South Mumbai,

colloquially Colloquialism (also called ''colloquial language'', ''colloquial speech'', ''everyday language'', or ''general parlance'') is the linguistic style used for casual and informal communication. It is the most common form of speech in conversation am ...

SoBo from South Bombay in

Indian English Indian English (IndE, IE) or English (India) is a group of English dialects spoken in the Republic of India and among the Indian diaspora and native to India. English is used by the Government of India for communication, and is enshrined ...

, administratively the

Mumbai City District Mumbai City district is a Districts of Maharashtra, district of Maharashtra in Konkan Division, India. As a city district, it has no headquarters or subdivisions. It, along with the Mumbai Suburban District, makes up the metropolis of Mumbai. Thi ...

, is the

city centre A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the Commerce, commercial, Culture, cultural and often the historical, Politics, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely e ...

and the southernmost precinct of Greater Bombay. It extends from

Colaba Colaba (; or ISO 15919, ISO: Kolābā) is a part of the city of Mumbai, India. It is one of the four peninsulas of Mumbai while the other three are Worli, Bandra and Malabar Hill. During the Portuguese rule in the 16th century, the island was ...

Mahalaxmi Lakshmi (; , , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, , ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, sovereignty, and abundance. She along with ...

(Western side),

Byculla Byculla (ISO: 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 t ...

(Central Side) and Mazgaon (Harbour Side) neighbourhoods, and comprises the city's old and formerly main business localities, making it the wealthiest urban precinct in India. Property prices in South Mumbai are by far the highest in India and among the highest in the world. In terms of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, the precinct consists of the constituencies of

, Mumbadevi, Malabar Hill and Byculla. Taj Mahal Hotel,

Gateway of India The Gateway of India is an arch-monument completed in 1924 on the waterfront of Mumbai (Bombay), India. It was erected to commemorate the landing of George V for his coronation as the Emperor of India in December 1911 at Strand Road near We ...

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), officially Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), also known sometimes as Victoria Terminus (VT), is a historic railway terminus and UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The ter ...

Ballard Estate The Ballard Estate business district is situated in the financial district of Fort (Mumbai precinct), Fort. Located between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Fort in South Mumbai, it hosts the offices of Freight transport, shipping compan ...

, and the Bombay Harbour are some of the most iconic

landmarks A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern-day use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures ...

of South Bombay. Billionaire

Mukesh Ambani Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani (born 19 April 1957) is an Indian billionaire and businessman who is the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries. As of May 2025, he is the richest person in Asia and The World's Billionaires, 13th richest ...

's $1.5 billion home Antilia is located here and is now a part of the iconic skyline. Most residents of South Mumbai belong to old money business, law, trade, and fashion families. Geographically, South Mumbai lies at the southernmost extent of Mumbai Island. Most city residents use the term to refer to the stretch extending from

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 ...

and

as South Mumbai. The area is delimited on the east by

Mumbai harbour Mumbai Harbour (also English; Bombay Harbour or Front Bay, Marathi ''Mumba'ī bandar''), is a natural deep-water harbour in the southern portion of the Ulhas River estuary. The narrower, northern part of the estuary is called Thana Creek. Th ...

and on the west by the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea () is a region of sea in the northern Indian Ocean, bounded on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, Gulf of Aden and Guardafui Channel, on the northwest by Gulf of Oman and Iran, on the north by Pakistan, on the east by India, and ...

. South Mumbai is also home to many educational institutions; namely Mumbai University's Fort Campus,

Cathedral and John Connon School The Cathedral and John Connon School is a co-educational private school founded in 1860 and located in Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra.J.B. Petit High School for Girls, JB Petit, Campion, Bombay International School, Gamdevi, St. Mary's School, Mumbai, etc.; exclusive sports clubs: CCI, The Willingdon Sports Club, as well as the

Bombay Gymkhana The Bombay Gymkhana, established in 1875, is a premier private members' club in the city of Mumbai, India. It is located at the triangular end of Azad Maidan in the Fort area of South Mumbai and is in close proximity of Chhatrapati Shivaji ...

