Oriental Temples of Mumbai

November 13, 2021

Oriental Temples of Mumbai

Centuries ago, Buddhism spread from India to East Asian nations like China, Korea, Thailand, and Japan through Indian monks. Over the years new schools of thoughts evolved in Buddhism in those cultures. Centuries later, it became a full circle when some people and monks from China and Japan came to India and brought their faith and culture.

Japanese Buddhist Temple, Mumbai

First, we went to the Japanese Temple in Worli Naka.

It is called Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Temple. This temple, originally a monastery was built in 1931 by a travelling Japanese monk, Nichidatsu Fujii. Fujii came to India in an attempt to follow the prophecy of Maha Bodhisattva Nicherin, the 13th century monk from Japan. Nicherin believed that humanity’s ultimate salvation lay in India. During his stay in India, Fujii became a close friend of Mahatma Gandhi and also became part of India’s independence struggle.

Later, the monastery became a temple and its current structure was constructed in 1956 by the Birla family. Its architecture is not Japanese but very much Indian. The architecture style resembles that of the Mahabodhi temple of Bihar. Only a plaque at the entrance bears words in Japanese.

Inside the temple one can find many ritualistic items belonging to the Japanese tradition. But the main idol of Buddha inside the shrine is very much Indian. There are other statues of Buddha which resembles more Southeast Asian in design. There are many paintings on the ceiling depicting stories from the Jataka tales, and the style is pretty much ancient Indian.

Location of Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Temple

Chinese Kuan Kung Temple, Mumbai

Then, we went to the Chinese temple in Mazgaon Dockyard.

It is a modest shrine inside a modest building.

It is dedicated to a Chinese deity Kuan Kung, and hence called Kuan Kung Temple. Kuan Kung was actually a Chinese military general from the ancient times who is revered in every Chinese faith – Chinese folk religion, Daoism, Buddhism & Confucianism.

This temple was built by the Chinese immigrants to Mumbai who were working for the East India Company. Unlike the Japanese temple, this shrine is very modest building and more culturally Chinese than Indian. One can see motifs from Daoist, Confucianist, Chinese folk religion apart from Buddhist icons. There is a Ying & Yang of Daoism, Fuk, Luk and Sau gods of folk religion, and a picture of Confucius, the founder of Confucianism. There is still a small China Town in this part of Mazgaon.

Location of Kuan Kung Temple

Temple of Food, New Martins

After we were done with the Oriental temples, it was time for Food temple. We went to New Martins in Colaba which is known for its tasty Goan cuisine.

Overall, day spent well.

Location of New Martins