শ্রী মুম্বাদেবী মন্দির, ভুলেশ্বর, মুম্বাই

Today at this temple

Quick facts

Primary deity

Devi

Tradition

shakta

Year founded

1737

Founder

MUMBADEVI is the traditional PATRON-GODDESS of the KOLI FISHING COMMUNITY (the original inhabitants of the 7 islands of Mumbai before British-colonial-urbanization) and is the NAMESAKE-GODDESS from whom the city of MUMBAI DERIVES ITS NAME ("Mumba" = the Devi + "Aai" = mother in Marathi = "Mumbai" or "Bombay" as the British corrupted-it). The ORIGINAL mumbadevi temple existed on the BORI BUNDER area (site of modern Chhatrapati-Shivaji-Maharaj-Terminus railway station) since pre-historic Koli-fishing-village times. The temple was DEMOLISHED in 1737 by the British EAST INDIA COMPANY during the Bombay-Fort-expansion project (the East India Company needed the strategic-coastal-land for fort-construction). Following the demolition, the KOLI-COMMUNITY LED BY PANDURANG SHUNGA BHANDARI RELOCATED and RE-CONSECRATED Mumbadevi at the current site in BHULESHWAR neighborhood in 1737. The 1737 relocated-temple structure has been-periodically-renovated, with major reconstruction in 1761 by the Khedekar family, and further expansions in 1933 and continuing modernization in 20th-21st centuries. The temple is the official-namesake-goddess-shrine of Mumbai-metropolis; the "MUMBA-AAI" ("Mumba-Mother") etymology is celebrated in Mumbai-civic-heritage

Managing trust

Shri Mumbadevi Temple Trust, Bhuleshwar, Mumbai — hereditary-trust under traditional-Gujarati-Koli-Maharashtrian-community management with Maharashtra state endowment oversight

Daily footfall

8,000-15,000 daily

Photography

outside_only

Non-Hindu policy

all_welcome

Dress code

Traditional or modest attire. Red and orange auspicious (Mumbadevi colors). No shorts. Footwear removed at Mahadwara. No leather in sanctum. Photography outside sanctum only. The Bhuleshwar-neighborhood is congested — plan-for-busy-street-walking-to-reach-the-temple.

Accessibility

♿ 👴

VIP darshan

—

Typical visit

45–120 min

Sthala Purana — the story

The Mumbadevi sthala-purana is a LIVING-TRADITIONAL-NARRATIVE integrating pre-colonial Koli-village-deity-worship, the foundational-Mumbai-etymology tradition, and the 18th-century dramatic-relocation-narrative. CORE NARRATIVE: MUMBADEVI is traditionally considered the AUTOCHTHONOUS (land-native) DEVI of the 7 ISLANDS OF MUMBAI — present-in-the-land-from-pre-historic times before-any-colonial-urbanization. The Devi's primary-devotional-community is the KOLI FISHING CASTE — one of Maharashtra's ancient-indigenous-fishing-communities with origins-potentially-dating-2,000+-years. Per Koli-community oral-tradition, Mumbadevi manifested-at-the-Bori-Bunder-Mumba-Bunder coastal-area as their Kuldevi (family-goddess) and primary-protectress; her name was the source-of-the-region's-name ("Mumba-Aai" = "Mumba-Mother"); the 7-islands and the surrounding-waters were-all her-domain. The ETYMOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: the city's-very-NAME "MUMBAI" derives from "MUMBA-AAI" (Marathi for "Mumba-Mother"). The British-phonetic-corruption yielded "BOMBAY" used-during-colonial-era. In 1995, the Maharashtra-state-government OFFICIALLY-RESTORED the original "Mumbai" as the city-name, aligning-with-the-Koli-Maharashtra-etymological-tradition. This civic-recognition makes Mumbadevi unique-among-Mumbai-shrines: she is LITERALLY-THE-GODDESS-FROM-WHOM-MUMBAI-DERIVES-ITS-NAME. The 1737 TEMPLE-DEMOLITION-AND-RELOCATION NARRATIVE: the ORIGINAL Mumbadevi temple existed-since-pre-historic-times at the Bori-Bunder/Mumba-Bunder area. In 1737 CE, the British-East-India-Company DEMOLISHED the temple as part of the Bombay-Fort-expansion-project. The Koli-community's spiritual-leader PANDURANG SHUNGA BHANDARI led an urgent-relocation-effort: the Mumbadevi-murti was reverently-removed, transported-through-the-streets of early-colonial-Mumbai, and re-consecrated at the current BHULESHWAR neighborhood in a hurriedly-constructed new-temple. This relocation-event represents the Koli-community's DEFIANT CONTINUITY of their Kuldevi-worship despite British-imperial-displacement; the spiritual-and-community-bond between the Devi and the Koli-people remained unbroken. Subsequent 1761 Khedekar-family-reconstruction and 1933 major-expansion established the current-temple-structure. In modern-times, the Koli-community-Kuldevi-role has-expanded to include broader-pan-Mumbai Hindu-devotional-engagement with the shrine — making Mumbadevi simultaneously the KOLI-TRIBAL-KULDEVI and the MUMBAI-CIVIC-IDENTITY-GODDESS. The KOLI-NARALI-PURNIMA festival (Shravan Purnima, August) — the Koli-community-new-year-sea-worship-day — is a particularly-significant annual-observance at the Mumbadevi Temple: Koli-fishermen-families from-across-Mumbai-coastal-areas gather for community-worship, seaward-voyage-blessings, sacred-coconut-offerings to the sea, and Kuldevi-devotional-rituals. Modern Mumbai-civic-tourism has-increasingly-recognized Mumbadevi as a foundational-civic-heritage-site; pan-Mumbai-heritage-walks, Mumbai-history-literature, and visiting-guidebooks feature the temple as part of understanding-the-city's-very-identity.

