The Lord Babulnath temple is an ancient one situated on a hillock at Chowpatty, Mumbai.
The Lord Babulnath Shiv Lingam and other deities were consecrated in the 12th Century by King Bhimdev of the region.
However, over a period of time, the temple was buried and lost. The idols were re-discovered (unearthed) during the period of 1700 to 1780. The first temple was built in 1780.
When built for the first time, the Babulnath Temple was patronized by a Hindu merchant of that time. A bigger temple was built in 1890 by contributions from the Gujarati merchants and the likes of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaikwad of Baroda.
The current temple structure can be dated back to 1890. The temple height was considerable when built in 1890 but a lightning struck in the 1960s and damaged the spire, lowering the height of the present temple considerably.
Till the 1980s, the Babulnath Temple was one of the tallest structure in the city of Mumbai.
The temple can be reached after climbing 110 steps.
Normally, a Shiv Lingam has a Lingam and circular Avudai on a pedastal. However, Lord Babulnath has a huge Lingam and a square Avudai directly located on the ground without a pedastal.
Devotees are permitted to do Abhishek and Puja to Lord Babulnath!
