Trip to MUMBAI Location map of Mumbai History of Siddhivinayak Ancient History Famous spots

1. Trip to MUMBAI • Location map of Mumbai • History of Siddhivinayak • Ancient History • Famous spots • Culture • Food • How to reach there • My experience • Photographs NUPUR VIII ‘C’

2. History of Siddhivinayak The old temple was consecrated on Thursday, 19th November 1801. According to our Hindu Calendar it falls on Kartik Shudha Chaturdashi, Shake 1723 in “Durmukh Sanvatsar”. It's build-up area was 3.60mtr. x 3.60mtr. square. It was ground floor structure (see picture no.1). It had 450mm thick brick walls and old type dome, again of brick with a Kalash above. Around the dome, a parapet walls with grills was structure of the temple. The floor level of the temple and road level were also same. This temple is on the corner of Kakasaheb Gadgil Marg and S.K.Bole Marg in Prabhadevi, which is facing heavy vehicular traffic It was built by a professional contractor, Late Mr.Laxman Vithu Patil as per the financial support and instructions of Late Mrs.Deubai Patil, who was a rich lady of Agri Samaj from Matunga. Although she was rich enough, she had no child. The idea of the construction of the temple struck to Late Deubai during the prayer time, she humbly requested Lord Ganesh and said, “Although I cannot have a child, let other ladies who are childless get the pleasure of child on visiting the temple and praying you”. Looking at successful subsequent history of the temple, it appears like the Lord Ganesh nodded to this humble request and pious thoughts and deeds of Late Deubai Patil. It is, therefore, this Siddhivinayak is famous for it and known as “Navasacha Ganapati” or “Navasala Pavanara Ganapati” in Marathi (Ganapati bestows whenever humbly genuinely prayed a wish) among devotees. The idol of Shree Siddhivinayak was carved out of a single black stone and is 2'6” (750mm) high and 2' (600mm) wide with the trunk on the right. This is rather unusual appearance of Lord Ganesh. The upper right and left hands hold a lotus and an axe respectively while the lower right and left hands hold a rosary (japmala) and bowl full of “Modak” respectively. As it resembles the sacred thread, a snake appears on the left shoulder to right side belly. On the forehead of deity is an eye, which almost looks like the third eye of Lord Shiva. On both sides of the Lord Ganesh idol, are placed one idol each of Riddhi and Siddhi goddesses who are appearing like peeping out of the Ganesh idol from behind. Because of these two deities along with Lord Ganesh, this temple is known as the Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple. These goddesses signify sanctity, success, wealth and prosperity.

3. LOCATION MAP OF MUMBAI

4. Ancient history Around 125 years ago, Shri Akkalkot Swami Samarth's great disciple, Late Ramakrishna Jambhekar Maharaj, who was also ardent devotee of Lord Ganesh and Gayatri Mantra was blessed with Assyssinian ( Siddhi ). One day Swami Samarth asked Shri Jambhekar to bring divine idols. Out of the idols, except two idols, Swami Samarth told to bury in the front courtyard of the house of Swami Samarth's another disciple Shri Cholappa, where Swami Samarth used to temporarily reside. Shri Jambhekar was also told to inhume remaining two idols in front of Lord Ganesh that he usually worshipped. During his attendance with Swami Samarth, Shri Jambhekar foretold that a Mandaar tree would grow on the place after 21 years, Swayambhu ( Swayambhu ) Ganesh would appear on the sacred place. From that onward people's devotion would grow in leaps and beyond. After few years, Jambhekar Maharaj whose Math is near sea-shore at Dadar, Mumbai, asked Late Priest Govind Chintaman Phatak to look after, perform regular religious pooja etc. of Shree Siddhivinayak Temple. The predecessor of Priest Phatak, there was Late Namdev Kelkar performing priest-wood job in the temple. From the available information and records, the land of the temple complex was around 2550 sq.mtrs. There was a lake towards eastern and southern side of temple admeasuring approx. 30 x 40 sq.mtrs. This lake was built by Nardulla in early 19th century, to overcome the scarcity of the water, faced by the area. The lake was, later on, filled up, and now it is playground and a part of Kakasaheb Gadgil Marg. There was also a rest house, sought of Dharmashala and a pair of beautiful 3.6 in high, stone masonry “Deepmalas”. There was also a dwelling unit for the owner of this complex. In the earlier days when there were not many structures of residential and commercial type in its neighborhood area. The devotees in large numbers started visiting the temple only after 1952 and the long standing Q's were seen in 1965 onwards. Since the owner had divided the original plot and subleased it to different parties and naturally the space available around this old temple reduced and became quite small. After 1975, the number of devotees visiting the temple started growing by real sense of Geometrical Progression. It became difficult to enter the temple or even to have “Darshan” of Lord Ganesh, the devotees were finding it quite troublesome to enter through the two small doors

