Mumbadevi Temple is a renowned ancient temple dedicated to Goddess Mumbadevi. This beautiful temple is situated in the heart of Mumbai in Bhuleshwar, in the cotton and steel market. The present structure of the temple is believed to have been built in the 18th century. However, this temple is ancient.
The Koli (fishermen) and Agri Samaj (salt collectors) are the early inhabitants of Mumbai. They greatly respect and honour Goddess Mumbadevi and consider her as their guardian. Goddess Mumbadevi is recognised as ‘Goddess Shakti’ or the ‘Goddess of Power’. In fact, Mumbai derives its name from Goddess Mumbadevi. Therefore, this temple is truly an important religious place for the dwellers of Mumbai.
The word Mumba was derived from two words “Maha” and “Amba”, which means “great mother.”
Murli dhar Mandir is also situated in the premises. It is very difficult to note and acknowledge the architectural character of the temple because of the congested surrounding. In the most crowded places of Mumbai one has to carve out a way to reach this temple. Poor maintenance of the temple and clutter makes it difficult to connect to the goddess for seeking peace and tranquillity.
But the deep rooted faith and bhakti in the hearts of the devotees probably allows them to ignore the ambience. Seeking blessings and being blessed in an enriching experience for making our existence meaningful even in our day-to-day mad rush. Temples in the cities with deities within continue to offer this experience to us in spite of the treatment we give them. It is the wake up call to recognise the potential of our temples and to treat them the way they deserve to be treated.
