Borivali

Borivali Borivli
Neighborhood
View of Borivali skyline from Sanjay Gandhi National Park
Borivali Location of Borivali in Mumbai Show map of India Borivali Borivali (Maharashtra) Show map of Maharashtra Borivali Borivali (Mumbai) Show map of Mumbai
Coordinates: 19°14′N 72°52′E / 19.23°N 72.86°E / 19.23; 72.86Coordinates: 19°14′N 72°52′E / 19.23°N 72.86°E / 19.23; 72.86
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
District	Mumbai
City	Mumbai
Population (1991)
• Total	600,000
Languages
• Official	Marathi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registration	MH-02 MH-47
Lok Sabha constituency	Mumbai North
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Borivali[1] Magathane[2]

Reliefs at Borivali, 1897.

Reliefs at Borivali, 1897.

Borivali or Borivli is a neighborhood located in north-west Mumbai. Borivali is approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi) from Mumbai Airport. The estimated population of Borivali in 2010 was 513,077.

History

Borivali was developed of what once used to be a congregate region of smaller towns namely; Eksar, Poisar, Vazira, Shimpoli, Mandpeshwar, Kanheri, Tulsi, Magathane and others, which were situated on and around Mount Poinsur, between the Dahisar River and Poisar River.

It is believed that the name "Borivali" comes from the existence of a lot of bushes of a sweet fruit called "Borr(Marathi)" meaning berries in English. Hence, named the town of berries literally 'bori-vali'. The existence of the ancient temple of Lord Ganesha "Shree Svayambhu Ganpati devalaya" in Vazira Naka area, meaning the 'self-manifested ' or the 'one that is created from its own accord' in Hinduism and Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church, at Mt. Poinsur, Christian church are the real examples of the mix of ethnicity and vibrant cultural mix of the population living here since ages.

The pre-historic era's "Mandpeshwar" and "Kanheri caves" stand a testament to the rich history of this place. Borivali was spelt 'Berewlee' by the then ruled India under the British Raj Era. It is also spelt and pronounced as "Borivli".

Borivali is lush green still even after being populated densely due to the presence of,^[3] previously known as the "BORIVALI NATIONAL PARK" in the east and the lush mangroves in the west end of Borivali.

Borivali was once inhabited by various ethnic groups who had huge parcels of lands and cultivated fruit orchards and were called "wadis" simply meaning orchard in Marathi. Almost all the land here was rich and fertile, suitable for agriculture and cultivation of fruits; especially mangoes (Aamba), sapota (Chickoos), coconut trees (Naral) are abundant here.

Other than this it was also a fishing haven due to its proximity to the local "Gorai" beach. Gorai beach is one of the hidden gems of Mumbai city, less populated and still cleaner than most of its counterparts.

Borivali boasts a shopping mall, one of the earliest in Mumbai, called "Indraprastha" Due to trade and urbanization, Borivali has emerged as one of the major neighborhoods after Bandra, Andheri, due to its rail, road network and airport connectivity and development of schools, colleges, offices and industries during the last 40 years.

Landmarks

Borivali lies in north-west Mumbai. Its one of the major neighbourhoods of Mumbai. Social amenities include hospitals, schools, colleges, cafes, restaurants, parks and shopping malls. It is a lovely green neighbourhood with gardens at almost every block. Borivali is the only neighbourhood in Mumbai which has a forest on the east (Sanjay Gandhi National Park) & mangrove forests in Gorai, in the west. It also has two rivers which pass through it; the Dahisar river and Poisar river.

The Sanjay Gandhi National Park lies in the eastern half of Borivali near the Western Urban Road. It is a bustling forest, with an estimated 800 types of mauve, 1000 plant species, 251 species of migratory, land and water birds, 50,000 species of insects, 40 species of mammals, 38 species of reptiles, 9 species of amphibians, 150 species of butterflies and a large variety of fish. Also, it houses a 4th-century BCE archaeological site called Kanheri Caves. The park extends to most of the suburbs in Mumbai.