; and hospitals such as

Breach Candy Hospital Breach Candy Hospital is a private hospital located in Mumbai, India. It is located in the Breach Candy area of South Mumbai. It is well known for the rich and famous patients that have been in the hospital. History It was established in ...

Bombay Hospital Bombay Hospital (BHMRC; Bombay Hospital and Medical Research Centre – Mumbai) is a private hospital in Mumbai, India. It was founded in 1950 by R. D. Birla. It has 830 beds, 110 of which are in the critical care and recovery area. It has 22 o ...

, Jaslok Hospital, and

Hurkisondas Hospital Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre is located in Girgaon, Mumbai, India and managed by Reliance Foundation. It was founded in 1925 by Gordhandas Bhagwandas Narottamdas and was renovated and reopened in 2014. The hospital ...

Significance

South Mumbai hosts the

Reserve Bank of India Reserve Bank of India, abbreviated as RBI, is the central bank of the Republic of India, and regulatory body responsible for regulation of the Indian banking system and Indian rupee, Indian currency. Owned by the Ministry of Finance (India), Min ...

, the Bombay Stock Exchange and, one of the oldest

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

buildings. Its primary business districts are the

Fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

Nariman Point Nariman Point is a prominent downtown area of Mumbai in Maharashtra, India. Located on the southern tip of the Mumbai peninsula, at the end of the Mumbai's Marine Drive, Nariman Point houses some of India's prestigious business headquarters. B ...

, and more recently

Lower Parel Lower Parel (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, əɾəɭ Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, əɾeːl station code: PL) railway station is a railway station on the Western Line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway, India. The next station south is Mahal ...

, Mumbai Central. Many leading Indian and multi-national companies are headquartered here.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), officially Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), also known sometimes as Victoria Terminus (VT), is a historic railway terminus and UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The term ...

(CSMT) and

Churchgate Churchgate (Marathi pronunciation: ͡ʃəɾt͡ʃɡeːʈ is an area in the southern part of Mumbai, close to the Arabian Sea. The area is known for its unique architecture consisting of art deco style residential buildings, access to sportin ...

serve as headquarters and starting point for country's Central Railway and Western Railway lines respectively. The headquarters of the

Brihanmumbai 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 governing civic body of Greater Mumbai is located in South Mumbai. The

Bombay High Court The High Court of Bombay is the High courts of India, high court of the States and union territories of India, states of Maharashtra and Goa in India, and the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. It is seated primarily ...

is also in South Mumbai. The terrorist attacks of 2008 included many prominent South Mumbai locations including

the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel The Taj Mahal Palace is a heritage, five-star, luxury hotel in the Colaba area of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, situated next to the Gateway of India. Built in the Indo-Saracenic architecture, Indo-Saracenic style, it opened in 1903 as the Taj Mah ...

in Colaba,

Leopold Cafe The Leopold Cafe and Bar is a restaurant and bar on Colaba Causeway, in Colaba area of Mumbai, India, located across from the Colaba Police station. It was one of the first sites attacked in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. History The Leopold Cafe ...

and

. The area houses a significant proportion of prime upmarket residential neighbourhoods of Mumbai including:

Pedder Road Gopalrao Deshmukh Marg formerly known as Pedder Road is an arterial road in the city of South Mumbai, Mumbai, India, passing through the affluent Cumballa Hill neighbourhood. The road is named after a social activist and first Mayor of Bombay ...

Nepean Sea Road Nepean Sea Road is a neighbourhood near Malabar Hill in South Mumbai, India. History The area is named after Sir Evan Nepean, 1st Baronet, a British politician and administrator, and the Governor of Bombay Until the 18th century, Bombay c ...

Kemps Corner Kemps Corner is an upmarket neighbourhood in South Mumbai. It is flanked by Altamount Road on one side and Malabar Hill on the other. It lies at the intersection of Breach Candy, Warden Road, Pedder Road Gopalrao Deshmukh Marg formerly kno ...

