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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