>From the jam packed opulence of the Siddhivinayak Temple to the serene,
>melodious halls of Sai Dham to the bustling devotion of the Babulnath Temple,
>Mumbai has it all. But have you ever heard of a temple that only opens once a
>year? Believe it or not, but this is exactly the case with the Dattatreya
>Temple situated in Grant Road, next to the Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan.
Humble Beginnings
Lord Dattatreya is a three headed divine entity comprising of Brahma – The
Creator, Vishnu – The Sustainer and Mahesh – The Destroyer; predominantly
worshipped in Maharashtra. The Dattatreya Temple was built in 1898 by one
Shantaram Narayan Dabholkar as a private sanctuary for his family. The
110-year-old legacy has been passed down the Dabholkar family to its present
heir – Sachin Dabholkar, grandson of Shantaram Narayan Dabholkar. Sachin has
been looking after the upkeep and efficient management of the temple for over
30 years.
But what is the reason for it opening its doors to the public only once a year?
“My grandfather intended it to be a worship room for our family members. But,
even during those days, he opened the doors to the public only on Datta
Jayanti. We have followed the same tradition till this date,” says Sachin. He
adds, “In most homes, there is a dedicated corner or a temple room for the
deities, but not many build such a temple solely for their family and that too
on such a grand scale.”
The Architecture
The exterior of the temple is a beautifully carved white building made of
Porbunder marble. The inside and outside flooring is tiled with Italian marble
and intricately carved wooden doors made of original Burma teak adorn the
temple. The Devara (main shrine), where the idol is placed, is nine and a half
feet high, made of Italian grey marble specially shipped all the way from
Italy. The temple was considered to be included in the Heritage list; it also
won a Heritage award in 2002 for the best restored religious building.
Financial Management
Running a temple requires time and funds, so how does the family manage? “My
grandfather set aside Rs two lakh in the 1930s in his will for the upkeep, but
now I have been running the temple at on my expenses, investing and saving on
the principal account. It roughly amounts to half a lakh per year for the day
to day activities,” informs Sachin.
Daily Rituals
Every morning a poojari comes around 6am to clean the temple, perform the daily
puja, abhishek and the aarti. This whole process usually takes about an hour,
after which he leaves, locking up the mandir behind him. The Dhabolkar family
visits the temple for darshan and solace every day without fail.
Present Scenario
Sachin has received lot of requests from the public and various institutions
for keeping the temple open all year round, but he does not want to do so for
the fear of having all kinds of bogus beggars and sadhus haunting the place.
Also, he does not want the place to be polluted and occupied by everybody
eventually falling into disrepair like so many of our Mumbai temples. There are
a lot of people, who eagerly wait for Datta Jayanti every year so that they get
a chance to visit the temple.
“Late ML Dahanukar, a pioneer of Maharashtra sugar, used to come every year on
Datta Jayanti and now the tradition is carried forward by his family. In fact,
last year we had over 500 hundred visitors in one day,” adds Sachin.
Imagine a temple like this in the crazy hustle-bustlle of town, and we aren’t
even aware of it. So this year, on Datta Jayanti, do check out this elusive and
majestic temple.
Fact File
The Dattatreya Temple is situated in Grant Road, next to the Bhartiya
Vidya Bhavan
It opens on Datta Jayanti – a Hindu festival celebrated to commemorate
the day of the birth of Lord Datta
This festival is celebrated on the full moon day in the Hindu month of
Margashirsha, which usually falls during mid December
This year Datta Jayanti will take place on December 12
The Temple is open from 8am to 7pm
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