Fromthe jam packed opulence of the Siddhivinayak Temple to
the serene,melodious halls of Sai Dham to the bustling devotion of the
BabulnathTemple, Mumbai has it all. But have you ever heard of a temple
thatonly opens once a year? Believe it or not, but this is exactly the casewith
the Dattatreya Temple situated in Grant Road, next to the BhartiyaVidya 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 pujari 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
Sachinhas received lot of requests from the public and various institutionsfor
keeping the temple open all year round, but he does not want to doso for the
fear of having all kinds of bogus beggars and sadhushaunting the place. Also,
he does not want the place to be polluted andoccupied by everybody eventually
falling into disrepair like so many ofour Mumbai temples. There are a lot of
people, who eagerly wait forDatta 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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