Marubai Temple, Matunga

Marubai is the traditional gaondevi, or village goddess, of Matunga in Mumbai. The area, a group of villages known from around 1700, was called Marubai Tekdi Gaon, a name said to have been shortened over time to Matunga. Her small temple once stood at King's Circle, beneath a peepal tree.

A British plan to develop the city changed that. The Matunga Road scheme, under the City of Bombay Improvement Act of 1898, needed the land, and the authorities decided to move the shrine, against fierce opposition from residents who feared the anger of the goddess. Villagers went on to manage the new temple, and the Marubai Trust was formed in 1952. Its trustees descend from families who have looked after her worship for centuries.