This festival is organised by the MTDC of Maharastra.
Legend has it that
Lord Ram, on his way to Lanka in search of his wife Sita, stopped on the
hillock of Malabar Hill. His followers were worshippers of Shiva and
they fashioned a shivalinga from sand and called it Walluka Ishwar - 'walluka'
meaning 'sand' and 'Ishwar', 'the God'.
Though surrounded by water, the
people could not find fresh water to quench their thirst or perform
daily puja. Seeing this, Ram shot a ban (arrow) into the ground and the
fresh waters of the holy Ganga sprang from that spot.
Centuries later, the Shilahara kings built a large and beautiful tank in
stone, to store the water of the Banganga. Settlers through the ages
built numerous, beautifully sculpted temples to various deities around
the tank.
Every year, in January, a cultural extravaganza is organised at Banganga,
where top artistes from around the country perform live classical music
concerts. Cultural enthusiasts attend the festival and feast the soul as
well as the mind as the sun sets.