References: Devi Mahatmya / Durga Saptashati 700-verse Devi-narrative, 13 chapters · Lalita Sahasranama 1000 names of Lalita-Tripurasundari · Traditional Koli-community oral-tradition and Pandurang Shunga Bhandari-lineage records 18th-century 1737 relocation narrative · Mumbai-civic-historical archives and East India Company records 18th-19th-century colonial-documentation · Mumbadevi-Aarti (Traditional Marathi-Gujarati Koli-community aarti) Traditional aarti-song

Darshan & aartis

Plan your visit

Gallery & media

Deity & iconography

Architecture & art

Shri Mumbadevi Temple (approximately 20m × 15m compound) is intentionally-MODEST-IN-SCALE — preserving the village-shrine-character of its pre-colonial-Koli-community-origin. The current structure primarily-dates to 1761 Khedekar-family-reconstruction with 1933 major-expansion and 20th-21st-century ongoing-modernization. Located in the DENSE BHULESHWAR-BAZAAR HERITAGE-COMMERCIAL neighborhood of central-south Mumbai. PRIMARY ELEMENTS: (1) NARROW-STREET-ENTRANCE — from the Bhuleshwar-bazaar lanes; specific-entrance requires-navigation-through narrow-colonial-era-streets; the temple is-not-obvious-from-the-main-road; (2) OUTER COURTYARD — small compact area for pilgrim-gathering; (3) SABHA-MANDAPA — modest-scale assembly-hall; (4) CENTRAL SANCTUM — houses the distinctive-Mumbadevi orange-painted black-stone-murti approximately 66 cm (26 inches) tall; silver-plated sanctum-doors; elaborate-daily-shringar with red-orange silk-drapery, gold-crown, silver-nose-ring, red-hibiscus garlands; (5) SUBSIDIARY SHRINES — NAGRAJ (serpent-deity), HANUMAN, GANESHA — modest-scale subsidiary-shrines; (6) BHOG-DISTRIBUTION area; (7) OFFICE AND TRUST-ADMINISTRATIVE AREA. Materials: STONE AND MASONRY (1737-1761 original); LIME-MORTAR traditional-construction; GOLD-PLATED KALASHA (modest-scale); SILVER-PLATED sanctum-doors; MAKRANA MARBLE interior-accents (20th-century renovations); TRADITIONAL BRASS oil-lamps. Modest 10m shikhara. CONTEXT: the Bhuleshwar-neighborhood is one of Mumbai's MOST HERITAGE-DENSE COMMERCIAL AREAS: within-a-500m-radius are MULTIPLE-GUJARATI-JAIN TEMPLES, the BHULESHWAR-SHIVA-TEMPLE (gives-the-neighborhood-its-name), extensive-bazaar-trade for textiles-jewelry-utensils, Parsi-establishments, traditional-Maharashtrian-community-institutions. The narrow-colonial-era-streets-and-compact-urban-fabric preserve-18th-19th-century Mumbai-urban-character in an intense-concentrated-form. Visiting-Mumbadevi traditionally-involves experiencing-this-heritage-neighborhood-walk; Mumbai heritage-walks often-include Mumbadevi as a key-stop. Transport: WESTERN-RAILWAY CHURCHGATE (2 km SE) and CST/CHHATRAPATI-SHIVAJI-MAHARAJ-TERMINUS (2 km E) both-within-walking-or-short-auto distance — notably, CST is at the FORMER LOCATION of the original-Mumbadevi-temple before-1737-demolition, a historical-irony and civic-memory-point. Multiple-BEST-bus-routes serve the Bhuleshwar area. Mumbai Metro Line 3 phased-opening 2024-2027 will add further-access.

