Mahalaxmi temple redesign to utilise coastal road for multiple access points

To be executed under the guidance of guardian minister Deepak Kesarker and implemented by deputy municipal commissioner, Zone 1, Sangita Hasnale, the project will be carried out by the firms of architect Abha Narain Lambah and structural consultant Shashank Mehendale

Mumbai: The BMC is designing a ‘holistic pilgrim facility’ for the Mahalaxmi Temple, with multiple entry and exit points for better crowd management and an integration with the coastal road garden behind the temple. To be executed under the guidance of guardian minister Deepak Kesarker and implemented by deputy municipal commissioner, Zone 1, Sangita Hasnale, the project will be carried out by the firms of architect Abha Narain Lambah and structural consultant Shashank Mehendale.

The basic drawings and plan will be rolled out in 15 days. “The makeover will involve minor work rather than massive construction,” said Mehendale. “It’s more of rationalising things like footpaths and shop fronts. It also includes a plan to have an access pedestrian bridge to enter from the coastal road side so that devotees waiting in the garden can directly come inside the temple without crossing the road.” (HT PHOTO)

“Mahalaxmi Temple has inadequate vehicle access but the coastal road has given us an opportunity to do things differently,” said Hasnale. “At the master plan level, these two factors will be integrated so that the problems of emergency exits, fire engine access and ambulance access are addressed. Mahalaxmi attracts 70,000 visitors a day on an average, and runs into lakhs on peak days like Navratri. The objective is to plan it in such a way that the whole area surrounding the temple is spruced up and the temple precinct is accessible from several points.”

Mehendale added that while not too much construction is proposed in the surrounding areas, the latter will be cleaned out and streamlined to have proper screening and security arrangements. “To accommodate a crowd of 70,000 visitors, we are also looking at integrating it with the coastal road garden,” he said. “Queueing can happen in the garden. There will be enough screening facilities and washroom facilities for people. That’s the objective rather than the queue going all the way up to Haji Ali.”

Lambah said there were three components to the design. “The first component is the existing street where 10 years ago, we redesigned the street signage and the prasad stalls so that they were better aligned and there was consistency,” she said. “This design was even approved by the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee, and we hope it will get implemented now.” This first component will be done by the BMC.

Lambah said that the second component pertained to the steps of the temple. “They are very steep, and very often old people and the physically challenged are unable to climb them,” she said. “We have designed a way around this. To the left of the temple is Maheshwari Mansion, which will become a Mahalaxmi pilgrim entrance block, where a building is being designed. The pilgrims will enter at ground level, and go through the security screening. There will be an internal courtyard like a waada, with space for shoes and for older people to rest. There will be prasad kitchens and serving areas, and there, they will take a lift and go to the upper level directly. This will decongest the path so that people are not rushing up and down and also create better infrastructure for older people.” Component two is being funded directly by the Mahalaxmi Temple trust.

The third component has been made possible because of the newly reclaimed area behind the temple. “This will help us create multiple entry and exit points for the lakhs of pilgrims,” said Lambah. “Thanks to the coastal road, people can walk from Breach Candy along the sea face and enter from the area behind the temple as well. We are creating a basic landscape for this garden.”

All three components will have Lambah’s team working on the architecture and Mehendale’s team on the structural engineering. “The temple will remain exactly the way it is,” said Lambah. “But the pilgrim crowd along the street and prasad stalls will get streamlined. Then the entry into the temple will be via a courtyard, and there will be a lift to go to the temple sanctorum rather than climbing steep steps. The third entry will be from the coastal road.”

The basic drawings and plan will be rolled out in 15 days. “The makeover will involve minor work rather than massive construction,” said Mehendale. “It’s more of rationalising things like footpaths and shop fronts. It also includes a plan to have an access pedestrian bridge to enter from the coastal road side so that devotees waiting in the garden can directly come inside the temple without crossing the road.”