The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
It has been a hectic week, and I am so glad it is over! My computer had crashed, and then the internet did, and by the time they both got back, I have had loads of work piling on. Catching up with my posts has been a priority, so, in an attempt to at least complete one set of posts, here is the final in the Storming Sewri series....
The paved path leads us uphill, but the hill is scarcely
visible. All we can see are tiny tenements lining the path on either side. As
we climb further, the road (if I can call it that) gets narrower, and the
houses more colourful. It almost feels like we are in a village, not in the
middle of one of the busiest cities in the world.
We are on Golanji Hill in Sewri. At one time, this hill was
used as a firing range by the British soldiers, which earned it its name, from
the Marathi word for bullets – goli.
At that time, the view from this hill would have been gorgeous,
with the city stretching on one side, and the sea on the other. All around
would have been other tiny hillocks, each with their vantage views. Today, we
can barely make out any hillocks. The skyline is dominated by concrete.....
each structure competing with the others to touch the sky. As to the sea, we
have to strain to catch a glimpse of it. All we can see are broken tiles on the
tenement roofs – a stark contrast to the modern towers.
Turning into a tiny, almost-invisible alley, we find ourselves
right at the top – a bare patch of land, once the summit of the hill, now used
as a playing field. A group of boys are busy playing cricket, and they stop to
watch us. Evidently, outsiders like us are rare in this close knit community of
the hill.
I wonder why this patch has been left alone, instead of being
encroached by hutments like the rest of the hill. It takes me a while to
realise that what has kept this patch bare are in fact, two huge electricity towers
or transmission towers – right at the top of the hill. It turns out that these
electric towers, or rather the original ones, were among the earliest to be
installed in this city, bringing current over from the mainland, to light up
this tiny island. Here is yet another nugget of history, which lies forgotten
beneath the fast moving pace of the city.
I think I have seen it all, and yet, as we continue our walk,
the surprises mount. We forget that we are in the middle of a crowded city. The
old styled houses with their Tulsi plants take me back to another era.
We are
reminded that this was once part of ‘Parel village’,
and here, in an unimposing
structure, is what we have come to see.
It looks like a temple, but isn’t. Its simply a room, with a
collapsible door, which is bolted tight. At first, I can barely make out what
is inside.
The board outside tells me that its one of the oldest, and biggest
monoliths of Shiva in Mumbai....
but I cannot see any details till I walk inside a
tiny gate, and peer through the collapsible doors. And here is what I see –
This is the ‘Parel Shiva Heptad’ – a monolithic statue of Shiva,
with seven faces, believed to date back to the 5th or 6th
century AD. The image was found when the area was dug for road construction in
1931. While scholars wanted to display it in the Prince of Wales Museum, the
locals refused to part with it. The museum eventually got a replica, and the
image was installed in a shrine near where it was found. It is believed to represent
Maheshamurthi – the full manifestation of Shiva.
There are a total of 11 figures in all – a central figure from
whom 6 others emerge. Together, the seven represent Shiva in all his forms. At the
bottom are 4 kneeling figures, representing the Ganas, his devotees, playing
various musical instruments. Interestingly,
though there are 11 figures, the image is locally called ‘Baradevi’ (12 goddesses).
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| A nearby temple where the image was originally placed after discovery. |
We turn back at last, having finished our quest for the day. As
we pass yet another hillock covered with hutments, I learn that this is the
Sewri water reservoir. Yet another bit of history I have been ignorant about. Heading
back home, I can’t put the trip behind, and tell everyone I meet about what I have
seen.
Weeks have now passed, but as I sit and write this post, I am
still consumed by the sense of wonder I felt at discovering the hidden bits of
history at Sewri. And I cant help but wonder - what
other secrets lurk beneath the surface of this city? Will I ever learn it all?
And now, having finally finished with the Storming Sewri series, a
hearty ‘Thank you’ to the wonderful people at Travel-Logs, for introducing me
to a part of the city I never knew existed.
For more details about the Parel Shiva Heptad, check out
these links.
have missed the other parts of your post --but this one is so interesting and with such lovely pics that will try and catch up with the others too
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Rajni! I would love to read what you think of the other posts in the series...
Deletebeautiful pictures. loved the description.
ReplyDeleteThat barred gate with flowers on it is a strangely lovely picture. Thoroughly enjoyed your narration.
ReplyDeleteGreat recount of the visit.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting write up with lovely photos. I enjoyed this excellent post. Best wishes,Joseph
ReplyDeleteNice post with lovely shots!
ReplyDeletehttp://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in/2013/04/talakona-waterfalls-hidden-secret.html
Many thanks Anu. The Shiva is really unique. I would not have known about this but for this post of yours.
ReplyDeleteFor those who say, Bombay has no history should read posts like yours. I love to keep reminding them that Bombay's history stretches back to a good 3000 years back and yes, it is difficult to imagine that history hidden away behind today's modern avatar
ReplyDeleteThere are five gana figures at the bottom with three on the left and two on the right hand side as one sees it from the front. There are six images of Shiva above the main one in the centre and hence it is called the Shiva Heptad. Nice to read your article here.
ReplyDeleteLovely pics and description of the area, I have been born and brought up. In fact our familiarity was more with the Sewri naka where we lived and the surrounding area to the eAST OF Golanji Hills, esp market, mill area on Tokarsi Jeevraj Road, Labour camp area on Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, and the timber yard and mudflats of sewri around the old fort to the east of station.
ReplyDeleteI actually discovered your site while searching for directions to the Parel Heptad. I came across someone elses image today on Insta and then read more details on IGNCA's website, then started hunting for real directions from someone who's actually been there! Yours pics and apt descriptions give a good idea about finding the Baradevi temple in Parel gaon. Did you go from Elphinstone Rd? Cant wait to see this beautiful ancient relief.
ReplyDelete