Altamount Road Altamount Road, also known as India's Billionaires’ Row, is an affluent residential street in the southern region of Mumbai, India. The area is notable for housing some of the highest real estate prices in the country. The locality consists ...

Carmichael Road Carmichael Road is an upmarket residential street of Mumbai, India. Situated on a ridge in South Mumbai, it is now officially called Mahadev Laxman Dahanukar Marg. It has many old style bungalows and apartment houses, such as the art deco '' ...

Breach Candy Bhulabhai Desai Road, also well known by the old name Warden Road (and the part at and near the swimming pool as Breach Candy), is a niche up-market residential and semi-commercial locality of South Mumbai. The area has many famous landmarks b ...

and Walkeshwar Road, forming a sort of golden quadrilateral and includes some of the most expensive residential areas in the world, such as the

Hanging Gardens The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World listed by Hellenic culture. They were described as a remarkable feat of engineering with an ascending series of tiered gardens containing a wide variety of tree ...

, Kemps Corner,

Cuffe Parade Cuffe Parade is a historic and significant business district of the city of Mumbai, India. It is home to a collection of commercial and office high-rises. It is bordered to the north by Nariman Point which, along with Cuffe Parade, forms the gr ...

and

Malabar Hill Malabar Hill is amongst the most affluent residential areas in Mumbai. It is home to several business tycoons and film personalities. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, had built and lived in a bungalow, called South Court, in Malab ...

. South Mumbai is home to two

UNESCO World Heritage Sites World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

and the city's distinctive ensemble of Victorian and Art Deco buildings. South Mumbai boasts a large number of

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

buildings, second only to

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

. South Mumbai's architecture also comprises historical monuments from the colonial era which attract tourists throughout the year. South Mumbai has many educational institutions such as

Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (commonly referred to as JBIMS) is the Department of Management Studies of the University of Mumbai, situated in Churchgate, Mumbai. The institute is named after noted industrialist and freedom f ...

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 ...

, Government Law College,

Jai Hind College Jai Hind College (Autonomous) (Marathi: जय हिंद कॉलेज) is an autonomous college in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, affiliated to the University of Mumbai. It was established in 1948. In 2000, ''India Today'' named Jai Hind C ...

, Wilson College,

Grant Medical College The Grant Government Medical College is a public university, public medical school, medical college located in Mumbai, India. It is affiliated to the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences. Founded in 1845, it is one of the oldest medical co ...

, Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship Education, among others. Many distinctive sporting clubs have been an integral part of South Mumbai landscape like the

Willingdon Sports Club The Royal Willingdon Sports Club is a private sports club in South Mumbai. The club was founded in 1918 by Lord Willingdon, at that time Governor of Bombay. Amenities include an 18-hole golf course, six tennis courts, squash and badminton cour ...

, the Turf Club at

Mahalaxmi Racecourse The Mahalaxmi Racecourse is a horse racing track in Mahalaxmi neighbourhood of Mumbai. The track is oval shaped with straight chute, spread over approximately of open land in the heart of Mumbai city. It was created out of a marshy land know ...

, the

, the Breach Candy Club, the N.S.C.I., and the Malabar Hill Club (Formerly W.I.A.A. Club). The Cricket Club of India (CCI) and Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) are located at Mumbai's two cricket stadiums, namely

Brabourne Stadium The Brabourne Stadium is an international cricket stadium in Mumbai in Western India, built in the British Bombay era. It is the home ground of the Mumbai men's and Mumbai women's cricket team, women's cricket teams. It can accommodate 50,000 pe ...

and

Wankhede Stadium Wankhede Stadium (pronounced �aːnkʰeɖe is an international cricket stadium in Mumbai, India. It is owned and operated by the Mumbai Cricket Association and is the home ground of the Mumbai Indians. It houses the headquarters of the Boar ...

respectively. Although

land reclamation Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new Terrestrial ecoregion, land from oceans, list of seas, seas, Stream bed, riverbeds or lake ...