It has three huge statues of Jain tirthankar Lord Adinath and his two sons Bharat and Bahubali. Borivali is home to the Mandapeshwar Caves which are in the west. There was a tunnel to Vasai Fort passing through Borivali; it is said to be touching these caves. The entry to the tunnels from the caves no more exists. These caves have a rich history and are proved to be built by the same people as the Kanheri Caves.

One of the many gardens that Borivali boasts of is the Veer Savarkar Udyan on Lokmanya Tilak Road. It has four entrances from T.P.S. road, Factory lane and Babhai and is an ideal place for all which have facilities like jogging track, boating area, kids' play-garden, skating etc. Gorai Udyan is at Gorai Sector-1. In 2009, Jhansi Ki Rani Laxmibai Joggers' Park^[4] was inaugurated on Link road adjacent to the famous Eskay Resort. The plot measures around 4 acres, has a jogging track surrounding a water body where boating facilities have been started and features slabs with information on various freedom fighters scripted on them, besides seating areas for senior citizens. Another Joggers' Park is located in Chikuwadi. Borivali is a melting pot of different ages as the large number of gardens in the western part of this suburb makes this an ideal residential option for kids, senior citizens, the middle aged, and college goers. It has also become a hub for street food.

One of the finest 'Navratri' Indian festival devoted and celebrated for Durga (Hindu Goddess)is held at Kora Kendra Ground, which is the major attraction and well known celebration done in this suburb. Festivals are celebrated with equal enthusiasm and joy be it Hindu, Muslim or Christian as all faiths have blended very beautifully here in this lovely neighborhood At the eastern side of Borivali,the Temple of Sai-Dham with many Hindu deities under one roof is worshiped. And Vazira Naka situated in west is very well known for Siddhivinayak Temple of Lord Ganesh (Swayambhu).

Borivali is home to several gaothans (village like localities) such as Vazira, Babhai, Eksar, Chikuwadi, Shimpoli, Poisur and others which are still there with their old charm but slowly giving way to the concrete jungle.

Transport

Road Ways: Autorickshaws, Taxis, BEST buses and Trains are the public modes of transport available in and to Borivali. Connectivity is set to increase with the two metro lines set to pass through Borivali viz. Mumbai Metro Line 2 and Mumbai Metro Line 7

Many outstation buses going to places all over Maharashtra also start from the Sanjay Gandhi National Park area. Also, the Nancy Depot that is in Borivali has started new buses for Pune.

The Domestic Airport is 18 km and International Airport is 14 km from Borivali.

Borivali is also well connected to Thane, Vashi, Dadar, Sion and other places by BEST, NMMT and TMT buses.

• BEST 202 goes from Gorai Depot to Mahim Rly Stn (W) Via Borivali Rly Stn (W).
• BEST 208 goes from Borivali Rly Stn (W) to Saraswati Complex, Dahisar (E).
• BEST 226 goes from Charkop Bus Stn to Barve Nagar (Ghatkopar) Via Borivali Rly Stn (W).
• BEST 245 goes from Borivali Rly Stn (W) to Charkop Bus Stn
• BEST 277 goes from Borivali Rly Stn (E) to Charkop, Kandivali (W).
• BEST 293 goes from Borivali Rly Stn (E) to Jagardev Compound, Kajupada.
• BEST 296 goes from Mahavir Nagar Extension to Shanti Ashram via Satya Nagar, Haridas Nagar
• BEST 298 goes from Borivali Rly Stn (E) to Rawal Pada, Dahisar (E).
• BEST 301 goes from Borivali Rly Stn (E) to Hanuman Tekdi Via Nancy Colony.
• BEST 309 goes from Gorai Depot to Kurla Rly Stn (W) Via Borivali Rly Stn (W).
• BEST 348 Ltd goes from Borivali Rly Stn (E) to Chunabhatti via Rani Laxmibai Chowk (Sion).
• BEST 440 Ltd goes from Borivali Rly Stn (E) to Wadala Depot.
• BEST 461 goes from Charkop Bus Stn to Mulund Check Naka Via Borivali Rly Stn (W).
• BEST 524 Ltd goes from Borivali Rly Stn (E) to APMC Market (Vashi).
• BEST 698 goes from Borivali Rly Stn (E) to NG Park, Rawal Pada, Dahisar (E).
• BEST 700 Ltd goes from Borivali Rly Stn (E) To Thane Rly Stn (E) Via Ghodbunder Road.
• BEST C-60 EXP goes from Borivali Rly Stn (E) to Deonar Depot.
• NMMT AC 123 goes from Borivali Rly Stn (E) to Jalvayu Vihar (Kharghar).
• NMMT AC 125 goes from Borivali Rly Stn (E) to Jalvayu Vihar (Kharghar) Via Eastern Express Highway.
• NMMT AC 131 goes from Borivali Rly Stn (E) to Airoli Bus Stn Via Thane Rly Stn (E), Ghodbunder Road.
• TMT AC 65 goes from Borivali Rly Stn (E) to Thane Rly Stn (E) Via Ghodbunder Road.
• TMT 66 goes from Borivali Rly Stn (E) to Thane Rly Stn (E) Via Ghodbunder Road.

