Banganga Tank is located on the western fringes of Malabar Hill, close to Raj Bhawan. The neighborhood around Banganga Tank is the oldest continuously inhabited region in Bombay, a site of great spiritual significance to Hindus. For centuries, the Walkeshwar Temple and the now destroyed Shri Gundi stone at Malabar Point gave sanctity to the hill from a very early age and remains a site where devotees still throng.
Banganga Tank has several legends associated with it, and they have diverse origins. With the passage of time, memories of local incidents have been intertwined with these origin myths. One such prevailing story is how the original lingam at Walkeshwar Temple was lost to the sea to avoid desecration by mlecchas (referring to Muslim and Christian rule under the Gujarat Sultanate and the Portuguese). Based on this belief, on the day of Mahashivratri, the Koli fishing community venture out to sea to offer prayers to the vanished lingam.
The Mahalaxmi Temple, marked by its framed torana (marble arch), is the newest temple in the precinct of Banganga Tank. It was built on the site of a shrine at the base of a peepal tree located in the northeast corner of the tank. It was built in 1973, by members of the Shrimali Brahmin community from Rajasthan. The temple has been refurbished in 2021.
Entrance to the garbagriha at Vyankatesh Balaji Temple. The doorway has niches on either side. On the left is Lord Hanuman, wearing a crown, armed with a bow and arrow, and praying with folded hands. On the right is Lord Ganesha, also wearing a crown. Both idols, and that of Lord Balaji in the garbagriha, are made of marble quarried from Rajasthan.
The sabha mandap at Vyankatesh Balaji temple has sophisticated woodwork and pradakshina corridor around the garbagriha. The use of timber columns and arched panels reflects architecture from the Peshwa period. The present temple was constructed in 1781 by a devotee named Diveshankar, on the site of an older Koli temple.
The Vyankatesh Balaji Temple has an amalgamation of various styles that were popular in the Deccan during the eighteenth century. For example, the domed roof, use of multi-foil arches, double-layered foliated band running around the exterior of the dome, are typical of Islamic architecture. On the other hand, the use of the Mangalore-tiled hip roof, wooden sabha mandap, musicians on the domed roof, and deepastambha are elements taken from Hindu temples of the Konkan and Maharashtra regions.
The Vyankatesh Balaji Temple has a marble Garuda in a kneeling posture, offering fruit with both hands. However, this image is slightly different from the usual Garuda iconography which is more ferocious. Unlike here, Garuda is usually depicted with a pair of wings and a beaked bird-like nose. Here the Garuda is adorned by Nagas. They coil around the arms, on the waist, and around the ankles. Instead of fighting Garuda, their mortal enemy, the Nagas appear to be paying homage to Lord Balaji in unison.
A common feature at all the temples and even private homes in Maharashtra is the presence of a Ganesha figure at the top of the entrance or doorway. Lord Ganesha is venerated as the remover of obstacles, and his presence is considered auspicious and a harbinger of good luck.
The Jagannath Mahadev Temple has one of the two naubatkhanas at Walkeshwar, the other being at Vyankatesh Balaji Temple. The naubatkhana is built over the arched gateway, though now the space is used for residential purposes by the current occupants of the temple, many of whom live as tenants. The arched gateway open to the street and is entered through a carved wooden door which opens to the inner courtyard.
The location of Banganga Tank and Walkeshwar is at the foot of the western face of Malabar Hill, on breaking point of the Arabian Sea. The stone paved Jabreshwar Gali is one of two alleys leading to Banganga Tank from Walkeshwar Road running along the ridge of Malabar Hill. The most prominent temple in Jabreshwar gali is the eponymous Jabreshwar Temple, built in the 1840s by Nathuram Ramdas, father of a leading Bombay merchant, Sir Mangaldas Nathubhai.