Style

Small intimate 18th-century Mumbai-Hindu-revival shrine with periodic-renovations. Compound approximately 20m × 15m in the DENSE BHULESHWAR-BAZAAR-AREA of central-south Mumbai — a congested-heritage-commercial-neighborhood with narrow-colonial-era-streets, Gujarati-Jain-temples, Maharashtrian-community-establishments, and extensive-bazaar-trade. The temple is INTENTIONALLY-MODEST-IN-SCALE reflecting the Koli-community-origin and pre-colonial-village-shrine-character. The current 1737-relocated-structure has been periodically-renovated: 1761 Khedekar-family-reconstruction, 1933 major-expansion, 20th-21st-century ongoing-modernization. Layout: (1) NARROW-STREET-ENTRANCE from the Bhuleshwar-bazaar lanes; (2) small outer-courtyard; (3) SABHA-MANDAPA — modest-scale; (4) CENTRAL SANCTUM housing the distinctive-Mumbadevi-orange-painted-black-stone-murti; (5) SUBSIDIARY-SHRINES for Nagraj, Hanuman, Ganesha. The temple's SMALL-INTIMATE CHARACTER is part of its charm — in-contrast with the much-larger Mahalakshmi or Siddhivinayak shrines, Mumbadevi preserves its village-shrine-origin-character

Shikhara height

10 m

Built of

Stone and masonry (1737 original construction and subsequent renovations); traditional lime-mortar and stone-block construction; gold-plated kalasha (modest-scale); silver-plated sanctum-doors; Makrana marble interior-accents (20th-century renovations); traditional-brass oil-lamps

Notable features

CITY-NAME-GODDESS OF MUMBAI — "Mumba-Aai" etymological-origin of "Mumbai"/"Bombay" · Koli-fishing-community primary KULDEVI · Original temple demolished 1737 by British East India Company for Bombay Fort-expansion; Koli-community relocated to Bhuleshwar · 1737 current temple-site established · 1761 Khedekar-family-reconstruction · 1933 major-expansion · Distinctive ORANGE-PAINTED-FACE MUMBADEVI with silver nose-ring iconography · Small intimate village-shrine-character preserved · MUMBAI-CIVIC-IDENTITY foundational-etymological-shrine · Dense BHULESHWAR-BAZAAR heritage-commercial-neighborhood · 8,000-15,000 daily footfall · 3-5 lakh Sharadiya Navratri cumulative · KOLI-NARALI-PURNIMA supreme Koli-community observance · Pair with SIDDHIVINAYAK PRABHADEVI (7 km N) + MAHALAKSHMI MUMBAI (5 km N) + BABULNATH MALABAR HILL (6 km N) + WALKESHWAR-BANGANGA (8 km NW) + ELEPHANTA CAVES (12 km E ferry) · Mumbai 5-shrine-civic-heritage-pilgrimage

Protection status

state_protected

History timeline

1. Pre-historic (Koli-village origin)

   MUMBADEVI is traditionally-considered the Kuldevi of the KOLI FISHING COMMUNITY — the original inhabitants of the 7 ISLANDS OF MUMBAI (Colaba, Old Woman's Island, Mazagaon, Bombay Island, Parel, Worli, Mahim/Little Colaba) in the pre-colonial-pre-urban-era. The Koli-community's origin on the-islands dates-to pre-historic-times (possibly 2,000+ years ago based on linguistic and archaeological evidence). The ORIGINAL MUMBADEVI TEMPLE existed at the BORI BUNDER / MUMBA BUNDER area — the site of the-modern Chhatrapati-Shivaji-Maharaj Terminus railway station. The temple was a modest-village-shrine with the Devi as the Koli-community-protector-Kuldevi. The etymology "MUMBA-AAI" ("Mumba-Mother" in-Marathi) became-the-source-of-the-city's-name: "MUMBAI" (from Mumba-Aai) or "BOMBAY" (British-phonetic-corruption). The city's-very-NAME thus-derives-from-the-Devi.