5. Images of siddhivinayak temple

6. At Siddhivinayak temple

7. Famous spots Mumbai , formerly called Bombay, is a sprawling, densely populated city on India’s west coast. It is undoubtedly the commercial capital of India and is one of the predominant port cities in the country. Its eclectic and cosmopolitan nature is epitomized by the presence of Bollywood within the city, the centre of the globally influential Hindi film and TV industry. I took a flight in June from Delhi and was excited to see the city that never sleeps. I stayed at my brother’s house, located on the 17th floor of a high-rise building, with a mesmerizing view of the whole city. The weather in Mumbai was a little warm during the day, but it got pleasant as evening drew closer. My three-day trip began the minute I landed at what is probably India’s most busy airport. my day began with treats from a variety of the famous street food in Mumbai, starting with Vada Pav and grilled sandwiches. First, we made our way to south Mumbai. We travelled on the beautiful and modern, Worli Sea Link. Our car shot through on the smooth straight roads, offering us a mesmerizing view of the sea to either side of us. Maine Drive On the WorliSea Link Once across the Sea Link, we were at Marine Drive, a 4.3-kilometre-long boulevard in South Mumbai. This natural bay is a 'C'-shaped six-lane concrete road along the coast. It looks like (and is often called) a Queen's Necklace, as the streetlights resemble a string of pearls in a necklace when viewed at night from an elevated spot anywhere along the drive. We stayed there until evening, munching on the roadside snacks.Gateway of India later ,we made our way to the Gateway of India, the most famous monument in Mumbai, which was built during the British rule. It was the place where the viceroys and governors used to land upon their arrival in India. The cold breeze, amazing view and beautiful scenery made our day. We also reserved a table at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel for dinner at the one of the most famous European restaurants. It offered a delicious fine dining menu and an exceptional wine cellar, ideal for special occasions and celebrations.AdlabsImagica ( Adventure park ) we visited the newly opened theme based adventure park, Adlabs Imagica, located 2-3 hours away on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. We spent a completely fun-filled day at the amusement park. It was based on different continents, with themes such as Viva Europe, Arabia, American, Indian and Jambo Africa. With various eateries throughout the park, we ate at the Red Bonnet American Diner. They served delicious American food that re-energised us enough for us to continue enjoying ourselves. I would recommend buying an express ticket to skip the long queues and save time with the water rides being the best of all the rides.

8. Juhu Beach Salimgarh Ride Early the next morning, we visited the famous JuhuBeach.Juhu is among the most affluent areas of the city and home to many Bollywood celebrities. The food court at the main entrance serves Mumbai style street food, notably bhelpuri, pani puri and sevpuri. We enjoyed ourselves at the beach for a few hours and came back home to get ready, then visiting the local market in Bandra for some street shopping, where I picked up some artificial jewellery for my mother and sister. Then we travelled towards Phoenix Mall, which was home to several high-end shopping outlets under one roof. Food court at the Juhu Beach Finally, we visited the Bandstand Promenade, where we saw the Mount Mary Church and walked down the kilometre long walkway along the sea in Bandra. The path featured about six statues of famous Bollywood actors as well as about 100 brass plates embossed with the handprints and signatures of other stars. The place was utterly peaceful, ending our holiday on a good note.

