What You Will Do
The Matunga walk through HopOn India app reveals the inner workings of the city’s humanity: where ancient communities preserve their cultures against the rising tide of Modernity, celebrate their festivals with much gusto and pursue their diverse paths to spiritual salvation alongside each other. It is a do-it-yourself app
The most special features of this experience are : 1.The walk is crafted like a masterpiece to offer an immersive experience to the traveller with the correct mix of history,culture,myth,food,through professional narration 2.The traveller can take walk anytime as per will, at his/ her own pace 3.The content is developed by domain experts 4.You pay once for three months and need not pay the guide repeatedly.
Discover a mini-South India in the Matunga flower market, a beautiful church dedicated to the Madonna and the curious fire-worshipping community known as the Parsis, ancient migrants to India from Iran. Don’t forget to try our delicious food recommendations.
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Itinerary
Meeting Point
We will start our walk outside the Matunga Railway Station on the Central line at A. Rama
Nayak’s Udupi Shri Krishna Boarding restaurant in the East near the parking.
1
Arya Bhavan
5 minutes
AryaBhavan is one of the
most well-known south Indian
restaurants here. One of the unique dishes they serve
is the ‘Coin Idli’, if you’re going there
we recommend you try it. Further to
the right, in line with AryaBhavan is
a chaat seller named ‘New Pankaj’.
He makes a mean panipuri. You may
want to watch your stomach, though.
2
Ram Ashraya
5 minutes
It is another iconic South India restaurant and it’s over 80 years old.Ram Ashray usually has
good, wholesome food all around. If you like dishes with spices and
diverse combinations, we recommend
the neerdosa, which is served with
an assortment of chutneys for you to
try. In any case, they write down the
day’s specials on a chalkboard out
front In fact, if you happen to be in
luck and it’s not so crowded, we
suggest that you nip inside and have
something anyway!
3
Ramakrishnan flower shop
15 minutes
Before we reach to Flower Market we will visit Giri Stores.
The store has stood here
for decades, and is a haven for all
items of Tamil culture. There is a
dizzying variety of religious items,
like the ingredients required for
special rituals; sacred books
available in various languages;
statues and photos of the gods,
charms and bracelets, herbal home
remedies, costumes for Indian
Classical dance, CDs of classical and
devotional music and many, many
more things.
At flower market you absolutely must take your time
to walk along the market and just
soak in the colours, the fragrance of
the flowers, the varieties of garlands
and flower arrangements, and of
course, the workers in the stalls
weaving garl-ands with skill and
vigour. The bestsellers here are
garlands made of Rose and Jasmine,
or chameli. And some of them sell my
favourite flower of all – the champa,
known in English as the weirdly
named Frangipani. Old-timers
often complain that Matunga is
losing its south Indian character.
Matunga’s flower market is today a
fraction of its earlier size but it is
undeniably south Indian in its
character, and as you walk, you
might forget that you’re in Mumbai
and imagine that you’re in some
small temple town in Tamil Nadu.
The market is hardly a 100 meters
long.
4
The Asthika Samaj Kochu Guruvayoor Sree Ram Mandir
5 minutes
The AsthikaSamaj temple and
another nearby temple, the
BhajanaSamaj, are among the main
institutions that gave Matunga its
significance in the minds of the South
Indian community. The AsthikaSamaj
was established in 1923, and the
temple was consecrated in 1953. As
far as religious denominations go,
this temple belongs to the
Vaishnavite sect, or the devotees of
Vishnu.
If you want to look inside, we suggest
you pause the tour and go inside for
a quick view.
5
B N Maheshwari Udyan
5 minutes
After visiting AsthikaSamaj Temple we will reach at King's Circle near the VIP Showroom. The King’s Circle, Matunga, is famous for
a few things, and We’ll show them to
you before we move on.
First, stand and face the King’s Circle
garden in the centre of the street.
King’s Circle was renamed
MaheshwariUdyan in 1962.
6
Mysore Concerns
5 minutes
This family-run shop has been
around since 1939 and there are
coffee lovers all over India who
swear by it. There are no fillers, no
artificial taste enhancers or
preservatives. Mysore Concerns does not add
chicory to their coffee. You can just stand near the shop
and savour the aroma
7
Cafe Madras®️
5 minutes
It is hard to compress into this tour
what Café Madras, or Madras Café, as
it is known, tells us about Mumbai’s
unique character. Café Madras
opened in 1940, and was transferred
to its present ownership in 1950. It is
now managed by the third
generation of descendants of
GopalKamath. Like we said about
UdupiShri Krishna, they take their
duty of feeding you very seriously.
From the time you approach the
entrance, gingerly snaking your way
past the waiting crowd, there’s just
one word to describe your
experience as a diner: clockwork. As
the crowd buzzes around
impatiently, a no-nonsense man at
the counter takes your name down in
an old diary. About once every
minute he will impatiently call out a
name, a maximum of three times. If
he doesn’t get an answer, he moves
on to the next name. When it’s your
turn, you squeeze yourself into one
of the tiny benches at the table.