Railway station

Borivali railway station

Borivali railway station is a railway station on the Western line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network. The Borivali Railway Station is a terminus for all slow, semi-fast and fast trains on the Mumbai Suburban Railway system. It also serves as the final city-limit stop for all mail and express trains on Western Railway before leaving Mumbai. As of 2006, there were plans to extend the Harbour Line to Borivali, and expansion plans are in full steam at the railway station.

Borivali Station New Layout (not to scale)

Borivali station layout is now changed as only numbering of platform number. Now platform number 8 is 1,7 is 2,1 is 3,2 is 4& ahead.

Notable people

• Rohit Sharma, Indian Cricketer, Swami Vivekanand International School student^[5]
• Jaywant Dalvi, Marathi author
• Dhondutai Kulkarni, Hindustani classical singer
• Ratnakar Pai, Hindustani classical singer
• Drashti Dhami, TV Actress
• Avdhoot Gupte, Marathi Classical Singer
• Bhavya Gandhi, Child Artist Known as Tapu in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah
• Tanuj Mahashabde, Artist Known as Iyer in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah
• Rohan Shah, Actor, Acted in Channel V and Aao Wish Karein (Movie)
• Gopal Shetty, Member of Parliament, BJP
• Bose Krishnamachari, Malayali Painter
• Vinod Tawde, Member of Legislative Assembly, Minister
• Gopal Shetty, Member of Parliament
• Ram Naik, UP Governor, former minister

Attractions

• Prabodhankar Thackeray Auditorium - A wide variety of dramas, plays are Scheduled (in Marathi, Konkani, Gujarati, Hindi & also in some south Indian languages).
• Gorai Creek is on the western coast of Borivali. It serves as a transit route via ferry to the other side. It also has a government funded fish-market alongside a huge chain of restaurants and shopping places to serve as a commercial venture.
• Gorai Beach is on the western end of Borivali. One can reach here by crossing the Gorai Creek in a ferry. Rickshaw is available on the other side of the ferry. On holidays the beach is full of visitors and localites. Plenty of accommodation options are also available at Gorai beach.^[6]
• Essel World: One of Mumbai's largest amusement parks.^[7]
• Water Kingdom: Asia's largest water park.^[8]
• Swayambhu Ganpati Mandir at Vazira Naka, Borivali (W): "Swayambhu" means " self-incarnating " in Marathi. It is claimed by the local community that a mural of Lord Ganesh appeared on the rocks adjacent to a small pond all of a sudden. Considering it to be blessed, a temple was built around the site which is profoundly venerated both locally and afar.
• The Global Vipassana Pagoda - Pagoda is a meditation center in Gorai. It contains the world's largest stone dome built without any supporting pillars.

Education

See also

• Devipada
• Kandivali
• Dahisar
• Sanjay Gandhi National Park

References