Lakshminarayana Subraya Shanbhag (Buva Maam)

 Taken from Saraswat Bhushan by Shri M. Ramachandra Sharma

दक्षिण कर्नाटक प्रांतांत पडबिद्री येथें राहणारे वैष्णव संप्रदायी स्वकीय ज्ञाति गृहस्थ ह.भ.परायण लक्ष्मीनारायण सुबराय शानभाग हे एक दोघा स्नेह्यांसह पायीं चालत श्रीक्षेत्र पंढरपुरावरून मुंबईस आले. आणि वाळकेश्वर येथें कांहीं काल प्रांपचिक जीवनार्थ व्यवसायांत घालवून पुढें ईश संकेतानुसार परमार्थाकडे वृत्तिधर्म वळल्यामुळे त्याच्या पूर्ततेसाठीं साधन म्हणून लोकाश्रयावर द्रव्यानिधी जमवून ह्या देवालयाची उभारणी केली. देवालयाकरितां विलेपालें येथें सोनारी रोडवर स्वतंत्र जमीन खरेदी करून तेथें शके १८५७ युवनाम संवत्सरीं ज्येष्ठ शु० ९ मी दिवशीं श्रीसंस्थान काशीमठाधिपति श्रीमत्सुकृतेंद्रतीर्थ स्वामि यांचे हस्तें देवस्थानाची प्रतिष्ठा करविली.

Translation

Lakṣmīnārāyaṇa Subrāya Śānabhāg, a Vaiṣṇava by religious affiliation and a householder belonging to the GSB community, who was residing at Padubidri in the South Kanara region, came to Mumbai on foot from the sacred city of Paṇḍharpur, accompanied by one or two friends.

After spending some time at Walkeshwar engaged in a worldly occupation for the purpose of earning his livelihood, his inclination and way of life subsequently turned towards the spiritual path (paramārtha), in accordance with what he regarded as divine direction.

For the fulfilment of that spiritual purpose, he collected funds from the public through popular/community support, as a means of accomplishing the undertaking, and constructed this temple.

For the temple, he purchased an independent plot of land at Vile Parle, on Sonari Road, and there, in Śaka 1857, in the Yuva-nāma Saṃvatsara, on the ninth day of the bright fortnight of Jyeṣṭha (Jyeṣṭha śukla navamī), he had the consecration (pratiṣṭhā) of the temple performed by the hands of Śrīmat Sukṛtendra Tīrtha Svāmī, the Ācārya/Pontiff of the Śrī Kāśī Maṭha samsthana.