Dhobitalao ("Washerman's Lake") is a neighborhood in the city of

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

(formerly Bombay), in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Located in the

South Mumbai South Mumbai, colloquially SoBo from South Bombay in Indian English, administratively the Mumbai City District, is the city centre and the southernmost precinct of Greater Bombay. It extends from Colaba to Mahalaxmi (Western side), Byculla ...

area at an elevation of 11 m (31 ft), it used to be a location where linen was washed. In British times,

dhobi Dhobi known in some places as Dhoba, Rajaka, a Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, scheduled caste in India and the greater Indian subcontinent whose traditional occupations are Clothes washing, washing, ironing, and Farmworker, agricultur ...

s used to wash the British soldiers clothes here. It was filled up in the mid-17th century, as the city began to expand. The lake used to be fed by a number of underground freshwater springs, which were recently uncovered while constructing the subway in the locality. A

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

stands over the land that was the lake. Just off the current site, is the famous

Metro Adlabs Metro INOX Cinemas (formerly Metro Big Cinema (2008–2016), Metro Adlabs (2006–2008) and Metro Cinema (1938–2006)) is an Art Deco ''Heritage grade IIA'' multiplex Movie theatre in Mumbai, India built in 1938. It was built and originally run ...

(formerly Metro Cinema). Cowasjee-Framjee-Hall

The north-eastern part of Dhobitalao is called

Cavel Cavel is a neighbourhood in South Mumbai. It is located to the northeast of Dhobitalao near the Chira Bazaar area. It got its name from the Koli word Kolwar. The Kolis of this village were converted to Christianity Christianity is an ...

, from the

Koli Koli may refer to: People * Koli people, Indian caste group * Koli Christians, a Christian subgroup * Muslim Kolis, Muslim community * Koli (surname), Indian surname * Koli Sewabu (born 1975), Fijian rugby union footballer Places * Koli, Fin ...

name ''Kolwar''. The

Kolis The Koli is an Indian caste that is predominantly found in India, but also in Pakistan and Nepal. Koli is an agriculturist caste of Gujarat but in coastal areas they also work as fishermen along with agriculture. In the beginning of 20th ce ...

of this village were converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

by the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

in the 16th century. Cavel became a Christian enclave, and later immigrants of this religion, from

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

Daman Daman may refer to: Places *Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, a union territory in India **Daman and Diu (Lok Sabha constituency) **Daman and Diu, former union territory of India, now part of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu **Goa ...

, Bassein, and

Salsette Salsette Island (, , Sashti) is an island in Konkan division of the state of Maharashtra, along India's west coast. Administratively known as the Mumbai Suburban district, Mira Bhayander and a portion of Thana (Thane) lie on it; making it ...

settled here. Other Christian enclaves in Dhobitalao are Sonapur and Dabul. Dhobitalao is home to the highest number of kudds, Goan clubs that house migrants from Goan villages seeks opportunities and employment in Mumbai.

Institutions

St Xavier's College A multitude of schools and universities have been named after St. Francis Xavier, a Spanish Roman Catholic saint and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. This page lists notable educational institutions named after St. Xavier, arranged by country a ...

* St. Xavier's High School, Fort * GT Hospital * ESIS Hospital

References

{{Reflist
Dhobitalao
Neighbourhoods in Mumbai