My Heritage Chronicles

The name Chakreshwar Mahadev doesn't ring a bell instantly and many may have never heard of it. But talk to archaeologists or heritage enthusiasts and they will speak highly of this temple. No one knows of the exact date of construction of the original temple but it is generally believed that it could be 1000 years old. The original temple is said to have been destroyed and plundered during the Portuguese rule of Bassein and the new construction is modern and utterly ugly. The treasure trove of sculptures and relics in the temple compound makes it stand out and an important heritage that needs to be preserved. So where is this temple? Chakreshwar Mahadev temple is located in Sopara village which we know today as Nalasopara. Sopara was also known as Shurparaka (city of brave), It was an ancient port city and a trade center with links to other ancient cities of the world like Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, Africa among others, and an important seat of Buddhism. It gets a mention in Maha

Ghodbunder has a rich history dating back to the pre-Portuguese era when it was the hub of horse-trading. Horses were the commodity and they would be bought all the way from the Arab world and traded here while spices, cotton, salt as well as one of the local fabric would be exported. The ease of navigation in Thane creek where the Ulhas river flows and gets merged into the Arabian sea aided in developing trade and commerce. Portuguese fortified the area, remnants of various fortifications still exist like Ghodbunder fort, Gaimukh fort  (now it's a church), Nagla bunder fort (in ruins) as well as Thane fort (now a jail). All along the banks of Thane creek, there have been many villages like Ghodbunder village, Chene village, Waghbil, Kolshet, Majiwada, etc which have been very old settlements. As people settled here, they built places of worship. Today these religious places over a period of time have undergone renovation or have been rebuilt but traces of heritage or deities which