2. 1534-1661 (Portuguese colonial era)

   1534-1661: the Portuguese-Empire controlled-the-7-Mumbai-islands (acquired-from-Gujarat-Sultanate 1534). Portuguese-era brought colonial-Christian-missionary-activity but the MUMBADEVI TEMPLE WAS NOT DEMOLISHED — the Portuguese-Catholic-conversion-efforts focused on-other-sites and the Mumba-temple continued-under-Koli-community-management. Koli-fishermen maintained traditional-worship including sea-voyage-pre-invocation. 1661: the 7-islands were-transferred to the BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY as part of the dowry-of Catherine of Braganza on her marriage to Charles II of England.

3. 1661-1737 (early British East India Company period)

   1661-1737: British East India Company administered-the-islands. Initial-decades saw-limited-infrastructure-development with-continued-Koli-traditional-activities. The original-MUMBADEVI-TEMPLE at Bori-Bunder-Mumba-Bunder area continued-to-function. Early-British-maps and documentation specifically-identify the temple and acknowledge the Koli-community-Devi-worship. However, the strategic-coastal-location of the Bori-Bunder area became-crucial for British-military-fort-construction-plans during the expanding-threat-of-Maratha-wars and European-rival-European-Company-conflicts.

4. 1737 (Temple demolition and Bhuleshwar relocation)

   CRITICAL HISTORICAL EVENT — 1737 CE: the BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY DEMOLISHED THE ORIGINAL MUMBADEVI TEMPLE at Bori-Bunder/Mumba-Bunder area as part of the BOMBAY-FORT-EXPANSION project. The East India Company needed the strategic-coastal-land for extensive-fort-construction connecting-existing-fortifications; the Mumbadevi temple-site was designated-for-demolition. The KOLI-COMMUNITY and their-spiritual-leader PANDURANG SHUNGA BHANDARI urgently-organized-relocation: the Mumbadevi-murti was reverently-removed from the original-sanctum; transported-through-the-streets of early-Mumbai to a new-site at BHULESHWAR neighborhood (approximately 2-3 km inland from the original-coastal-location); a new-modest-temple-structure was hurriedly-constructed; and the Mumbadevi was RE-CONSECRATED at Bhuleshwar in 1737. This dramatic-relocation preserved-the-continuity-of the Koli-community-Devi-worship despite-the-British-imperial-displacement. The relocation is one of Mumbai's most-significant-heritage-memory events and is celebrated-in-community-lore-and-history. British-colonial-records acknowledge-the-relocation in contemporaneous-documentation.

5. 1737-1761 (post-relocation stabilization)

   1737-1761: the BHULESHWAR-relocated-Mumbadevi temple stabilized-under-Koli-community and broader-Mumbai-Hindu-community-management. Initial-small-temple-structure; basic-ritual-worship-resumed; Koli-community maintained-traditional-Kuldevi-worship. Community-expansion: as Mumbai's-other-communities (Gujaratis, Marathis, Marwaris, Parsis, Christians, Muslims) grew-in-numbers, the Bhuleshwar-neighborhood became a pan-community heritage-commercial-area; Mumbadevi's devotional-community-expanded beyond-the-original-Koli-tribal-identity to include-pan-Mumbai-Hindu-devotees while-Koli-Kuldevi-status remained-primary.

6. 1761 (Khedekar-family reconstruction)

   1761 CE: the KHEDEKAR FAMILY (a prominent-Maharashtrian-Brahmin family of 18th-century Mumbai) undertook a MAJOR RECONSTRUCTION of the Mumbadevi-Bhuleshwar-temple. The 1737-hurried-structure was-replaced with a more-permanent-substantial-stone-temple. The 1761 Khedekar-reconstruction is substantially-the-structure visible-today (with-subsequent-modifications). Sanctum-expansion, shikhara-construction, subsidiary-shrine additions.

