Matunga (Marathi pronunciation: aːʈuŋɡaː is a

Neighbourhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neighbourh ...

in City area 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 ...

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 ...

. It is accessible from the

Matunga Road Matunga Road (Help:IPA/Marathi, aːʈuŋɡaːstation code:MRU) is the name of a railway station on the Western Line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network. It offers access to Matunga and Shivaji Park areas of Mumbai. It should not be con ...

station on the Western line, Matunga station on the Central Line and

King's Circle King's Circle (station code: KCE) is a railway station on the Harbour line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network. King's Circle and Matunga stations are next to each other albeit the latter is on the Central line. It is named after the Mahesh ...

station on the Harbour Line. Geographically, Matunga is surrounded by the

Mahim Mahim (, ) is a neighbourhood in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The Mahim Junction railway station on the Western Railway zone, Western Railway and Harbour line (Mumbai Suburban Railway), Harbour Railway of the Mumbai Suburban Railway, Mumbai Suburb ...

to the West, Sion to the North,

Dadar Dadar (Help:IPA/Marathi, ̪aːd̪əɾ is a densely populated residential and shopping neighbourhood in Mumbai. It is also a prominent railway and bus service hub with local and national connectivity. It is Mumbai's first planned area and i ...

to the South,

Wadala Wadala (also spelled Vadala, formerly spelt Wuddala, �əɖaːɭa is a neighborhood in Mumbai. Wadala Road is a station on the Harbour Line of Mumbai's railway network. Overview Wadala has several schools and some renowned institutions ...

to the East

History

Matunga formed a part of the seven original islands of Mumbai with

, then known as Mahikavati. It is said that the King of Mahikavati had his elephant stables in Matunga, and that the name Matunga was derived from "Matanga", the Sanskrit word for Elephant. Matunga was among the first well planned localities of Mumbai. The Dadar-Matunga-Wadala-Sion plan of 1899-1900 was formulated to evenly distribute population as well as provide better living standards. Matunga has a juxtaposition of Irani cafes and Udupis and houses one of the oldest residents of Mumbai.

Demographics

Matunga has a large population of people who have been residing here for several decades. An effect of this has been a good number of traditional South Indian temples and restaurants serving authentic South Indian dishes that can be found in the area. Matunga, having a predominantly Hindu population, also has a sizeable presence of Maharashtrians, South Indians, Bengalis and Gujaratis.

Culture

Matunga has numerous temples, namely, the Astika Samajam, the South Indian Bhajan Samaj, Sri Sankara Matham, Sri Kanyaka Parmeshwari Temple, The Church of Mary, Help of Christians (also known as Don Bosco Church), the Jain temples in Kings Circle and the Marubai Temple. There is also the Matunga Mosque which is an important place of worship for members of the Muslim community. The Shanmukhananda Auditorium and Mysore Auditorium, a major cultural centre lies on the border of Matunga and Sion. Matunga also houses multiple cultural centres, namely, the Mysore Association,

Educational institutions

The Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (

VJTI Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) is a state funded college located in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Founded in 1887 and formerly known as the Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute, it adopted its present name on 26 January 1997. VJTI ...

Institute of Chemical Technology An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...

(erstwhile University Department of Chemical Technology),

Guru Nanak Khalsa College Guru ( ; IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential figure to the disciple (or '' s ...

, R.A. Podar College,

Ramnarain Ruia College Ramnarain Ruia Autonomous College is a college affiliated to the University of Mumbai, in Matunga, Mumbai, India. It was established in June 1937. The University of Mumbai granted autonomous status to the college in 2017. It comprises the Ram ...

, and Welingkar Institute of Management are some of higher education institutions located in Matunga. These institutions are accredited by the

National Assessment and Accreditation Council The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is a public autonomous body of the government of India that assesses and accredits higher education institutions (HEIs) in India. It is funded by the University Grants Commission and hea ...

(NAAC). Some of the other schools nearby are South Indian Education Society High School, J.B.Vacha School in Dadar Parsi Colony, and King George School nearby in Dadar, which is on the border of Matunga and Dadar. In 1937, the general council of

Salesians of Don Bosco The Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), formally known as the Society of Saint Francis de Sales (), is a religious congregation of men in the Catholic Church, founded in 1859 by the Italian priest John Bosco to help poor and migrant youth during the ...

approved a plan to buy land in Matunga from the

Bombay Municipal Corporation The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), or the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) is the governing civic body of Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra. Salman Khan Is Now Brand Ambassador of BMC from 2016. The BMC is India ...

. The Corporation approved the sale on 16 July 1937. The Salesians bought the land for ₹229,160. The Don Bosco High School (formerly known as The Catholic Educational Institute) run by them was shifted from the rented premises at

Tardeo Tardeo or Tardeo Road () is an elite residential and commercial locality of South Mumbai, from Nana Chowk to Haji Ali Dargah, Haji Ali Junction. Tardeo is one of Asia's most expensive residential and commercial localities and houses the residence ...

to the new Don Bosco campus at Matunga.

References

{{Mumbai metropolitan area Mumbai City district Neighbourhoods in Mumbai