I.C. Colony (Immaculate Conception Colony) is a locality about in area in the suburb of

Borivali Borivali (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, oːɾiʋəliː is a suburb which is located in the north-western end of Mumbai, India. Traditionally the tribals and East Indians lived in Borivali. The attractions include Sanjay Gandhi National ...

in north-west

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 ...

. IC Colony has the highest concentration of Christians, particularly of Roman Catholics in

. The name is derived from the Church of the

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Mariology, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Debated by medieval theologians, it was not def ...

, or IC Church, which is at the South Eastern entrance of the colony. The Holy Cross Colony and extension (also called IC extension), on Holy Cross Street, which extends beyond IC Colony towards

Dahisar Dahisar (Marathi pronunciation: ̪əɦisəɾ is the northernmost suburb (and railway station) of Mumbai. (Not to be confused with Dahisar Mori in Navi Mumbai). It is the last local railway station in Mumbai while travelling towards Dahanu Roa ...

(Mumbai's last zone before

Thane district Thane district (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, �ʰaːɳe previously named Taana or Thana) is a districts of Maharashtra, district in the Konkan Division of Maharashtra, India. At the 2011 Census it was the most populated district in the c ...

) is also part of the extended Catholic locale. Many old mansions can be found here though most are now broken down to make way for newer apartment buildings. The

Postal Index Number A Postal Index Number (PIN; sometimes redundantly a PIN code) refers to a six-digit code in the Indian postal code system used by India Post. On 15 August 2022, the PIN system celebrated its 50th anniversary. History The PIN system was introd ...

for the colony is 400103. The colony has accessibility to the Link Road, SV Road,

Gorai Gorai ( �oɾaːi is a village at Dharavi Bhet, in Mumbai, India. It is located on the North-western part of the island of Salsette. Gorai is accessed more usually by a ferry crossing the Manori Creek and Gorai creek or otherwise by the ove ...

Manori Manori is a village located on Dharavi Bet in northern Mumbai, India. It is known for its beach and the Manori Creek. Marathi is the most spoken language in this region. East Indian community, Panchkalshi or Somvanshi Kshatriya Pathare (SKP ...

Uttan Uttan () is a coastal town just north of Mumbai in the Thane district of Maharashtra. A coastal town, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation. Part of the jurisdiction is also handed over to the Mumbai Metero ...

beaches, the

Western Express Highway The Western Express Highway, abbreviated to WEH (officially Ali Yavar Jung Marg after the former Governor of Maharashtra), is a major north–south 8-10 lane arterial road in Mumbai, India, stretching from the suburb of Mira Road to Bandra. T ...

, Western Railway Line, and the new Mumbai Metro Line 2A.

History

I.C. Church (Immaculate Conception Church)

One of the oldest churches in Mumbai, it was built in 1547 AD by the

Franciscans The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...

. The Franciscan Fr, Antonio Do Porto earlier owned the village of Mount Poinsur. Soon the Franciscan bought the neighbouring villages of Pare(Goregaon) and Arrangal around 1556 A.D.- 1559A. D. Adjoining the Church they also built a Royal College and Monastery in 1549, the ruins of which are still standing close to the present Church building. The

Mandapeshwar Caves ''The Mandapeshwar Caves'' () is an 8th Century rock-cut shrine dedicated to Shiva located near Mount Poinsur in Borivali, a suburb of Mumbai in Maharashtra, India. The caves were originally Buddhist viharas."An interesting example is the Manda ...

had been used by the Franciscans as a crypt of the Church and later Served for the Parishioners. Around 1630 there was about 1500 parishioners in the villages of Mount Poinsur, Dhainsa (Dahisar), Simpor, Canary (Kanheri) and Cassor. It was around this time that the name of the church was changed to 'Our Lady of Immaculate Conception' from 'Our Lady of Piety'. During the Maratha invasion of 1739, Mount Poinsur was captured and the Franciscans dispersed. The Church, Friary and College were pillaged and left in ruins. The following 150 years saw the already damaged structure disintegrate into further ruins. In 1888, through the efforts of the people of

Bandra Bandra ( æːɳɖɾa is a coastal suburb located in Mumbai, the largest city of the Konkan division in Maharashtra, India. The area is located to the immediate north of the River Mithi, which separates Bandra from the Mumbai City district. It ...

and under the guidance of the Dean of Thane, Fr. Joao Bras Fernandes rebuilt the old parish Church and has been functioning till date. It is the second most populated parish in Mumbai. There is a Marathi speaking Protestant congregation called the ''Methodist Marathi Church Borivali'' - in IC Colony. Saint Francis D'Assisi High School, located next to the church and Mary Immaculate Girls' High School are also located in I.C. Colony. Vibgyor High School is now in I.C. Colony. It has Mumbai's biggest pet park. The postal code for this region is 400103 and is near to

References

{{reflist Neighbourhoods in Mumbai Borivali