Tables are always shared in Café
Madras, as they are in all the south
Indian restaurants here. Across the street from
Madras Café you will spot the rear
end of the Sheetal Book Depot. From
this bookstall there extends another
arc of the circle. There you will find
two more iconic south Indian
restaurants, Café Mysoreand Café
AnandBhavan.Café Mysore has a
reputation to match Café Madras, as
it was the favourite haunt of actor
Raj Kapoor and industrialist
MukeshAmbani.
8
Koolar & Co
5 minutes
Now that you’re across the road,
welcome to the DadarParsi colony!
This is not exactly the Parsi Colony
itself, but your entry point to it. And
our very first glimpse of it begins
with an Irani café – an enduring
symbol of the Iraniinflux to India. The café opened in 1932, and
today it is run by the sons of the
original founder. The brothers –
Amir and Ali Koolar, are loud, jolly,
stylish and flamboyant. If
you can bear owner's constant yelling and
cursing his waiters, you may go in and relish
some very, very tasty Irani snacks
and lunch items. You can try the Irani
café staple snack – Bun Maska with
Chai. If you’re a little hungrier, try
the eggs - the Iranis and Parsis just
love their eggs. Koolar offers a
massive 5-egg Omelette called the
Wrestler Omelette and actual
bodybuilders and fitness freaks
swear by it! My favourite, though, is
the Chilli Garlic Potato Bhurji. Then
there’s the heavenly KheemaPao,
minced mutton stir fried with spices
like Bay leaf, Pepper corns, cloves
and cinnamon.
9
Don Bosco High School, Matunga
10 minutes
Walking down towards Lane 34 Crossing, you might
notice a number of small snack shops
on both sides, and if you’re here in
the daytime you’ll probably see
bunches of youngsters milling about
in that generally aimless manner that
kids have. You might spot young
couples, sitting in small cafes,
sharing greasy starters and making
googly eyes at one another. They’re
mostly students of the Khalsa college
that will appear at the end of the
street to your right. But more about
that later. As you walk up to the end
of the lane, a large cream-coloured
sandstone structure will appear
before you. This is the Don Bosco
church. Look up at the dome of the
church as you walk, and soon a tall,
golden statue will be visible ahead.
You can stop for a second if you like,
and observe the statue. Do you see
her? That is Mary, Help of Christians.
She is twelve feet tall, and plated in
gold. In the days when Matunga was
a small, marshy suburb, she was
visible for miles around, and was a
major landmark of the area.
The church that stands tall in
front of you is one of the most
imposing and delightful structures
you will see on this tour. If you’re
here in the daytime, you might hear
the noisy classrooms on either side
of the church. If you’re here in the
evening or on a Sunday, you might
see glimpses of Mass inside. The
church is officially known as the
Shrine of Don Bosco’s Madonna, and
it sits at the head of the Don Bosco
High School Campus.
The construction of the church began
in 1955, and was completed in 1957,.
The exterior was made using granite
quarried from a district called Malad,
which used to be jungle and is now
the most crowded suburb of
Mumbai. The interior was laid with
imported Italian marble. The statue
of Mary was cast in the Italian city of
Turin. The mosaic on the façade
depicts Don Bosco with the
Madonna.
10
Guru Nanak Khalsa College of Arts, Science & Commerce (Autonomous)
5 minutes
The campus of the Khalsa College, run
by a Sikh religious trust. Remember
what we said about Matunga being a
melting pot of multiple
communities? The Khalsa College
was founded here in 1937, 10 years
before India’s independence. While
the Khalsa college is not one of the
top collegesin Bombay, some of its
students have gone on to become
great sports players. The most
famous student to have come out of
here, though, is the great actor Dilip
Kumar of Bollywood. The college
also hosts a number of Punjabi
cultural events to promote their
culture, and in particular they
organize an elaborate celebration of
Baisakhi, the Punjabi spring festival.
11
Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute VJTI
5 minutes
Before we reach to VJTI Main Gate we will visit the Lane 32 Crossing towards the VJTI lane. We will visit or stand under a Rain tree and talk about them how they end up here.
We have seen a
temple and a church, and soon we
shall see a Parsi Fire
-Temple. We
won’t even get around to seeing the
Sikh Gurudwara and the Mosque in
the nearby areas, for they are not
part of our tour. All these places of
worship in such close proximity
clearly indicate a life of harmony
amidst diversity. These communities
live cheek
-by
-jowl next to each other,
and yet are stratified along caste and
religious lines.
Mumbai’s
multiculturalism, its cosmopolitan
spirit, is marked by a high tolerance
for differences, and even friendships
and cooperation, without losing sight
of one’s own cultural roots.
Coming down the lane, we are
headed towards our next stop,
known as VJTI college.
You will also see armored cars date back
to the Second World War! They’re
known as the Chevrolet Staghounds.
They were manufactured by the
American company
,
- and were used
by the British against the Japanese in
Burma. Stop outside the gate awhile,
and We’ll tell you more about the place around.
