On a wonderful Sunday morning, we met at a place owned by Gowd Saraswat Brahmins. Yes, the Banganga area is still owned by GSB Temple trust. Like the place, this fact too, is not so well known. Banganga lake is a beautiful place near Malabar hill in south Mumbai. The lake is a wonder in itself for having sweet water being considerably close to the sea. The lake at the centre is surrounded by many temples and residential places. The area is a house to two of our maths, the Kashi Math and Kavle Math.
All the temples in the area are unique in their own ways. The kalash or the dome of the temple, the colour, the carvings and shape of the domes. While the Venkatesh Balaji mandir displayed a simple white and saffron look, the Jagannath Mahadev mandir was colourful. Shree Rameshwar temple portrayed elegance in carvings, while Shree Parshuram mandir showcased simplicity in solidity. Each unique in it's own perspective and yet marvelous.
Temples, in the early days, were noted for intricate and beautiful carvings. Without machinery, very basic tools and very high skills, these works are worth preserving. With minute details to symmetric accuracy, every curve is admirably sculpted in heavy stones. One idol of Shree Parvati was placed under a tree. Bearing all the sun and rain, every detail of her face was still clear and very perfectly carved. Shree Parshuram temple also has the idol surrounded by a deck of minute and amazing carvings.
The Walkeshwar temple is considerably less prominent. Owned by the GSB Temple trust, this temple seems to be currently managed by the Gujaratis around the temple. The temple showcases a rare mixture of GSB-Gujrati combination. While it displays banners of GSB maths, it has most transcripts in Gujarathi.
Though the Walkeshwar mandir is owned by GSBs, we hardly visit it. The area owned by GSB Temple trust is barely habitated by GSBs. With the space crunch around, there have been quite a few encroachments, to the extent that even temples have not been spared. It's truly said "Value of anything is realized when we least have it". We have a wonderfully rich heritage; sadly it is not valued enough. Along with the heritage, we are also loosing ground on our culture.
It is time for us to come together and re-build the culture and heritage for our coming generations. We look forward to you joining us and building up this GSB network. For those who missed out so far, still have a chance. For details, write to us at mahagsb@googlegroups.com
Temples, in the early days, were noted for intricate and beautiful carvings. Without machinery, very basic tools and very high skills, these works are worth preserving. With minute details to symmetric accuracy, every curve is admirably sculpted in heavy stones. One idol of Shree Parvati was placed under a tree. Bearing all the sun and rain, every detail of her face was still clear and very perfectly carved. Shree Parshuram temple also has the idol surrounded by a deck of minute and amazing carvings.
The Walkeshwar temple is considerably less prominent. Owned by the GSB Temple trust, this temple seems to be currently managed by the Gujaratis around the temple. The temple showcases a rare mixture of GSB-Gujrati combination. While it displays banners of GSB maths, it has most transcripts in Gujarathi.
Though the Walkeshwar mandir is owned by GSBs, we hardly visit it. The area owned by GSB Temple trust is barely habitated by GSBs. With the space crunch around, there have been quite a few encroachments, to the extent that even temples have not been spared. It's truly said "Value of anything is realized when we least have it". We have a wonderfully rich heritage; sadly it is not valued enough. Along with the heritage, we are also loosing ground on our culture.
It is time for us to come together and re-build the culture and heritage for our coming generations. We look forward to you joining us and building up this GSB network. For those who missed out so far, still have a chance. For details, write to us at mahagsb@googlegroups.com
