Dadar (
">̪aːd̪əɾ is a densely populated residential and shopping neighbourhood in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
. It is also a prominent railway and bus service hub with local and national connectivity.
Dadar holds the distinction of being Mumbai’s first planned area, and is a hub for the city's
Marathi
Marathi may refer to:
*Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India
*Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people
*Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece
See also
*
* ...
culture. It includes the Dadar West area.
History
Origins
In the 16th century, the area was known as lower
Mahim as it was located on the island of Mahim, one of the
Seven islands of Mumbai which, after the Bombay Island, was the most important during the whole of the Portuguese period. The Portuguese
Franciscans
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
built a church here in 1596 called ''Nossa Senhora de Salvação'', which is popularly known today as
Portuguese Church
, native_name_lang = pt
, image = Lisboa_May_2013-1.jpg
, imagewidth = 200px
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Saint Mary Major, the seat of the Cardinal-Patriarch of Lisbon
, abbreviat ...
and is a familiar Dadar landmark.
19th and 20th century
The Dadar-
Matunga
Matunga (Marathi pronunciation: aːʈuŋɡaː is a locality in the heart of Mumbai City towards downtown Mumbai. It is serviced by the Matunga Road station on the Western line, Matunga station on the Central Line and King's Circle station on ...
-
Wadala
Wadala (also spelled Vadala, formerly spelt Wuddala, əɖaːɭa is a locality in Mumbai. Wadala Road is a station on the Harbour Line of Mumbai's railway network.
Overview
Wadala has several schools and some renowned institutions like ...
-
Sion
Sion may refer to
* an alternative transliteration of Zion
People
* Sion (name) or Siôn, a Welsh and other given name and surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Shion or Sion, a Japanese given name
Pl ...
scheme of 1899-1900 was the first planned scheme in Mumbai. The
Bombay Improvement Trust
The Bombay City Improvement Trust (BIT) was created on 9 December 1898, in response to the Bombay plague epidemic of 1896. It was created through an Act of the Parliament. The Municipal Corporation and the government handed over all vacant lands ...
devised the plan to relieve congestion in the centre of the town following the
plague epidemics of the 1890s. According to the survey plan, 60,000 people were to be housed at Dadar-Matunga and an equal number in Sion-
Matunga
Matunga (Marathi pronunciation: aːʈuŋɡaː is a locality in the heart of Mumbai City towards downtown Mumbai. It is serviced by the Matunga Road station on the Western line, Matunga station on the Central Line and King's Circle station on ...
. 85,000 people were to be accommodated in the developments in
Sewri
Sewri (IAST: ''Śivdī,'' iʋɖiː is a locality along the eastern edge of South Mumbai, in Maharashtra, India. It is also the name of a railway station on the Central Railway Harbour Line.
Sewri (pronounced as Shivdi / शिवडी) was ...
-
Wadala
Wadala (also spelled Vadala, formerly spelt Wuddala, əɖaːɭa is a locality in Mumbai. Wadala Road is a station on the Harbour Line of Mumbai's railway network.
Overview
Wadala has several schools and some renowned institutions like ...
.
Among the institutions moved to Dadar under the City Improvement Trust (CIT) plan were
Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute
Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) ( Marathi : ''वीरमाता जिजाबाई टेक्नॉलोजिकल इन्स्टिट्यूट)'' is a state funded college located in Mumbai, Maharashtra, ...
, now known as Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute and King George school, now known as IES'
Raja Shivaji Vidyalaya
Raja Shivaji Vidyalaya is one of the three medium high schools (formerly known as King George High School), in the Dadar neighborhood of Mumbai, Maharastra, India. Raja Shivaji is a Marathi medium school and the Indian Education Society's aka IES ...
(now a collection of several schools). The plan regulated constructions and restricted building construction to three storey high with open space between them.
Ramnarain Ruia College
Ramnarain Ruia Autonomous College is a college affiliated to the University of Mumbai, in Matunga, Mumbai, India. It was established in June 1937. The University of Mumbai granted autonomous status to Ramnarain Ruia College in year 2017. It co ...
in 1937 and Ramniranjan Podar College was founded in 1939, completing Dadar’s transition from a residential area to a more diverse neighborhood. Both colleges are run by SP Mandali.
Dr. Antonio Da Silva High School, founded in 1851 during the
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
period, and one of Mumbai’s oldest schools, is located here.
