Mahim
Mahim | |
|---|---|
Neighbourhood | |
 Mahim and Mahim Bay | |
  Mahim  Mahim  Mahim | |
| Coordinates:19°02′06″N72°50′24″E/ 19.035°N 72.84°E | |
| Country | India |
| State | Maharashtra |
| District | Mumbai City |
| City | Mumbai |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal corporation |
| • Body | Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation(MCGM) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 83,662 |
| Demonym(s) | Mahimkar, Mahimiite |
| Languages | |
| • Official Co-official | Marathi English |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30(IST) |
| Area code | 022 |
Mahim(Marathi pronunciation:[maːɦiːm])(Marathi:माहिम) is a neighbourhood inMumbai,Maharashtra,India. TheMahim Junction railway stationon theWestern RailwayandHarbour Railwayof theMumbai Suburban Railway networkis the last station of thecity,as neighboringBandracomes in MumbaiSuburb.Mahim is an ethnically and religiously diverse town and has a Hindutemple,church,mosqueandParsifire-templeexisting within a few meters of each other. The town has a large Rich and Upper Middle classMarathipopulation.
History
[edit]
The name Mahim is derived from the ancientMahikavatimeaning "miraculous" inSanskrit.Other historical names for the area includeMahimawati,Maijim,andMejambu.[1]
Mahim was one of the seven islands that originally made upMumbai.Mahim, or Mahikavati as it was known, was the capital ofRaja Bhimdev,who reigned over the region in the 13th century. He built a palace and a court of justice inPrabhadevi,as well as the firstBabulnath Temple.
In 1343, this island was possessed by theDelhi Sultanate.It was in their reign that the old Mahim mosque was built. AdargahofMakhdoom Ali Mahimiwas built here in 1431.
In 1543, the Portuguese captured the islands of Mumbai. In 1662, these islands were given to the English King,King Charles II,as a part of the wedding dowry for the Portuguese princess,Catherine of Braganza.After the British acquired Mumbai, they built theMahim Forthere to protect themselves from theMarathas.
The causeway connecting Mahim and Bandra (corrupted from "Bunder" meaning port inPersian) was completed in 1845 at a cost of Rs. 1,57,000 donated entirely by LadyAvabai Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy,wife of the firstbaronetSirJamsetjee Jejeebhoywith a stipulation that no toll would be charged to citizens for its use by the government.
In 1847, a small group of Scottish missionaries decided to start a new school, now one of the most high-profile schools in Mumbai — theBombay Scottish School.
The1993 Bombay bombingstook place in Mahim among other places. A truck driver placed a vehicle here and put a bomb there which exploded.
The town is also in close proximity to the remarkable Maharashtra Nature Park. This park has been created out of a garbage dump, and houses a bird sanctuary. It houses 12,500 varieties of plants and several rare birds including flamingos.
Mahim Fort
[edit]
Mahim Fort,which was once visible from theMahim CausewayandBandra Reclamation,is barely visible now. The Mahim Fort along with Fort St George in South Mumbai was an important base during the time of the British Empire. Other forts in Mumbai andSalsette IslandincludeSion,Worli,SewriandMazagaon.Fort St George was built in 1669, by the former Governor of Bombay, Gerald Aungier.
Thomas Grantham then strengthened the fort's ramparts in 1684. In 1772, 111 years after Bombay was taken from them, the Portuguese attempted to attack this fort. The British replied fiercely with cannonballs. The Bandra church also bore the brunt of their fire. There were about 100 soldiers and 30 cannons in the Mahim Fort at that time.
The fort is situated just beside Mahim beach. Today the fort is almost ruined and encroachers and hutments occupy it.
Demographics
[edit]The town has a large and strong base of upper middle class and richMaharashtrianpeople. The largest ethnic minority group beingGoans(Konkanispeaking) followed by theSouth Indian(mostlyKannadigasandTamilians) and a fewGujaratis.Hinduism is the most followed religion while Christianity and Islam are the second and third most followed religions respectively. There is also a small community ofParsis(Zorastrians),BuddhistsandJainsresiding in Mahim. It is considered to be Mumbai's ethnically and religiously most diverse town.
