Lata Mangeshkar was born at Sikh Mohalla, Indore into a middle-class Maharashtrian family. Her family name was Hema Hardikar. She was the eldest child of Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar and his second wife Shevanti Mangeshkar. Lata Mangeshkar’s father Dinanath had married to Shevanti's sister earlier who died after some time and later on Dinanath married to Shevanti. Lata’s father was a classical singer & theater actor. Due to the father’s career all siblings of the Lata Mangeshkar including another famous Indian Singer Asha Bhosle choose music as their careers.

Lata Mangeshkar’s birth place was Indore but she was raised in Maharashtra. When she was 5 years old, Lata Mangeshkar started performing as an actress in many plays in which her father was also performing. At that time her father started giving her music lessons when she was just five years old. Her God-gifted abilities helped her master vocal exercises from first pass and from early on she was recognized as being highly gifted person musically. Dinanath's music recitals, his guidance and his practice of music all left a permanent impression on Lata Mangeshkar.