9. Culture Although The city has been known for its cosmopolitan nature, vibrancy and a lively spirit, Which is a result of people from different backgrounds, religions and regions contributing towards its development.Marathi is the Official language, is the most commonly spoken language. Festivals immersion of Ganesh idol on the occasion of Anant Chaturdashi Mumbai residents celebrate Western and Indian celebrations and festivals. Festivals and celebrations are observed by residents of all communities and religions. Diwali, Holi, Christmas, Navratri, Good Friday, Id, Dussera, Moharram, Ganesh Chaturthi, Durga Puja and Maha Shivratri are some of the festivals in the city. Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most major festivals, celebrated in the city with great ferver. This festival involves the placing of an idol of Lord Ganesha in the house for either 1½, 3,5,7 or 11 days after which it is immersed in the ocean after a colourful and noisy parade. This festival was started by Bal Gangadhar Tilak as a means of unifying all the people. This is primarily celebrated by Maharashtrians but almost all Mumbaikars participate in one way or another. Here all the festival are celebrated with great joy and happiness Mumbai hosts plays and cultural performances. Some of the theatres are Prithvi Theatre at Juhu, Dinanath Natyagruha at Vile Parle, Shanmukhananda Hall at Matunga, Prabhodankar Thackeray Theatre at Rang Sharda at Bandra and the theatres at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Nariman Point.

10. Food PavBhajiVadapav The metropolis has a roadside fast food consisting of Maharashtrian Pav Bhaji, Vada pavs, Dabeli, Panipuri, Bhelpuri, etc. South Indian and Chinese food is also popular in the city. Other cuisines in the city are Lebanese, Korean, Thai, Italian and Mexican. Other than Chinese and South Indian cuisines, Mughalai, Punjabi, Mālvani and Continental are also popular in Mumbai Mumbai has some of the oldest restaurants in India. Delhi Darbar, Sindhudurg, Highway Gomantak, Samrat, Vitthal Bhelwala, Mahesh Lunch Home, Kailas Parbat, Adarsh are some of the oldest restaurants in the city. Mumbai is popular for its roadside food stalls. But it also has a large number of swanky and high-end restaurants and pubs like Wasabi, Indigo, The Zodiac Grill, Aer, etc. It is possible to find cuisine from several countries although the most popular ones to be found here are Chinese, Thai, Mexican, Italian and American. Mumbai being the financial capital has a large number of migrant population. Members of the migrating families are working with no other family support, hence ordering food from close by restaurants or calling for pre-packaged meal (dabba as called locally) is an accepted thing. Owing to these recent trends there have been some online food ordering services that have cropped. Tea is the most popular beverage followed by coffee. There are tea stalls in almost all roads and corners. Other drinks include fruit juices and coconut water. Irani cafés are a part of Mumbai's cosmopolitan heritage.

11. How to reach there

12. MY Experience I visited Mumbai two years ago. There I visited many famous places like Gateway of India, SiddhiVinayakTemple ,Nariman Point etc .One of the famous place is Marine Drive. People usually walk there in the morning and evening to relax there for sometime. One day we got so tired of travelling that we decided to rest for sometime. We considered Marine Drive to be the best place for that purpose. In the evening we all sat at one place and enjoyed witnessing the sunset in the lap of the periodic waves of the sea. The cool breeze made us feel relaxed to such an extent that none of us wanted to leave , but that was not possible. Then we gobbled delicious vadapavs and slurped tempting Golas. But sadly we had to rush towards our vehicles because it was getting dark. It was such a memorable experience for me and I wish I get an opportunity to visit the place again.