrow and a spring
- Eight centuries of steps
- A place of ritual
- The Banganga Festival
- Visiting
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Banganga and Malabar Hill: the back story before you go.
What’s nearby
Distances from Banganga and Malabar Hill: the back story are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 15 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.
Nearest stations
- GirgaonLine 33.1 km39 min walk
- Grant RoadLine 33.2 km40 min walk
- KalbadeviLine 33.5 km44 min walk
Key sights
- Marine Drive3.4 kmWalk 42 minCycle 13 minCar or taxi 15 min
- NCPA3.6 kmWalk 45 minCycle 14 minCar or taxi 16 min
- CSMT (UNESCO)4.4 kmCycle 18 minCar or taxi 18 min
- Haji Ali Dargah4.5 kmCycle 18 minCar or taxi 18 min
- CSMVS museum4.6 kmCycle 18 minCar or taxi 19 min
- Gateway of India5.0 kmCycle 20 minCar or taxi 20 min
- Bandra–Worli Sea Link7.9 kmCycle 31 minCar or taxi 29 min
- Jio World Centre (NMACC)15 kmCar or taxi 51 min
- Juhu Beach18 kmCar or taxi 58 min
- CSMIA airport (T2)19 kmCar or taxi 63 min
Main railway stations
- Churchgate3.7 kmCycle 15 minCar or taxi 16 min
- Mumbai Central3.8 kmCycle 15 minCar or taxi 16 min
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT)4.4 kmCycle 18 minCar or taxi 18 min
- Dadar9.7 kmCycle 39 minCar or taxi 34 min
- Bandra Terminus14 kmCar or taxi 47 min
- Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT)17 kmCar or taxi 57 min