Geography
[edit]
Mahim is surrounded by theArabian Seato the west,Bandrato the North,MatungaandDadarto South and byDharaviandSionto the east.
Mahim Bay
[edit]Mahim Bayis a large bay, part of theArabian Seain Mumbai. The southern end isWorli,the northern end isBandraReclamation and Mahim is in the centre. The bay was named after the islands of Mahim andSalsettewere merged in the early 19th century. TheMithi Riverdrains intoMahim Creek.
During the colonial era, the Portuguese built a watchtower calledCastella de Aguadaon the northern side. Later, theBritishbuilt theWorli Fortto the south andMahim Fortnear the creek to defend theSeven Islands of Bombayagainst attacks by the Portuguese and theMarathas.TheBandra–Worli Sea Linkcrosses Mahim Bay.
Mahimchi Khadi (Mahim Creek)
[edit]
Mahim Creek is a 15 feet (4.6 m) deepcreek.TheMithi Riverdrains into the creek which drains into the Mahim Bay. It forms the boundary between thecity(Churchgateto Mahim) andsuburbs(BandratoDahisar) of Mumbai. The creek is swamped bymangrovesand has a mini-ecosystem.
It now has theBandra Kurla Complexwith corporate offices on both its sides.
The waters of the creek are foul smelling due to the dumping of untreated industrial effluents upstream. In recent years, the mushrooming of slums around the waters has caused concern for the mangrove ecosystem, vital to the ecosystem of Mumbai.
In 2006, it was the site ofmass hysteriaas thousands claimed its waters had turned "sweet."
Transport
[edit]The nearest railway station isMahim Junctionon theWestern lineandHarbour Lineof theMumbai Suburban Railwaynetwork. The station is an important Junction as it connects Western Suburbs (tillGoregaon) withHarbour line(CSMTtoKings Circle). Taxis and buses are widely used by the locals and auto rickshaws are not allowed. TheChhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airportis just 4 kilometers away from the town.
Mahim Causeway
[edit]
TheMahim Causewayis a vital link road connecting the neighborhoods of Mahim inMumbai City districttoBandrainMumbai Suburban district.
The Mahim Causeway was built between 1841 and 1846 to connect the island of Salsette with Mahim. The swampy area between the two islands made travel dangerous and thus a need for a causeway arose. TheBritish East India Company,which governed Bombay at that time, refused to fund the project. This ledLady Jeejeebhoy,wife of the first baronet SirJamsetjee Jejeebhoy,to donate the entire amount of₹157,000/- on the condition that the government would not charge a toll for its use or disturb theKolicommunity who lived around the area.[2]
The Mahim Causeway forms the link betweenSwami Vivekanand RoadandL.J. Road,being the stretch between Bandra Masjid and Mahim Church (St. Michael's Church). It is not to be confused with theBandra–Worli Sea Link,a major infrastructural project opened on 30 June 2009 which is designed to ease traffic across the causeway by building another bridge across the Mahim Bay.
Schools and educational institutions
[edit]Mahim has a number of schools and educational institutions. Some of the well-known schools areBombay Scottish School,Canossa Convent High School, K.J Khilnani High School, Victoria High School, Saraswati Mandir High School, Lokmanya Vidyamandir, Billa Bong school and St Michael High School). Reputed colleges and professional educational institutes such asP. D. Hinduja National Hospital and Medical Research Centre,D. G. Ruparel College of Arts, Science and Commerce,St. Xavier's Technical InstituteandXavier Institute of Engineeringalso in Mahim.
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^D'Cunha, Jose Gerson (1900). "IV The Portuguese Period".The Origins of Bombay(3 ed.). Bombay: Asian Educational Services. p. 265.ISBN81-206-0815-1.Retrieved4 January2009.
- ^Mahesh Dattani.Last Word&programId=1073754894&contentId=5758088 "A bridge with a difference".
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