7. 1761-1933 (British colonial era and 1933 major expansion)

   1761-1933: the temple continued-under-traditional-Koli-and-Brahmin-community management. 19th-century Mumbai's growth as British-India's-commercial-capital brought broader-Hindu-devotional-attention to Mumbadevi as the city's-namesake-goddess. 1933 MAJOR TEMPLE EXPANSION: a significant-renovation-and-expansion was undertaken in 1933, modernizing the temple-infrastructure while-preserving-the-heritage-character of the Bhuleshwar-neighborhood-village-shrine. Sanctum-renovation, mandapa-improvements, and the distinctive orange-painted-Mumbadevi-murti-iconography-preserved. Post-1933 the temple has-remained-substantially-the-same-structure with-ongoing-minor-improvements.

8. 1947-present (post-independence Mumbai-civic-heritage era)

   Post-1947 independent-India: the Mumbadevi Temple continued-under-Shri-Mumbadevi-Temple-Trust management with Maharashtra-state-endowment-oversight. Daily-pilgrim-volumes grew-from 1,000-3,000 (1950s) to 8,000-15,000 (2020s). The temple's MUMBAI-CIVIC-IDENTITY-DEVI-ROLE has been-increasingly-recognized post-1995 OFFICIAL CITY-NAME RESTORATION: in 1995, the name-change from "Bombay" to "MUMBAI" was officially-adopted by the Maharashtra-state-government, restoring the original Marathi-Mumba-Aai etymological-form; the Mumbadevi Temple became-more-formally-recognized as the city's-namesake-shrine. Pan-Mumbai-civic-tourism and heritage-literature now feature-Mumbadevi as one of the foundational-Mumbai-civic-heritage-sites. KOLI-NARALI-PURNIMA (Shravan Purnima, August) — the Koli-community-new-year-sea-worship-day — has-become a major-annual-Koli-community-event centered at the Mumbadevi Temple with pan-Mumbai-Koli-fishermen-families participating. Sharadiya Navratri 3-5 lakh cumulative. The temple's intimate-village-shrine-character has-been-preserved despite-Mumbai's-metropolitan-transformation. Pair with other-Mumbai-civic-heritage-shrines (Mahalakshmi, Siddhivinayak, Babulnath, Walkeshwar) for-comprehensive-Mumbai-heritage-experience.

Special phenomena

Poojas & sevas offered here

No bookable poojas listed yet

Festivals & signature events

• Sharad Navratri

  Annual

  Signature

Location & nearby temples

• Shri Bhagwan Gopala Krishna Mandir, Fort, Mumbai
  1.6 km · Mumbai
• Shri Babulnath Temple, Malabar Hill, Mumbai
  2.7 km · Mumbai
• Shri Walkeshwar Temple & Banganga Tank, Malabar Hill, Mumbai
  4.1 km · Mumbai
• শ্রী মহালক্ষ্মী মন্দির, মহালক্ষ্মী, মুম্বাই
  4.4 km · Mumbai
• Prabhadevi Dattaram Mandir, Mumbai
  7.4 km · Mumbai
• Shri Prabhadevi Mandir, Prabhadevi, Mumbai
  7.4 km · Mumbai

Scriptural references

Devi Mahatmya / Durga Saptashati

700-verse Devi-narrative, 13 chapters

Classical Shakta-Puranic text — recited extensively during Navratri 9-day festivals; pan-India-Shakta-canonical Shakta-Devi theology within which Mumbadevi operates as a regional-Koli-community-Kuldevi manifestation

Lalita Sahasranama

1000 names of Lalita-Tripurasundari

Supreme Shakta-stotra; recited at Mumbadevi and broader-Shakta-shrines

Traditional Koli-community oral-tradition and Pandurang Shunga Bhandari-lineage records

18th-century 1737 relocation narrative

Primary source for the 1737 temple-demolition-relocation-narrative and Koli-community Kuldevi-devotional-tradition; preserved in community-folklore and hereditary-priestly-records

Mumbai-civic-historical archives and East India Company records

18th-19th-century colonial-documentation

Primary historical sources documenting the 1737 Bombay-Fort-expansion temple-demolition and subsequent-Bhuleshwar-relocation; Mumbai-municipal-records and colonial-gazetteer-references

Mumbadevi-Aarti (Traditional Marathi-Gujarati Koli-community aarti)

Traditional aarti-song

Regional-Marathi-Gujarati-Koli-community devotional-aarti sung daily at the temple and at Koli-community-homes across-Mumbai

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Sources & credits