History
The temple and the attached fresh water Banganga Tank were built in 1127 AD by Lakshman Prabhu, a Gaud Saraswat Brahmin minister in the court of Silhara dynasty Kings who ruled Thane, and the islands of Mumbai during 810 to 1240 AD. The temple was destroyed by the Portuguese during their reign over Mumbai (Portuguese Bom Bahia) in the 16th century. It was rebuilt due to the generosity of Mumbai businessman and philanthropist, Rama Kamath, another Gaud Saraswat Brahmin (known in British records as 'Kamati') in 1715. The main temple has been substantially reconstructed and many smaller temples have come up around the Banganga Tank. By 1860, the temple started attracting greater crowds and 10 to 20 other temples had come up around it and 50 dharamshalas.
Even today the temple itself and much of the property in the complex belongs to the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin Temple Trust.
Read more about this topic: Walkeshwar Temple
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
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—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)