During the cotton mill era of Mumbai, some key mills like Bombay Dyeing (Spring Mills), Gold Mohur Mills, Kohinoor Mills, Ruby Mills and Tata Mills were located in Dadar. During the
redevelopment of Mumbai mills
The redevelopment of Mumbai's cotton mills began in 1992, when efforts began to demolish the numerous cotton mills that once dotted the landscape of Mumbai, India, to make way for new residential and commercial buildings, as part of the wider mod ...
some of these were redeveloped or went defunct.
By 1937
Shivaji Park
Shivaji Park, officially Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park, is a public park situated in Dadar, Mumbai. It is the largest park in the island city. Similar but bigger in size to Azad Maidan and August Kranti Maidan (formerly Gowalia Tank Ground ...
and the surrounding areas were developed. This public space was to become an important stage in the political drama leading up to
India's independence
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947.
The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal. ...
. Later political history in Mumbai also unfolded in this park.
The Sharadashram society as well as school built-in 1948-50 are the biggest landmarks of Dadar. Sharadashram society is Asia's first registered society as well as first society in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
.
During the
1993 Bombay bombings, a defused bomb was discovered in Dadar by Dr. JK Mandot who also provided the
Mumbai police their first clue in the 1993 blasts probe, when on 13 March 1993, he alerted them about a dubious-looking Bajaj Chetak scooter (MH-04-Z-261) parked outside his dispensary on Naigaum Cross Road. The scooter, laden with RDX, had failed to explode, and was defused after Mandot's call to the police control room
Present
Dadar has growing importance in the current scenario because of its railway routes. The old
chawls are giving way to new high-rise buildings. Thus changing the skyline of the place. The Khodadad circle and its surrounding buildings are a heritage site of Grade IIB.
Infrastructure
Prominent Residential Neighbourhoods
*
Shivaji Park
Shivaji Park, officially Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park, is a public park situated in Dadar, Mumbai. It is the largest park in the island city. Similar but bigger in size to Azad Maidan and August Kranti Maidan (formerly Gowalia Tank Ground ...
*
Worli - Bandra Sea link view
*
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Memorial (
Chaitya Bhoomi
Chaitya Bhoomi (IAST: ''Caityabhūmī'', Officially: ''Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Mahaparinirvan Memorial'') is a Buddhist chaitya and the cremation place of B. R. Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. It is situated besides D ...
)
* Dadar is also home to the Mumbai Mayor's Bungalow, the official residence of the
Mayor of Mumbai
The Mayor of Mumbai is the elected chief of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. The mayor is the first citizen of the city. The role is largely ceremonial as the real powers are vested in the Municipal Commissioner. The Mayor plays a ...
.
Transportation
Rail Transport
Dadar is a prominent
railway terminus
A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing suc ...
on both the
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
and
Central lines of the
Mumbai Suburban Railway
The Mumbai Suburban Railway ( Marathi: मुंबई उपनगरीय रेल्वे) (colloquially called local trains or simply locals) consists of exclusive inner suburban railway lines augmented by commuter rail on main lines ser ...
network. Being the only common railway station to both the Central and Western lines, it makes a transit point for many passengers traveling through Suburban Railway.
Dadar will also be served by
Line 3 of the
Mumbai Metro
The Mumbai Metro is a rapid transit (MRT) system serving the city of Mumbai and the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region in Maharashtra, India.Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority is responsible authority for maintaining the metro system ...
.
Road Transport
Dadar east has been also a key interchange point for those coming from
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...
,
Panvel
Panvel () is a city and taluka in Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. It is highly populated due to its closeness to Mumbai. Panvel is also governed for development purpose by the body of Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Panvel Municipal Corpor ...
and
Navi Mumbai
Navi Mumbai (), is a planned city situated on the west coast of the Indian subcontinent, located in the Konkan division of Maharashtra state, on the mainland of India.
Navi Mumbai is part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The city i ...
by road transport. A bus hub next to Dadar GPO is a destination point for many buses coming from out of Mumbai.
Locally, Dadar is well connected to other neighborhoods of Mumbai, namely
Matunga
Matunga (Marathi pronunciation: aːʈuŋɡaː is a locality in the heart of Mumbai City towards downtown Mumbai. It is serviced by the Matunga Road station on the Western line, Matunga station on the Central Line and King's Circle station on ...
