Parel
Encyclopedia
Lower Parel or Parel (Portuguese name: Parella) is central part of Mumbai
. It is also lends its name to two railway stations (Lower Parel
and Parel) on the Mumbai suburban railway
. Most of the mills in Mumbai used to be in this area till some years ago. Now, most of these mills have shut down.
Parel was one of the original seven islands
that formed Mumbai
. It belonged to the 13th century kingdom of Raja Bhimdev
. The name has come from the Parali Vaijanath Mahadev temple, dedicated to Shiva
.
When the Portuguese
conquered Bombay, they gave the authority of this area to the Jesuit priests, who replaced the Parali Mahadev temple with a church and a convent.(probably the presentday St. Pauls' Church and Convent) They remained with the Jesuits until they were confiscated by the British
, when the priests sided with the Sidi
s during their battle with the British in 1689 and spelt the area as Parell.
In the 1770s, William Hornby, the Governor, shifted his official residence to Parel. This area then became one of the poshest areas of the city. In 1867, tanner
s and dealers in dry fish were relocated in this area. By the 1870s, several cotton mill
s had been established in the reclaimed lands in Parel (West
). Gradually, Paral became very polluted. In 1883, the Governor's wife died of cholera
in the Government House
. Two years later the Governor's Bungalow was moved to Malabar Point
. During the plague
epidemic
s of the 1890s, the old Government House was leased to the newly founded Haffkine Institute
. After the plague epidemics, mills proliferated in this area. In 1915, the Parel Bridge was built with linked the Western and Central Railway stations. It became an industrial area and in addition provided space for mill workers. With the http://www.indialabourarchives.org/publications/Hemant%20Babu.htm gradual decline of the mills in the late twentieth century, this space is being recycled.
Recently Parel has seen an influx of huge enterprises in the compounds of the long gone cotton mills. Five star hotel ITC Hotel The Grand Central, Mumbai - The Luxury Collection is located in Parel. During the time cotton mills were operating in Parel are, many thousands of mill workers called Parel home. Now cotton mill jobs have long disappeared and large cotton mill real estate is being recycled into ultra-expensive gated communities. Parel has thus become an area where lower middle class and rich live side by side.
Parel land is situated to the West Side of South Mumbai and the name taken (पश्चिम रेलवे)
PA REL, while this is only resemblance with the पश्चिम रेलवे. The real name is taken from Parali Mahadev temple.
Parel also has some famous hospitals like KEM (Municipal corporation hospital), Tata (specializes in treatment of cancer), Wadia Hospitals { one for Children and one for Women }and MGM (ESI hospital). It even has the Mumbai Veterinary College and the Bai Sakarbai Dinsha Petit Animal Hospital
Parel village also has an important monolithic staue called Baradev.This statue is A Grade I Heritage Monument protected by The Archaeological Survey of India. There is a Chandika, Vyagreshwari and Shiv Temple nearby.[ The Shivlingam and some statues are stated to date back to 600 ad]
Parel was also home to several cultural activities which died down/reduced on account of the shifting of families out of the areas as family sizes started increasing.
Moreover, the area has been crowned with 5 Star hotel of ITC Welcomgroup ( ITC Hotel The Grand Central, Mumbai - The Luxury Collection)
The area is also a pass through point for the mono rail project on the eastern side along G D Ambekar Marg.
Unfortunately an area on DR S S Rao Road is now plagued by industrial scale illegal garage activities.
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...
. It is also lends its name to two railway stations (Lower Parel
Lower Parel (railway station)
Lower Parel railway station is a railway station on the Western Line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway, India. The next station south is Mahalaxmi railway station; the next station north is Elphinstone Road.Stop no. 6Km. from starting-7.9...
and Parel) on the Mumbai suburban railway
Mumbai Suburban Railway
The Mumbai Suburban Railway system, part of the public transport system of Mumbai, is provided for by the state-run Indian Railways' two zonal Western Railways and Central Railways. The system carries more than 6.99 million commuters on a daily basis. It has the highest passenger densities of any...
