Living in Mumbai, you might have wondered about the origins of names of neighbourhoods. Listed below are some of them, researched from must-read books like City of Gold by Gillian Tindall and Anchoring a City Line by Rahul Mehrotra and Sharada Dwivedi.
The list below is incomplete and to be continued…
Mazagaon
The name is derived from
- Maza Gaon – which means ‘my village’ in Marathi
- Maccha Grama – meaning ‘fishing village’
Mazagaon was an ancient Portuguese township which now houses the Sales Tax office as well as the Mathapacady village, a heritage ‘quartier’ with quaint houses struggling to survive beside the huge, ugly skyscrapers in the neighbourhood. Mazagaon was one of the original seven islands that Mumbai comprised of.
It is very close to the Dockyard Road railway station.
Umarkhadi
This name was derived from the fig trees which must have been growing in abundance in the creek.
Umbar (a fruit from the fig family) and khadi (creek).
This neighbourhood is near Dongri.
Chinchpokli
This locality was named after the hoards of tamarind groves that used to be here.
Chinch = tamarind, pokli = grove.
This is the next railway station after Byculla.
Santa Cruz Santa Cruz was originally known by villagers as Khulbawdi (In Marathi, khul means a mortar or a yard and bawdi is a well). The name Santa Cruz (Holy Cross) was given by the local population of Salsette East Indian Christians after a crude wooden cross they erected on a hilltop.
It is a prominent station on the Western railway line between Khar and Vile Parle.
Ghatkopar
In Marathi, Ghatkopar literally means the ‘corner of a ghat’.
This busy suburb is located on the Central railway line between Vidyavihar and Vikhroli.
Khetwadi
This literally means ‘place of fields’ in Marathi.
This area is located between Girgaum and Kamathipura.
Girgaum
Girgaum refers to a hill village. No hill remains in this congested but fascinating part of Mumbai.
Girgaum is located near Opera House and Charni Road Station.
Vile Parle The name is possibly derived from a combination of the Portuguese word ‘vehla’ that means old and the Marathi word ‘pada’ which means a cluster of villages.
Vile Parle is located on the Western line between Santa Cruz and Andheri.
Kandivali
Supposedly derived from the word khand – a jag or a sharp projection of rock. Perhaps due to the stone quarries that used to be located there.
A station on the Western railway line between Malad and Borivali. Abodh Aras
Abodh runs WSD (The Welfare of Stray Dogs) and knows his way around the nooks and crannies of the city.
Know your neighbourhood names
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