,
Wadala
Wadala (also spelled Vadala, formerly spelt Wuddala, əɖaːɭa is a locality in Mumbai. Wadala Road is a station on the Harbour Line of Mumbai's railway network.
Overview
Wadala has several schools and some renowned institutions like ...
,
Parel-
Prabhadevi
Prabhadevi (Pronunciation: ɾəbʱaːd̪eʋiː is a small up-scale southern neighbourhood of Mumbai, situated between Dadar to the north, Worli to the south and the Arabian Sea to the west. The area derives its name from the 300 year old Prab ...
, and
Mahim.
Metro
Currently Metro 3 is under construction which is the completely under ground metro rail project in Mumbai.
Culture
Dadar has long been a cultural center for the native
Marathi
Marathi may refer to:
*Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India
*Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people
*Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece
See also
*
* ...
speaking local people and from the rest of
Maharashtra. Being along the
Konkan coast
The Konkan ( kok, कोंकण) or Kokan () is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, running from Damaon in the north to Karwar in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau in the east. The hinterland ...
, like the rest of Mumbai, the native language of the region is Marathi.
Cinema
Dada Saheb Phalke (in recognition of whom the road Dada Saheb Phalke Road is named) partly shot his first film "Raja Harishchandra" at Mathura Bhavan, in one of his friend's residence in Dadar East. Apart from this studio, many other prominent film studios such as
Ranjit Studios
Ranjit Studios, also known as Ranjit Movietone, was an Indian film production company with studio facilities located in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It produced films between 1929 and mid-1970s. The studio was founded by Chandulal Shah along wit ...
and Rooptara Studios were eventually built on this road.
There is also an active crowd that watches dramas and
Shivaji Mandir
Shri Shivaji Mandir is a theatre auditorium located in Dadar
Dadar ( ̪aːd̪əɾ is a densely populated residential and shopping neighbourhood in Mumbai. It is also a prominent railway and bus service hub with local and national connecti ...
is one of the few theatres in Mumbai that has catered to the middle class' interest in the dramatic arts. It was here that artists like Vijay Tendulkar,
Vijaya Mehta
Vijaya Mehta (born 4 November 1934), is a noted Indian Marathi film and theatre director and also an actor in many films from the Parallel Cinema. She is a founder member of Mumbai-based theatre group, Rangayan with playwright Vijay Tendulka ...
, Mahesh Elkunchwar, Dr. Shreeram Lagoo and
Nana Patekar
Vishwanath Patekar (born 1 January 1951), better known as Nana Patekar, is an Indian actor, screenwriter, film maker, and a former Indian Territorial Army officer, mainly working in Hindi and Marathi cinema. He is regarded as one of the finest an ...
found an eager audience.
Dadar has been also home to movie halls like Chitra Cinema,
Inox Nakshatra and Hindmata Cinema.
Plaza Cinema, a prominent theatre in west Dadar was damaged during the
1993 bomb-blasts/riots. It has now reopened and remains one of the theatres in Mumbai that show
Marathi
Marathi may refer to:
*Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India
*Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people
*Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece
See also
*
* ...
movies.
Restaurants and cuisine
Vada Pao was invented outside Dadar Station in 1971, by Ashok Vaidya using the Pao (Portuguese word for bread). Apart from Vada Pao, Dadar is also popular for traditional Maharashtrian food like Batata Vada, Thalipith,
Sabudana Vada
Tapioca pearls, also known as tapioca balls, are edible translucent spheres produced from tapioca, a starch made from the cassava root. They originated as a cheaper alternative to sago in Southeast Asian cuisine. When used as an ingredient in b ...
,
Misal Pav,
''Misal'' (Marathi language, Marathi: मिसळ Help:IPA/Marathi, isəɭ meaning "mixture"), is a very popular spicy dish in the Western Indian state of Maharashtra. The dish is mostly eaten for breakfast or as a midday snack or sometimes ...
Pav, Puri Bhaji, Pithla Bhakri, Piyush (a sweet drink) and Lassi. There are many restaurants like Prakash Hotel, Aaswad Hotel, Gypsy, Sindhudurg Hotel, Gomantak Hotel and Panshikar that serve Marathi food. However, food option is as diverse as it can get in Mumbai. Restaurants catering to Udupi, Panjabi and north Indian, Chinese, Thai and many other cuisines dot the landscape.
