On the goddess trail in Mumbai: A city of many goddesses, big and small

Arundhuti Dasgupta maps a trail from the southernmost tip to its suburbs

At first brush, Mumbai is a brusque city. There is no lingering over monuments as one would do in, say, Delhi or Kolkata. Nor is there a strong, singular cultural footprint that can guide new initiates and experience-seeking tourists through the city. But dig past the indifference and the city crackles to life, revealing a fine mesh of stories, symbols and belief systems, all influenced by the many cultures that inhabit it, as also a pastiche of folk goddesses.

The city’s patron deity is Mumba Devi. Her temple is in a crowded alleyway in Pydhonie — the name is because