has allowed the southernmost tip of the district to double in size since the 1970s, the business districts face an acute shortage of real estate. As a result, the real-estate prices are among the top ten worldwide. As a ratio to average

per capita ''Per capita'' is a Latin phrase literally meaning "by heads" or "for each head", and idiomatically used to mean "per person". Social statistics The term is used in a wide variety of social science, social sciences and statistical research conte ...

income, real-estate prices in the business districts remain the most expensive in the world. South Mumbai is also home to such sporting grounds as Brabourne Stadium, Wankhede Stadium,

Shivaji Park Shivaji Park, officially Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park, is a public park situated in Dadar, Mumbai. It is the largest park in the island city. Similar but bigger in size to Azad Maidan and Gowalia Tank, August Kranti Maidan (formerly Gowal ...

Azad Maidan Azad Maidan (formerly known as ''Bombay Gymkhana Maidan'') is a triangular-shaped maidan (sports ground) in the city of Mumbai, India. It is located on of land near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus station. It is a regular venue for inter-scho ...

, Oval Maidan, and

Cooperage Ground The Cooperage Football Ground is a Association football, football stadium located in Nariman Point, Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is predominantly home to multiple Mumbai Football League clubs. The Western India Football Association has operated fro ...

. Mumbai's most popular beach,

Girgaon Chowpatty Girgaon Chowpatty (IAST: ''Giragāva Chaupāṭī''), is a public beach along the Queen’s Necklace adjoining Marine Drive in the Girgaon area of Mumbai (Bombay), Konkan division, India. It is served by the Charni Road railway station. The ...

is located at the beginning of a 3.6 km

esplanade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...

known as the Marine Drive which is a popular hangout spot among the citizens. Another popular esplanade in South Mumbai is the Worli Seaface. South Mumbai has popular art galleries and museums like

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, (CSMVS) formerly named the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, is a museum in Mumbai (Bombay) which documents the history of India from prehistoric to modern times. It was founded during Bri ...

Jehangir Art Gallery Jehangir Art Gallery is an art gallery in Mumbai (India). It was founded by Sir Cowasji Jehangir at the urging of K. K. Hebbar and Homi J. Bhabha. It was built in 1952. Managed by the Committee of Management, the entire cost of this mansion wa ...

, Nehru Centre Art Gallery. Sobo Films, an

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...

producer, has been named after the area but is itself based in

Andheri Andheri (Help:IPA/Marathi, �n̪d̪ʱeɾiː is a suburb situated in Western Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Government and politics For administrative purposes, Andheri is bifurcated into Andheri (west) and Andheri (east). Andheri (west) comes ...

in the

west West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

.Sobo Films
sobofilms.com. Accessed 1 March 2024. South Mumbai has become less congested with the creation of the

Bandra Worli Sea Link 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 ...

. Auto rickshaws are strictly banned here. This facilitates quicker transport between people residing in the suburbs and the corporate offices in South Mumbai. Traffic is a major concern in most parts.

Division

The city of Mumbai lies on two different islands, Mumbai Island and

Salsette Island 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 ...

. Administratively it has two official divisions:

Mumbai City district Mumbai City district is a Districts of Maharashtra, district of Maharashtra in Konkan Division, India. As a city district, it has no headquarters or subdivisions. It, along with the Mumbai Suburban District, makes up the metropolis of Mumbai. Thi ...

and

Mumbai Suburban district Mumbai Suburban district (Marathi language, Marathi: ''Mumbai Upanagar Jilhā'') is the second most populous Districts of Maharashtra, district of Maharashtra in the Konkan Division. With its administrative headquarters in Bandra, the district co ...

. Mumbai City district is Mumbai Island - the area on its southernmost tip is called South Mumbai.

consists the Western, Eastern, Central and Northern parts of the city. The northernmost portion of the island - outside Mumbai city limits - lies in

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 ...

Old Bombay

Old Bombay was used to refer to the area which was formed by the merging of the seven original islands 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. The term was used from the 19th century until the 1980s and is now considered archaic, however still widely used.

Notes

References

External links