Park & Gardens
Shivaji Park
Shivaji Park, officially Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park, is a public park situated in Dadar, Mumbai. It is the largest park in the island city. Similar but bigger in size to Azad Maidan and August Kranti Maidan (formerly Gowalia Tank Ground ...
, one of the largest parks in Mumbai is situated in Dadar west and is the hub of sports activities, particularly for cricket enthusiasts. Many cricketers like
Ashok Mankad
Ashok Mulvantrai Mankad (12 October 1946 – 1 August 2008) was an Indian cricketer. A right-handed batsman, he played for India in 22 Test matches.
Ashok Mankad was born in a Vadnagra Nagar Brahmin family as the eldest son of Vinoo Mank ...
,
Vinoo Mankad
Mulvantrai Himmatlal "Vinoo" Mankad (; 12 April 1917 – 21 August 1978) was an Indian cricketer who appeared in 44 Test matches for India between 1946 and 1959. He was best known for his world record setting opening partnership of 413 runs wi ...
,
Vijay Hazare
Vijay Samuel Hazare (11 March 1915 – 18 December 2004) was an Indian cricketer. He captained India in 14 matches between 1951 and 1953. In India's 25th Test match, nearly 20 years after India achieved Test status, he led India to its first ...
,
Salim Durani
Salim Aziz Durani (born 11 December 1934) is a former Indian cricketer who played in 29 Test matches from 1960 to 1973. An all-rounder, Durani was a slow left-arm orthodox bowler and a left-handed batsman famous for his six-hitting prowess. He ...
,
Ajit Wadekar
Ajit Laxman Wadekar (; 1 April 1941 – 15 August 2018) was an Indian international cricketer who played for the Indian national team between 1966 and 1974. Described as an "aggressive batsman", Wadekar made his first-class debut in 1958, ...
,
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar Gavaskar (Marathi pronunciation: uniːl ɡaːʋəskəɾ ; born 10 July 1949), is an Indian cricket commentator and former cricketer who represented India and Bombay from 1971 to 1987. Gavaskar is acknowledged as one of the grea ...
,
Sandip Patil
Sandeep Patil ( ; born 18 August 1956) is a former Indian cricketer, Indian national age group cricket manager and former Kenya cricket team, Kenya national team coach, who guided the underdogs to the semi-finals of the 2003 Cricket World Cup, ...
,
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-sco ...
,
Vinod Kambli
Vinod Kambli (; born 18 January 1972) is a former Indian international Cricketer, who played for India as a left-handed middle order batsman, as well as for Mumbai and Boland, South Africa. Kambli became the first cricketer in cricket history ...
,
Ajit Agarkar
Ajit Bhalchandra Agarkar (born 4 December 1977) is a former Indian cricketer and a commentator. He has represented India in more than 200 international matches in all three formats of the game. He is the third highest wicket-taker for India i ...
and
Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Vijay Manjrekar (born 12 July 1965) is an Indian cricket commentator and former cricketer. He played international cricket for India from 1987 until 1996 as a right-handed middle order batsman.
Domestic career
Manjrekar was born in Mang ...
have been trained here. Spread across 112, 937 square meters (27.907 acres) it houses Samartha Vyayam Mandir (gymnasium), Shivaji Park Nagrik Sangh, Shivaji Park Gymkhana (club), Mai Mangeshkar Balodyan, Aji-Ajoba Udyan, Scout's Pavilion, Udyan Ganesh Mandir, The Bengali Club with Kali shrine and a library. The walkway is lined with huge rain trees and stone wall for sitting, a popular evening spot for many residents around.
Dadar Chowpatty (seashore) with its sea, sand and Mumbai chat counters is a popular getaway for families from the hustle bustle of the city. Some other parks include Five Gardens next to Parsi Colony, Veer Kotwal Udyan, Vaidya Udyan along Lakhamsi Nappu road.
Places of worship
Dadar has plenty of religious places including BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir (opp. Dadar east railway station), Rustom Foramina Agiary (Parsi colony), N C Narielwala Dadar Agiary (Naigam cross road), Kali Temple (Shivaji Park), Ganesh temple (Shivaji Park), Siddhivinayak Temple (Dadar), Jakhadevi Mandhir (Saitan Chowki) Sri Guru Singh Sabha Bombay (Ambedkar road), Shri Krishna Mandir Sabhagruh, Shri Mahaveer Digambar Jain Mandir, Hanuman Mandir (outside Dadar east railway station), Peer Bagdadi Dargah and mosque, Portuguese church (Dadar west), St. Marys Orthodox Cathedral (first Malankara Orthodox Syrian church in Mumbai) and Indian Pentecostal church.
