Girgaon, also spelt Girgaum, is an area in southern Mumbai

Mumbai

Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

 in Maharashtra

Maharashtra

Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

.

Girgaon (lit. hill village) gets its name from being located at the foot of Malabar Hill

Malabar Hill

Malabar Hill, a hillock in southern Mumbai , India is an extremely upmarket residential area, most known for the Walkeshwar Temple which houses the Banganga Tank. Situated at a height of 50 metres Malabar Hill, a hillock in southern Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India is an extremely upmarket...

 in South Mumbai

South Mumbai

South Mumbai , sometimes incorrectly referred to by English Media as "SoBo" , the southern-most precinct of the city of Mumbai, India, comprises the city's main business localities and its adjoining areas...

. The culture

Culture

Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...

 in Girgaon is diverse and varied. Like most areas of cosmopolitan Mumbai, residents span diverse languages, religion

Religion

Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...

s, traditions, festivals, and attire. Girgaon has various well-preserved buildings from the colonial era. There are a number of chawls for middle-class residents. It occupies prime residential real estate due to increasing demand just because of its prominent location in south Mumbai.

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 Girgaum road [then called the Breach candyroad]. In 1839, Grant Road

Grant Road

Grant Road , named after Sir Robert Grant, the Governor of Bombay between 1835 and 1839, is currently a suburban railway station and former terminus of the erstwhile Bombay Baroda and Central India Railway...

 was completed, leading to a large migration of people into this area.

There are a large number of small and big 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 Dady Sett Agiary was built in 1783, the Hormusji wadia Fire temple in 1839.

Situated at the south end of Mumbai, Girgaon is now turning into one of the demanding residential and commercial places due to its geographical location. The most beautiful thing is "Girgaum Chowpaty" that is also known as "Queen's Necklace"

The Pincode Number of Girgaum is unique: 400004.

Areas

Each area of Girgaon follows its own customs. Communities like the Marathi

Marathi language

Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...

-speakers, Gujarati

Gujarati people

Gujarati people , or Gujaratis are an ethnic group that is traditionally Gujarati-speaking and can trace their ancestry to the state of Gujarat in western India...

, Konkani

Konkani people

Konkani people , form a group of people mainly found in the Konkan Coast of western India whose mother-tongue is the Konkani language....

, Jains

Jainism

Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...

, Marwaris

Marwaris

Marwari or Marwadi or Rajasthani people are Indian ethnic group, that inhabit the Rajasthan region of India. Their language Rajasthani is a part of the western group of Indo-Aryan languages....

, Christian

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

s, and Hindus

Hinduism

Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

 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

Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi , also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi is the Hindu festival of Ganesha also called Vinayagar in Tamil Nadu, the son of Shiva and Parvati, who is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees in the duration of this festival...

is celebrated in great style. People from all over Maharashtra and India come to see the Ganeshostav festivities. The area is filled with crowds when the Ganesh Visarjan is carried out. It is not only about Ganesh Chaturthi. Girgaum celebrates the Hindu festivals with equal zest whether Diwali, Gokulashtami, or Makar Sankranti.

The main areas of Girgaon are

• Mughbhat Lane
• Fanaswadi
• Jitekarwadi
• Gaiwadi
• Girgaon back road
• Mangalwadi
• Majestic
• Khotachiwadi
• Vaidyawadi
• Thakurdwar
• Karelwadi
• Zaobawadi