Byculla (

ISO The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Me ...

: Bhāykhaḷā; pronunciation: ʱaːjkʰəɭaː is an area of South Mumbai.

Location

Byculla is neighboured by Nagpada and Mumbai Central and Mahalaxmi on the west; Agripada, Jacob Circle on the north-west: Chinchpokli to the north;

Madanpura Madanpura is a village in the Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is situated around 20 km from the famous and ancient city of Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in nort ...

in the centre; Reay Road and Ghodapdeo on the north-east; Mazagaon and Dockyard Road to the east; and Sandhurst Road and Bhendi Bazaar to the south. Byculla falls under "E" Ward within the

municipal A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the gov ...

limits of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation or BMC.

History

During the late 18th century, Byculla was an extension of Mazagaon, one of the seven islands that originally formed the city of Mumbai. The area was low-lying Flats inundated during the high tide through the Great Breach at Mahalaxmi. However, the breach was closed by the Hornby Vellard project in 1784, which joined all seven islands of Bombay into a single island. This was followed by the construction of the Bellasis Road causeway in 1793. Thereafter the area saw habitation as Europeans living in the Mazagaon area started shifting here. The Byculla Club was opened in 1833. Birthplace of Lady Patricia Helen Marie Rodrigues The Byculla railway station was completed by 1857. This was also the time the first mills came into this area, until then, used only for residential purposes. Byculla used to house many of the city's textile mills until the mills shut shop and moved out of the island city. As of today, few mills are operational and even they are on the brink of closure. Many of these old mills are now desolate and some are being razed down to make way for newer constructions. The Khatau Mills were situated in Byculla, in the news for the alleged murder of the owner Sunit Khatau in May 1994. Byculla saw some horrible riots during 1936-37 rose during temple-mosque dispute.

Demographics

* Traditionally, Byculla has been inhabited by

Parsis The Parsis or Parsees () are a Zoroastrian ethnic group in the Indian subcontinent. They are descended from Persian refugees who migrated to the Indian subcontinent during and after the Arab-Islamic conquest of Iran in the 7th century, w ...

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

and

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

. * Byculla, like many other locations of Mumbai have witnessed strong real estate growth, particularly in the Motisha Lane area where there are many tall residential buildings, occupied by affluent Jain community. * Of late, Byculla has also witnessed the increase of population of

Dawoodi Bohra The Dawoodi Bohras are a religious denomination within the Ismā'īlī branch of Shia Islam. They number approximately one million worldwide and have settled in over 40 countries around the world. The majority of the Dawoodi Bohra community re ...

and other traditional

, who are primarily a business community like most of the Gujaratis. *The Magen David Synagogue of Byculla, the place of worship of the Jewish community is a tourist attraction. * There is also a BIT Chawl in Love lane, primarily housing Marathi working class community, home to one of the largest

Ganesha Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

idols during the Ganeshotsav celebrations. Love Lanecha Raja is one of the largest Ganeshotsav Mandal in Byculla East.

Places of interest

* Heritage Botanical Garden & Zoo: Veermata Jijabai Bhonsale Udyan or Rani Baug (earlier the Victoria Gardens). Spread over 50 acres in the heart of central Mumbai, it is the oldest public garden in the city. * Mumbai's oldest museum: Byculla is home to the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum (formerly, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Bombay, which opened to the public on 2 May 1872. It reopened on 5 January 2008, following an extensive restoration project. * Gloria Church: The Nossa Senhora de Gloria or Our Lady of Gloria Church originally stood in Mazagaon. The Church was rebuilt at its prominent corner site in Byculla in 1913. * Khada Parsi: The Khada Parsi statue, or the Standing Parsi Statue, is a memorial fountain dedicated to Seth Cursetjee Manockjee Shroff (1763–1845), a Parsi businessman and educational reformer. Originally, the cast-iron structure with the bronze statue atop a Corinthian pillar was placed at the Nagpada junction. Today, it stands at the intersection of Byculla, Clare Road and Nagpada, between the branches of the Y-Bridge. * BIT Chawl: The old and most amazing chawl. The houses and build structures are most ungraded then other Mumbai Chawls. * National Railway Hospital: Byculla also possesses the biggest National Railway Hospital called " Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Railway Hospital" in front of Veermata Jijabai Prani Sangrahalaya. * Vegetable Market: The Byculla Vegetable Market is the largest vegetable market in Mumbai (even larger than Crawford Market). * Fly-overs and bridges: Byculla is also known for Mumbai's first-ever Y-shaped bridge built across Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Road which then splits further to go to Byculla East and West before the Clare Road intersection, thereby forming a Y shape when seen from the air. This was one of the oldest fly-overs built in Mumbai. It also has one of its kind S-shaped bridge called as P. S. Mandlik bridge which connects the Byculla East to West near '' Jijamata Udyaan''. * Fire Brigade Headquarters: Mumbai Fire Brigade's headquarters are situated just below the "Y Bridge". In the front of the Headquarters building stands a memorial built in the memory of the numerous fire fighters who died during the Bombay Explosion of April 1944. * Mustafa bazaar: A wholesale timber market is frequently visited by many from the city. * Jerbai Baug and Rustom Baug: are the two