Dadar is also home to
Chaitya Bhoomi
Chaitya Bhoomi (IAST: ''Caityabhūmī'', Officially: ''Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Mahaparinirvan Memorial'') is a Buddhist chaitya and the cremation place of B. R. Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. It is situated besides D ...
, memorial and place where
B. R. Ambedkar
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who headed the committee drafting the Constitution of India from the Constituent Assembly debates, served ...
, Chief architect of Indian Constitution was cremated. His death anniversary, 6 December, is observed as Mahaparinirvan Din when lakhs of people across the nation throng Chaityabhoomi to pay homage to him.
Contribution to Indian Cricket
Dadar area has also hosted two famous cricket clubs - Dadar Union and Shivaji Park Gymkhana - which have contributed a lot to Indian cricket. Famous names to have appeared for Dadar Union include Sunil Gavaskar, his uncle Madahv Mantri, the club's long time captain Vasu Paranjape, Ramnath Kenny, Naren Tamhane, Subhash Gupte, Ramnath Parkar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sanjay Manjrekar. Shivaji Park Gymkhana team has been represented by Ajit Wadekar, Ramakant Desai, Baloo Gupte, Vijay Manjrekar.
Sachin Tendulkar's coach Ramakant Acharekar trained his students at Shivaji Park. Shivaji Park is home to eight of the more famous cricket clubs. Apart from Tendulkar, Eknath Solakr, Chandrakant Pandit, Lalchand Rajput, Sandeep Patil, Ajit Agarkar also honed their cricket skills at
Shivaji Park
Shivaji Park, officially Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park, is a public park situated in Dadar, Mumbai. It is the largest park in the island city. Similar but bigger in size to Azad Maidan and August Kranti Maidan (formerly Gowalia Tank Ground ...
in Dadar.
Education
Dadar boasts some of the most reputed schools and colleges in Mumbai. Antonio Da Silva High School (estd 1868), King George School (now IES) (estd 1912), Our Lady of Dolours/Salvation (tests 1940), St. Paul's High School (estd 1945), Shardashram Vidya Mandir (estd. 1949) and
Balmohan Vidyamandir
Balmohan Vidyamandir was founded on June 03, 1940 by Late Shri. S.D.Rege alias “Dada” as he was fondly known amongst his students, parents and the community, was a teacher par excellence. The School was named “Balmohan Vidyamandir”. “B ...
(estd 1940) are some of the oldest schools founded during the
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
period. Dadar East houses Smt. Kamla Mehta Dadar School for the Blind, a 100+ years old institution that was set up by American Marathi Mission to serve blind children.
Two of the most prominent colleges in Mumbai,
Ramnarain Ruia College
Ramnarain Ruia Autonomous College is a college affiliated to the University of Mumbai, in Matunga, Mumbai, India. It was established in June 1937. The University of Mumbai granted autonomous status to Ramnarain Ruia College in year 2017. It co ...
and
Ramniranjan Anandilal Podar College of Commerce and Economics
Rāmniranjan Ānandilāl Podār College of Commerce and Economics (Autonomous), popularly known as R.A Podar College is affiliated with the University of Mumbai, situated in Matunga, Mumbai, India. It is run by the Shikshan Prasarak Mandali, a ...
are in Dadar.
Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute
Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) ( Marathi : ''वीरमाता जिजाबाई टेक्नॉलोजिकल इन्स्टिट्यूट)'' is a state funded college located in Mumbai, Maharashtra, I ...
is one of the oldest engineering colleges in India and is in Matunga, adjacent to Dadar.
Dadar hosts specialised institutes like
Institute of Hotel Management
The Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition (IHMCT&AN), generally known as Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), is a multi-location public hospitality school in India. IHM is established by the Ministry of Touri ...
(IHM) and
National Institute of Fashion Technology or NIFT (Ministry of Textiles, Government of India).
Food
* Bhooj Adda,
See also
*
Bhagnari
Bhagnari is a Hindu Baloch community living in India. They trace their origin to Southern Balochistan. They migrated to India after Partition.
History
The Bhagnaris were inhabitants of the city of Bhag in the plains of southern Balochistan. T ...
References
{{Authority control
Neighbourhoods in Mumbai