| A sacred
tank surrounded by four hundred-year-old temples and
modern skyscrapers. Nowhere are Mumbai's paradoxes more
evident than at Banganga. Part of an ancient temple
complex, the water in this tank is believed to come from
the Holy Ganges. It sprung forth when Rama, the exiled
hero of the epic Ramayana stopped at the spot five
thousand years ago, in search of his kidnapped wife Sita.
Overcome with fatigue and thirst, he asked his brother
Laxman to bring him some water. Laxman instantly shot an
arrow into the ground, and water gushed forth from the
Ganga, over a thousand miles away. Although the story is
the stuff of legend, the tank has always been sacred. On
pious occasions, thousands turn up to take a ritual dip
in its mossy waters, and offer flowers at the ancient
Banganga Temples. |
