The Bandra Bandstand is probably the most visited promenade in Mumbai. It is around a kilometre long along the Arabian Sea. The rough Kota stone paved pathway forms an ideal place for walkers and joggers. During the past few years there has been a lot of awareness created by the local residents’ associations to keep it clean. Large spacious walkways Despite the efforts of the … Continue reading Bandra Bandstand, Mumbai
Castella de Aguada is popularly known as the Bandra Fort. Castella stands for castle or fort and Aguada means source of water in Portuguese. Closer to the fort, a fresh water spring was known to be there where the ships used to stop by for intermediate break. But the Portuguese themselves are known to have named this place as Forte de Bandora, which is Bandra … Continue reading Bandra Fort – Castella de Aguada, Bandra, Mumbai
A long array of saffron robed monks walked down beside me. With their patram in their hands they hummed in unison some sholkas. With their bare feet they climbed the basaltic floor into the caves, slept on the stone shelves carved within them. The chilled breeze that gave me goose bumps just wafted around them. With no belongings of their own they seemed so immiscible … Continue reading Kanheri Caves, Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Mumbai
This place is popularly known as Chowpatty Beach, which I think now is a redundant name. “Chaupati” the word locally means beach. Etymologically Chow-patty is known as a place that contains four channels or divisions in water for approach. Adjoining the Marine drive in South Mumbai it stretches to about more than a kilometre. There are two parks for kids on the beach. Quite contrary … Continue reading Chowpatty, Girgaum, Mumbai
Banganga Tank and The Walkeshwar Temple are probably Mumbai’s oldest existing structures. Walkeshwar derived from marathi word Valuka + Ishwar, Valuka stands for sand and so it means god made out of sand. Folklore suggests Lord Ram visited this place on his expedition to find his wife and he stopped by this place to pray to Lord Shiva. So he made a Shivling made out … Continue reading Banganga Tank and Walkeshwar Temple, Mumbai
The Elephanta Caves is the most popular tourist destination of this city. Located on the island hills of Gharapuri, it is about 11 km north-east of Apollo Bandur and 7 km from the shore of the mainland. The Portuguese called this as Elephanta Island upon finding the huge monolithic Elephant sculpture, after this island came under their power in 1534. They tried to take this … Continue reading Elephanta Caves, Maharashtra
The land where Priyadarshini Park is, was once a dumpyard for construction materials. This might be as early as pre-independence. Heavy vehicles like bulldozers and cranes were abondoned here. In the 1970’s the Maharashtra Government went on a rampage of reclaiming land from Malabar Hill through Haji Ali to develop skyscrapers. To oppose such concretization few of the prominent personalities along with active citizens formed … Continue reading Priyadarshini Park, Napean Sea Road, Mumbai
Worli Sea face is a stretch on the sea side with cobbled flooring. The stretch is about 3.5 kms in length. These kinds of promenades are one such feature specially in Mumbai. A city that is landlocked these kinds of public features help the people to decompress and destress. This promenades are built at the right contradictions, also literally….looking into the endless horizon and comtemplating … Continue reading Promenades of Mumbai – Worli Sea Face
Though with great difficulty of crushing my ego a bit, I have to admit that there isn’t any other city in the county like Mumbai. Mountains, forests, caves and beaches! Pollution, aggression, claustrophobia all in one, I am tempted to elaborate this part a bit but putting it on the back burner…:) My husband would be the happiest person reading this candid admission of mine. … Continue reading Juhu Beach, Mumbai
This is a garden with lots of names. First of all the name “Rajesh Khanna Garden”, I don’t know and its not written anywhere. So I asked around and all said this is the one. There’s a foundation stone at the entrance that tells me its developed by the Rotary organisation but maintained by Kamla Raheja Foundation. This garden is well kept and organised. But … Continue reading Rajesh Khanna Garden or Rotary Park, Santacruz West, Mumbai
