Bhuleshwar Shrines and Flower Rows

Bhuleshwar's flower rows serve more than a hundred temples. Fresh offerings are needed every day, so Phool Galli—Flower Lane—grew up beside the shrines. Here, a garland is not bought for long remembrance: its journey ends at an altar.

The district itself took its name from Bhuleshwar Mahadev Temple. The older spelling is Bhuleshwar: this is what Shiva is called in the form of Bhola. The temple complex, with several shrines, belonged to the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin community. In the early twentieth century, its doors did not admit just anyone to the altars.

In nineteen twenty-nine, a dispute began at the temple that at first had nothing at all to do with untouchability. Dismissed priests sued the shrine's administrators. The court examined donations, the priests' upkeep from community funds, and land documents, then ruled that the temple could not be considered the private property of the founders' family. Until a new administration was established, it was placed under a court-appointed administrator.

The ruling seemed to recognize the temple as public. The trustees, however, interpreted it differently. When they were required to admit Dalits—people whom the caste order had declared “untouchable”—the trustees replied that they no longer controlled the temple and therefore could not change anything.

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, a lawyer and organizer of the Dalit movement seeking the abolition of untouchability, entered into dispute with them. He understood the law well enough to see the trustees' reply as a convenient excuse. The temple's public status did not prevent it from being opened; on the contrary, it called into question the right of a single community to decide who could pray inside.

Ambedkar wrote to the trustees that they were sheltering behind the court ruling and showing it to everyone who demanded equal access. After fruitless correspondence, he refused to wait for another lawsuit. Ambedkar announced that they would seek entry through satyagraha—nonviolent direct action—and that up to one hundred thousand people were ready to take part. Dalit organizations of Untouchables and the Samaj Samata Sangh (Social Equality League) took up the call. Participants in the marches tried to enter Bhuleshwar Mahadev Temple. The doors were shut in front of them; people were stopped by force, and some participants were beaten. The campaign continued beyond this courtyard. In nineteen thirty-two, five major temples of Bombay, including Bhuleshwar, opened to all communities.

Later, Ambedkar explained why he had become involved in this dispute. He had not intended to turn Dalits into devout templegoers. What mattered to him was that people should see their own position and learn to defend their rights together. When he considered this task complete, he called on them to direct their efforts toward education and political representation.

Flowers are still carried from these stalls to many altars. The market supplies the temples with the same short-lived garlands for which Phool Galli arose. What changed was the last obstacle in their path: the door of Bhuleshwar Mahadev Temple, which in nineteen twenty-nine was shut against some purchasers, was required from nineteen thirty-two onward to admit all communities.