Sion Causeway
Encyclopedia
Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
in Bombay, 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...
which connects Sion in Bombay with Kurla
Kurla
Kurla is a suburb of Mumbai. It is also the name of one the busiest railway stations on the Mumbai suburban railway on the central and harbour railway lines of Mumbai...
in Salsette. The construction of the causeway began in 1798 and was completed in 1805 by Jonathan Duncan
Jonathan Duncan (Governor of Bombay)
Jonathan Duncan was Governor of Bombay from 27 December 1795 until his death in 1811.He began his career in India in 1772, and in 1788 was appointed superintendent and resident at Benares by Lord Cornwallis, where he helped stamp out the practice of infanticide...
, Governor of Bombay (1795–1811), at a cost of £
Pound (currency)
The pound is a unit of currency in some nations. The term originated in England as the value of a pound of silver.The word pound is the English translation of the Latin word libra, which was the unit of account of the Roman Empire...
5,037 (Rs
Indian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....
. 50,370). In 1826, its breadth was doubled and improved at a further outlay of £4,000 (Rs. 40,000) A volcanic tract extends from Carnac Bunder to Sion Causeway, and forms the entire of the chain of hills bordering the north-eastenn end of the island from the Sewri Fort
Sewri Fort
The Sewri Fort is a fort in Mumbai built by the British at Sewri. Built in 1680, fort served as a watch tower, atop a quarried hill overlooking the Mumbai harbour.-History:...
to Sion.
Bombay and Salsette islands
Bombay city was originally an archipelago of seven islandsSeven 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...
of Bombay
Isle of Bombay
thumb|right|The original islandsIsle of Bombay was one of Seven islands of Bombay that were merged to create the city of Bombay. The island has a natural harbour to the east and Malabar hills to west.- References:*...
, Parel
Parel
Lower Parel or Parel is central part of Mumbai. It is also lends its name to two railway stations on the Mumbai suburban railway. Most of the mills in Mumbai used to be in this area till some years ago...
, Mazagaon
Mazagaon
Mazagaon, also spelled Mazgaon and Mazagon , and pronounced by the Catholics as 'Mazgon' or 'Maz-a-gon' and the Marathi-speakers as Mazhgav. It is one of the seven islands of Mumbai. It is part of South Mumbai and can be reached by Byculla Station on the Central railway line and Dockyard Road...
, Mahim
Mahim
Mahim is a neighbourhood in Mumbai. It is also the name of a railway station in Mahim area, on the Mumbai suburban railway on the Western Railway railway line. In ancient times, the area was known as Maijim, Mejambu, Mahikawati....
, Colaba
Colaba
Colaba is a part of the city of Mumbai, India, and also a Lok Sabha constituency. During Portuguese rule in the 16th century, the island was known as Candil...
, Worli
Worli
-History:Worli was one of the original seven islands that constituted the city of Mumbai. Although primarily a fishing village, the Worli Fort, a British fort that is now in ruins, is located there. Its original resident was the legendary Dishankeshwar Kalsi who has also been recognized in several...
, and Old Woman's Island
Old Woman's Island
The Old Woman's Island, also known as Little Colaba is one of the seven islands composing the city of Mumbai, India, and part of the historic Old Bombay....
(also known as Little Colaba). The Treaty of Bassein
Treaty of Bassein (1534)
The Treaty of Bassein was signed by Sultan Bahadur of Gujarat and Portugal on December 23, 1534 while on board the galleon São Mateus. Based on the terms of the agreement, the Portuguese Empire gained control of the city of Bassein, as well as its territories, islands, and seas...
placed the islands into Portuguese possession in 1534. Charles II of England
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
received possession of the islands in 1661 as the dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
of Catherine of Braganza
Catherine of Braganza
Catherine of Braganza was a Portuguese infanta and queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the wife of King Charles II.She married the king in 1662...
. Charles II later leased the islands to the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
in 1668. After the completion of the causeway, the villages of Sion in Bombay and Kurla
Kurla
Kurla is a suburb of Mumbai. It is also the name of one the busiest railway stations on the Mumbai suburban railway on the central and harbour railway lines of Mumbai...
in Salsette were connected. Accessibility considerably increased after construction of this causeway.
Architecture
The Sion causeway is 935 yards long and 24 feet wide, and the roadway is raised to a maximum height of nine feet above the swampy ground. The side walls are of plain stone and lime masonry with earth and stone filling between.At the south end of the causeway is a tablet with the following inscription:
This causeway was begun in May 1798, and was finished in January 1805 during the administration of the Honourable Jonathan Duncan, Esquire. It cost Rs. 50,374. It was doubled in width, and other improvements added, in 1826, under the Government of-the Honourable Mountstuart Elphinstone, at a further cost of Rs. 40,000. The causeway was originally, constructed under the superintendence of Captain William Brooks, of the Engineers; and the additions and the improvements made in 1826 under that of Captain William A. Tate of the same corps
Transport
It is used at all seasons of the year, and, during the dry weather, there is a great traffic. Carts laden with cotton and coal for the Kurla Spinning and Weaving Mills, yarn and cloth from the mills, shell-lime, grass, stones, salt, and other articles, brought into Bombay from different parts of ThaneThane
Thane , is a city in Maharashtra, India, part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, northeastern suburb of Mumbai at the head of the Thane Creek. It is the administrative headquarters of Thane district. On 16 April 1853, G.I.P...
, are carried over the causeway.