Girgaon

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Girgaon, formerly Girgaum, is an area in

southern Mumbai in Maharashtra, India.
The Sanskrit term "Giri" stands for hills,
whereas the word "gram" denotes a village.
Thus, Girgaon means a village at the
foothill of mountains. Girgaon occupies
prime residential real estate because of its
prominent location in South Mumbai.
 Girgaon
गरगाव
Neighbourhood

Girgaon back road, c. 1905

Girgaon
 Coordinates: 18.953°N 72.813°E
Country India

State Maharashtra

Metro Mumbai

Elevation 12 m (39 ft)

Languages

 • Official Marathi

Time zone UTC+5:30 (IST)

PIN 400004

The culture in Girgaon is diverse and

varied. Like most areas of cosmopolitan
Mumbai, residents span diverse
languages, religions, traditions, festivals,
and attire.

History
Khetwadi, originally an area with a sparse
population living off agriculture and
plantations, developed in the mid-19th
century with the widening of Parel road
and the Girgaon road (then called the
Breach Candy Road). In 1839, Grant Road
was completed, leading to large-scale
migration into this area. Girgaon got its
own station much later at Charni Road
which was opened in the year 1867. Today
it has become a hub for diamond traders
and wholesalers of almost all the
traditional businesses.

There are a large number of temples in

this area. The most well known is
Thakurdwar, built by the ascetic Atmaram
Baba, who died in 1838. The Kalbadevi
temple, dedicated to Kali, was moved to its
present site from its original location in
Mahim during the rule of the Gujrati
sultans. The Dadi Seth Agiary was built in
1783, the Hormusji Wadia Fire temple in
1839.
Areas

Khetwadi, Sikka Nagar in Girgaon, with numerous red

tiled roofs, which are slowly being replaced by
skyscrapers.
St. Theresa's Church in Girgaon.

Each area of Girgaon follows its own

customs. Communities like the Marathi-
speakers, Gujarati, Konkani, Jains,
Marwaris, Christians, and Hindus follow
their own customs and rituals. They
celebrate different festivals, follow
different customs for birth, marriage,
death, and other important events.
Therefore, while it is easy to sense that
Girgaon is different from other societies, it
is very difficult to define conclusively what
is essentially Girgaon or to see how such a
diversity of peoples and cultures can be
related to one another.

This is also the area in which Ganesh

Chaturthi is celebrated in great style. The
area is filled with crowds when the Ganesh
Visarjan is carried out. It is not only about
Ganesh Chaturthi. Girgaon also celebrates
other festivals with equal zest whether
Diwali, Gokulashtami or Makar Sankranti.

Girgaon is further subdivided in small

neighborhoods locally called as 'wadis'.
There are many such wadis in Girgaon
namely - Vaidyawadi (Annapurna wadi)
Bhatwadi, Jitekar wadi, Gaiwadi,
Kandewadi, Bhutachi wadi, Urankar wadi,
Fanas waadi, Pimpal wadi etc. One of
these- Khotachi wadi is very famous for its
Portuguese style wooden architecture. It is
mainly inhabited by Catholics and
Maharashtrian Hindus. These houses are
now largely being pulled down to make
way for sky scrapers and now number less
than half of what it was originally.
Nevertheless, foreign tourists still throng
these narrow lanes of Khotachi wadi as it
is one of the very few heritage villages
remaining within south Mumbai. Heritage
walks are often conducted here by locals
and history lovers.

Largely, Girgaon also includes the outer

areas around it, like Sikka Nagar, some
parts of Khetwadi, Prarthana Samaj, Opera
House, C.P. tank, areas around Charni
Road station and Girgaon chowpatty.

Thakurdwar area in Girgaon is also home

to the India tower - the proposed highest
building in India. Girgaon has a sizable
Parsi population and their religious
structures known as Agyaries and Atash
Behrams are dotted in and around
Girgaon. Large parts in Girgaon are also
under the Muslim and Christian graveyards
and Hindu crematorium near Charni Road
station and S.K. Patil Udyan popularly
known as Japanese garden. Along
Khetwadi is also the biggest metal and
stainless steel market in India.

Festivals
Ganeshotsav is one of the most livingly
celebrated Festival in Girgaon. Ganesh
Idols like Girgaoncha Maharaja, Girgaocha
Raja, are well known for being
Ganeshotsav Mandals (Lord Ganesh
festival local Group). Despite of various
mandals here in Girgaum, there's a historic
place of Keshavji Nayak Chawl where
Lokmanya Tilak visited Ganesh mandal in
1901 it will complete its 115 years of
celebration, also there is Jitekarwadi
Famous for there idols made using
unusual materials like soil and fiber, that
includes idols made of dry fruits, marbles
and rice

Transportation
Charni Road railway station serves
Girgaon.
Schools in Girgaon
G. A. Ranade Vidyalaya High School
Aryan E S High School
Chikitsak Samuha Shirolkar High School
Aryan Education Society's Girls High
School Sharda Sadan
Wilson High School
St. Teresa's High School
C.R. Girls High School
The Modern School
Sardar High School
Bradley Night High School
 B.R.F Pavri High School

Gallery
View of Girgaum Chowpatty beach from
Malabar Hill.

Girgaon with Marine Drive in the

background
 Wilson College at Girgaon Chowpatty,
established 1832.

See also
Girgaon Chowpatty
Tanks of Bombay

References
External links

Wikimedia Commons has media

related to Girgaum.

Girgaon

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