Banganga :
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.
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