Visiting religious places gives you peace of mind and tranquility, more so if you are living a hectic city life. One such temple located in the busy city of Mumbai is the Babulnath Temple dedicated to Lord Babulnath (Lord Shiva). The temple’s marvelous architecture and carved interiors are worth seeing, as the temple gives an illusion of Mount Kailash. The entire ceiling and pillars of the Babulnath Temple are adorned with beautiful images from Hindu mythology. The temple was constructed in 1780. The temple is open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. throughout the week. The timings for Monday are from 4:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Story Behind Babulnath Temple
The Hindu king Raja Bhimdev in the 12th century placed the holy Shiva Linga and idols at the Babulnath Temple. These remained buried underground and were lost over a period of time. The temple was rediscovered in modern times, when the five original idols were dug out. Today the idols of Lord Shiva, Parvati, Ganesh and Hanuman are in the temple but the fifth idol was immersed in water because it was broken. As per legend, about 300 years back the place where Malabar hills are located today was a big pasture. Majority of the land in that area was owned by a rich goldsmith, Pandurang. He had many cows that were looked after by a cowherd Babul. In the herd there was one cow named Kapila. That cow used to give plenty of milk like other cows, due to the abundance of green grass. One evening, Pandurang saw that Kapila cow did not give even a single drop of milk. He asked his cowherd Babul and was shocked to hear the answer. Babul said that that was not the first time Kapila had not given milk; rather, it was a daily practice. According to him, the Kapila cow daily poured out her entire milk at one particular spot in the field. The next day Pandurang went himself to find out the truth and was amazed to see it happen. He asked his men to dig the place and found a Swayambhu, i.e, a self-existent Shivling carved in black stone. That place is now worshiped at the Babulnath Temple.
Location: The Babulnath temple is located at the end of the Marine Drive, just adjacent to the Girgaon/Girgaum Chowpatty. The Charni Road Station (West) is the nearest railway station, from where you can take a taxi or cab to reach the temple.
The temple is considered very unique and fascinating. Devotees here enjoy the lovely surroundings and the beautiful atmosphere. Visiting Babulnath temple early morning gives an immense peace of mind.
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