. Most of the mills in Mumbai used to be in this area till some years ago. Now, most of these mills have shut down.
History
Seven islands of Bombay
The seven islands of Bombay were an archipelago of islands that were, over a span of five centuries, connected to form the area of the modern city of Mumbai in India. The seven islands were gradually physically united through land reclamation projects...
that formed 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...
. It belonged to the 13th century kingdom of Raja Bhimdev
Raja Bhimdev
Bhimdev II or Raja Bhimdev also known as Raja Bimba was a 11th century king who had his capital in Mahikawati, the present-day Mahim, in Mumbai, India....
. The name has come from the Parali Vaijanath Mahadev temple, dedicated to Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
.
When the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
conquered Bombay, they gave the authority of this area to the Jesuit priests, who replaced the Parali Mahadev temple with a church and a convent.(probably the presentday St. Pauls' Church and Convent) They remained with the Jesuits until they were confiscated by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, when the priests sided with the Sidi
Sidi
Sidi is a masculine title of respect, meaning "my master" in Western Arabic language and Egyptian Arabic equivalent to modern popular usage of the English Mr....
s during their battle with the British in 1689 and spelt the area as Parell.
In the 1770s, William Hornby, the Governor, shifted his official residence to Parel. This area then became one of the poshest areas of the city. In 1867, tanner
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
s and dealers in dry fish were relocated in this area. By the 1870s, several cotton mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
s had been established in the reclaimed lands in Parel (West
West
West is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.West is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of east and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the left side of a map is west....
). Gradually, Paral became very polluted. In 1883, the Governor's wife died of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
in the Government House
Government House
Government House is the name of many of the residences of Governors-General, Governors and Lieutenant-Governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. It serves as the venue for the Governor's official business, as well as the many receptions and functions hosted by...
. Two years later the Governor's Bungalow was moved to Malabar Point
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...
. During the plague
Pandemic
A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a pandemic...
epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
s of the 1890s, the old Government House was leased to the newly founded Haffkine Institute
Haffkine Institute
The Haffkine Institute was established on 10, January, 1899 by Dr. Waldemar Mordecai Haffkine, an orthodox Jewish Russian scientist from the Pasteur Institute, that aasigned him to work in India, then in the throes of major plague and cholera outbreaks...
. After the plague epidemics, mills proliferated in this area. In 1915, the Parel Bridge was built with linked the Western and Central Railway stations. It became an industrial area and in addition provided space for mill workers. With the http://www.indialabourarchives.org/publications/Hemant%20Babu.htm gradual decline of the mills in the late twentieth century, this space is being recycled.
Recently Parel has seen an influx of huge enterprises in the compounds of the long gone cotton mills. Five star hotel ITC Hotel The Grand Central, Mumbai - The Luxury Collection is located in Parel. During the time cotton mills were operating in Parel are, many thousands of mill workers called Parel home. Now cotton mill jobs have long disappeared and large cotton mill real estate is being recycled into ultra-expensive gated communities. Parel has thus become an area where lower middle class and rich live side by side.
Parel land is situated to the West Side of South Mumbai and the name taken (पश्चिम रेलवे)
PA REL, while this is only resemblance with the पश्चिम रेलवे. The real name is taken from Parali Mahadev temple.
Overview
Parel village also has an important monolithic staue called Baradev.This statue is A Grade I Heritage Monument protected by The Archaeological Survey of India. There is a Chandika, Vyagreshwari and Shiv Temple nearby.[ The Shivlingam and some statues are stated to date back to 600 ad]
Parel was also home to several cultural activities which died down/reduced on account of the shifting of families out of the areas as family sizes started increasing.
Moreover, the area has been crowned with 5 Star hotel of ITC Welcomgroup ( ITC Hotel The Grand Central, Mumbai - The Luxury Collection)
The area is also a pass through point for the mono rail project on the eastern side along G D Ambekar Marg.
Unfortunately an area on DR S S Rao Road is now plagued by industrial scale illegal garage activities.