Bells in temples, especially Hindu, shouldn't be a surprise. But have you ever seen a temple covered in bells? So much so that you can't see the original structure of the temple. It's as if the bells are the building materials of the temple.
I lived in the temple's neighbourhood for years and had no idea it even existed. After I moved out, I came across some info on the world wide web which mentioned the temple. It seemed such an interesting place that I had to visit it when I was in the area next.
I usually visit places of worship when they are of interest architecturally or visually or have some curious folklore surrounding it. The bell temple fell into the latter category. I was there on a Saturday and found that it was one of the main days for worship. The place was crowded and since the temple borders a park which forms a junction of several roads, it was a bit chaotic.
The temple is officially known as the 'Sri Hanuman Ghanteshwar Mandir' and is located at Madhu Park, Khar (W), Mumbai. It's dedicated to Hanuman, the Monkey God from Hinduism. I am not sure of the origins of the temple but the lore surrounding it is that you have to pray for your heart's desire. When (and not 'if') the wish is fulfilled, you must go back and tie a bell. The belief in the deity can be seen from the numerous bells that literally cover the entire structure of the temple.
Due to all the crowd and traffic, I had to take photos from across the road. Photography is not allowed (I wonder why?) and there are sign boards informing you of the same. But I hadn't noticed these signs until I started clicking pictures and a security guard came running to shoo me away. The photographs are not particularly great but hopefully it'll suffice to give you an idea of what I saw.
I lived in the temple's neighbourhood for years and had no idea it even existed. After I moved out, I came across some info on the world wide web which mentioned the temple. It seemed such an interesting place that I had to visit it when I was in the area next.
I usually visit places of worship when they are of interest architecturally or visually or have some curious folklore surrounding it. The bell temple fell into the latter category. I was there on a Saturday and found that it was one of the main days for worship. The place was crowded and since the temple borders a park which forms a junction of several roads, it was a bit chaotic.
The temple is officially known as the 'Sri Hanuman Ghanteshwar Mandir' and is located at Madhu Park, Khar (W), Mumbai. It's dedicated to Hanuman, the Monkey God from Hinduism. I am not sure of the origins of the temple but the lore surrounding it is that you have to pray for your heart's desire. When (and not 'if') the wish is fulfilled, you must go back and tie a bell. The belief in the deity can be seen from the numerous bells that literally cover the entire structure of the temple.
Due to all the crowd and traffic, I had to take photos from across the road. Photography is not allowed (I wonder why?) and there are sign boards informing you of the same. But I hadn't noticed these signs until I started clicking pictures and a security guard came running to shoo me away. The photographs are not particularly great but hopefully it'll suffice to give you an idea of what I saw.