12
Free Open Gym - Five Gardens
5 minutes
The city of Mumbai has built itself up
like anexpanding blob, an unplanned
sprawl. People are starved of
greenery and open spaces. So as you
walk out into the 5 Gardens area, you
are walking into one of Bombay’s few
Green Lungs, as they’re called. The
city’s thousands come here for their
recreation all through the day and
night. To your left is the football and
cricket ground, which has no grass.
You might see children playing here.
Coming up on your left at the tip of
this park, is an open-air gymnasium.
13
Dadar Parsee Colony Gymkhana
5 minutes
Before we reach Dadar Parsee Gymkhana we will walk through the Jame Jamshed Road Crossing and will tell you more about Parsi religion - The
Parsis follow Zoroastrianism, after
their most prominent prophet,
Zarathustra, Anglicized as Zoroaster.
The Parsis worship a supreme spirit
known as Ahura Mazda. This religion
flourished in what is Modern-day
Iran, once known as Persia, which is
related to the term Parsi.
After the crossing on your right you can just about
make out the large cricket grounds of
the DadarParsi Gymkhana. Today,
cricket is one of the greatest crazes
in India. You’d have to search long
and hard to find Parsi cricketers
amongst the Sporting gods in India, I
think there’s just one Parsi who has
played for India in the last 20 years.
But would you believe, the Parsis
were the first among the Indians to
start playing cricket in India? It’s
true! You can resume walking down
Jam-e-Jamshed Lane now. As you
walk on, take a look at the pretty
buildings and balconies, and We’ll tell
you the story of the first Indian
Cricket Team.
14
Della Towers Dadgah
5 minutes
Before we reach at Della Towers we will walk through the Parsi Colony towards a Nagchampa tree. The Nag-Champa tree, and its flowers
are very fragrant in season. The
flower is used to make incense,
essential oil and fragrances.
Sometimes, when the flowers are in
bloom, if you walk under this tree it
blesses you with a simply divine
fragrance. If you’re here during
season by any chance, do stop and
take a whiff! To the right of the tree
stands yet another building that
features those external columns we
told you about - i.e buildings have retained their old
character, with their stone facades,
their expansive balconies with
wrought iron grilles, and even some
stained glass on the windows, do you see?
Now we will walk towards the end of the lane as recommended on the map in our app.
Della Towers was built very
recently, and became famous almost
immediately, and you will soon see
why. If you stand outside and look at
the façade you will see how the
builder has attempted to blend
contemporary urban architecture
with ancient Iranian cultural icons in
order to revive the pride of the
Parsis in their cultural heritage. Della
Tower was designed by the
Parsibuilder Jimmy Mistry, who says
he was inspired by the Achaemenian
Architecture, the splendid style of
ancient Persia, especially as seen in
the historic city of Persepolis in Iran.
The large columns extending
upwards on either side reflect this
style very clearly.
15
Rustom Framna Agiary
5 minutes
Before we reach at Rustom Framna Agiary we will walk through Adenwala Road Crossing. As you walk down Adenwala Road
you can see why DadarParsi Colony
is a subject of much fascination for
newcomers to Bombay. Most of our
population lives in densely crowded
suburbs, which consist of narrow
and dusty lanes, and lined with
identical looking buildings with
matchbox sized flats inside. So to
come to this old-fashioned
neighbourhood of an old-fashioned
community, to walk down this broad,
tree-shaded road with these sweet
old houses on either side - all of this
becomes a tourist experience for the
Mumbaikar within his own city.
There’s one thing you might wonder
about on this tour – why have we
focused so much on Parsis?. We will tell you.
The RustomFaramnaAgiary is an
‘AtashAdaran’, or ‘Fire of Fires’,
which is the intermediate grade of
Fire Temples. The agiary must keep a
fire burning at all times. Non-
believers are not allowed inside. To put it broadly, the Parsis are
worshippers of the Sacred Fire. The
fire is a manifestation of Ahura
Mazda, the Creator and Lord of the
Highest Wisdom. There are different
kinds of Fire, and a fire temple is
graded based on how sacred is the
Fire within. The fire temple itself is
usually not very ornate, as it is
considered to be simply the abode of
the fire, and need not attract
attention to itself. We will tell you the story about RustomFaramna, after whom this
agiary was named.
16
The J.B. Vachha Girls High School
5 minutes
Before we reach at JB Vacha we will visit pretty features of the houses like the proud façade of the Dinu Villa and the Greek elegance of Khorshed Villa.
The JB Vacha school is a school set
up by the community for Parsi girls.
Of course, girls from all communities
in the area also attend the school. The school itself
is nearly a 100 years old! We will tell you more while you look at it.
If you have reached the end of the JB
Vacha school campus, you will find
yourself back at the 5 Gardens block.
This ends our exhaustive tour of the
cultural heritage of bombay - This
endless variety, this rich harmonious
existence is what fuels my constant
delight in my city, and We are happy to
share it with you. We encourage you to
continue strolling up Adenwala road,
enjoying the scenery.
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