Parsi The Parsis or Parsees () are a Zoroastrian ethnic group in the Indian subcontinent. They are descended from Persian refugees who migrated to the Indian subcontinent during and after the Arab-Islamic conquest of Iran in the 7th century, w ...

colonies where most of the Parsis of Byculla live. * Masina Hospital: Built in memory of Jerbai Masina by her family and descendants, this hospital is a well-known landmark in Byculla. It is run by a Parsi trust. * Seva Niketan: A solar-powered

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

-run men's hostel that has served as headquarters for various NGOs. * Mazagaon: A residential locality close to Byculla which has a hospital named "Prince Aly Khan Hospital". *

Orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...

: Ashadaan is an old age home and a home for specially abled kids.

Places of worship

* Christ Church, Byculla, built in 1833, was one of the last 19th-century churches to be built in the Neoclassical style, as thereafter

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

became the preferred style *Hindu Temple: Byculla has an old Shree Mankeshwar Shivmandir in east and Shree Vitthal Mandir in west. *Jain Temple: Byculla is also known for the Jain Temple, Motisha Jain Derasar. This

Jain temple A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings ge ...

is situated in Love Lane, which has now been renamed as Motisha Lane. *St. Anne's Church: Byculla is also home to St. Anne's Church in Mazagon. The present structure of St Anne's Church was erected in 1881 on top of the foundation of the small chapel that was originally built in 1787. The original chapel was erected by an Armenian woman called Rose Nesbit. The land on which the chapel (and now St Anne's Church) was built was her farmland, on the Island of Mazagon where she lived with her parents. * Gloria Church: Byculla also houses Gloria Church, the church frequented by most local Christians. The Church shares a common playing ground with Antonio D'Souza High School which was built in 1825. * Magen David Synagogue is believed to be one of the oldest ones in the city. David Sassoon, a Baghdadi Jew, built the Magen David Synagogue in 1861 in Byculla, where the family first lived. * Byculla Aerial View

Like most other localities of Mumbai, Byculla also is home to a number of small

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

s and

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

Mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

s located in its small pockets.

Transportation

Byculla is well connected by Central Railway line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway via Byculla railway station, as well as bus routes serviced by BEST. Most of the bus routes servicing South Mumbai, South-Central Mumbai, Central Mumbai and North-East Mumbai pass through Byculla. The resulting heavy traffic prompted city planners to develop major fly-overs in Byculla, as early as the 1980s. Almost all local trains halt at Byculla railway station - meaning it is a halt station for the 'Fast' local trains on Mumbai's Central Railway line. Mumbai Central and Mahalakshmi on the Western Railway line and Dockyard Road and Reay Road stations on the Harbour Line of Mumbai Suburban Railway also lie close to Byculla. Ferry Wharf, a major ferry servicing port is located at a small distance from Byculla, in the Dockyard Road locality. Mumbai Fire Brigade Headquarters

Another fly-over built near the Gloria Church was in the news when there was a collapse of one of its portions during its construction in the 1980s.

In popular culture

* The Y-Bridge fly-over was filmed in the

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

comedy-satire film called '' Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron'' where the

coffin A coffin or casket is a funerary box used for viewing or keeping a corpse, for burial, entombment or cremation. Coffins are sometimes referred to as caskets, particularly in American English. A distinction is commonly drawn between "coffins" a ...

scene between inebriated Om Puri and the dead-body of Satish Shah takes place. The fly-over is also shown being inaugurated at the beginning of the film. * Gloria Church has been filmed in many Hindi films, including Amar Akbar Anthony. * '' Byculla Boy'' is the name of a

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

written by the eminent author Ashok Banker, on the place where he and his mother grew up. * '' Byculla to Bangkok'', a book about organised crime and terror in Mumbai by S. Hussain Zaidi was published in 2014. * To Byculla, a song from the album "The Golden Sun of the Great East (Metropolis Records, Wakyo Records) by the project Juno Reactor, released in 2013.