Haji Ali Dargah is one of the most popular religious places in Mumbai, visited by people of all religions alike. Haji Ali Dargah is one of India’s most famous and prestigious landmarks situated about 500 meters from the Mumbai shoreline in the middle of the Arabian Sea off Lala Lajpat Rai Marg. The accessibility to the Dargah is very much dependent on the tides. As, the causeway is not bound by railings, when the causeway gets submerged during high tide it becomes inaccessible. Therefore, the dargah is accessible only during low tide. This walk on the causeway, with the sea on both sides, is one of the highlights of a trip to the shrine.
The four hundred year old Dargah structure has corroded, due to constant erosion, saline winds and constant flow of 80,000 people per week. The structural upgradation of the Dargah started in October 2008. The Dargah will be beautified with first and second quality white marble, which will be brought from Makrana, Rajasthan, the same place from where marble for the Taj Mahal was brought.
The structure has white domes and minarets reminiscent with the Mughal architecture of the period. The Dargah is a renowned pilgrimage site among the Muslims. Non-Muslims are also allowed to visit the Dargah. The white-coloured structure attracts visitors in large numbers. About 10 – 15 thousand people visit the Dargah daily.
Shree Mahalakshmi Temple
Shree Mahalakshmi Temple is located at the North of the Malabar Hill on Bhulabhai Desai Road, Mumbai. The beauty of the temple, its mythological importance & its proximity to the seashore, all combine together to make the place a wonderful tourist attraction, as well. This temple is dedicated to the three deities Shree Mahakali or Durga (Destroyer of Demon), Shree Mahalakshmi (Goddesses of Wealth) and Shree Mahasaraswati (Goddesses of Learning).
A Hindu merchant built the temple in 1831. During Navaratri celebrations, devotees from distant places throng to the temple, which is decorated for this occasion, to pay obeisance. They have to stand for hours in long queues holding coconuts, flowers and sweets, which they offer to the goddess.
Mahalakshmi Complex is designated as a heritage precinct due to its architectural/archeology value, unique streetscape and intrinsic quality of historic settlements dotted with traditional temple shrines. It has unique ambience of vernacular domestic architecture and temple forms with a picturesque street character with low rise residential buildings along pedestrian thoroughfares, lined with flowers and sweets – dealers.
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