Banganga Tank is Mumbai's oldest surviving structure — a sacred water tank at the tip of Malabar Hill that predates the city itself, dating to approximately 1127 AD and associated with the legend of Lord Rama, who shot an arrow into the ground to create a freshwater spring during his journey to Lanka. The tank, surrounded by temples and the cremation ghats where Mumbai's Hindu dead are cremated, is one of the few places in the city where the pre-colonial, pre-British history of the island is physically present.
The tank sits incongruously in one of Mumbai's wealthiest neighbourhoods (Malabar Hill apartments cost millions of dollars), and the contrast between the ancient, religion-saturated tank and the luxury towers visible above provides one of Mumbai's most characteristic juxtapositions.
Verified Facts
Banganga Tank dates to approximately 1127 AD
It is associated with the legend of Lord Rama
The tank is located in the wealthy Malabar Hill neighbourhood
Banganga is Mumbai's oldest surviving structure
Get walking directions
Walkeshwar, Mumbai, 400006, India
