Malabar Hill

For other uses, see Malabar (disambiguation).
Malabar Hill
Neighbourhood

Malabar Hill in the 1850s
Malabar Hill
Coordinates: 18°57′00″N 72°47′42″E / 18.95°N 72.795°E / 18.95; 72.795Coordinates: 18°57′00″N 72°47′42″E / 18.95°N 72.795°E / 18.95; 72.795
Country India
State Maharashtra
Metro Mumbai
Languages
 • Official Marathi
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 400006[1]
Area code(s) 022
Vehicle registration MH 01
Civic agency BMC

Malabar Hill (Marathi: मलबार हिल), a hillock in southern Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, is an upmarket VVIP residential area which has the Government Guest House Sahaydri, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra's Bungalow, official residences of VVIP state officials, famous Hanging Gardens, Jain Temple & Banganga Tank. The Malabar Hill district is notably the most exclusive residential area in Mumbai,[2] and home to several business tycoons and film personalities. Iconic buildings like Everest Apartments, Silver Arch, Hanvant Bhavan, Anita, Blue Haven, Darshan, Sundatta Apartments, Ill Pallazo, Mayfair Gardens, Alankar, Benhur are known to be the most sought after private house pads for business czars with prices of apartments as high as Rs.1,35,000 per sq ft. (US$25000/m2), making it one of the most expensive neighborhoods to stay in the world. Notable residents include Adi Godrej, the Birla family, Shashi Ruia & family, Pallonji Mistry, Mahesh Jethmalani & family, among many more.

History

The seafarers from Konkan used to land at the extreme south end of the hill for a pilgrimage to the Walkeshwar Temple and the Banganga Tank. Many of them were part of the Maratha Navy were wrongly designated as "Pirates" from "Malabar". Hence the landing point became "Malabar Point" and eventually the hill became "Malabar Hill". The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, has proposed to change the name of Malabar Hill, arguably the city's most exclusive residential enclave, to Ramnagari, in vain.[3]

Malabar Hill is the location of the Walkeshwar Temple, founded by the Silhara kings. The original temple was destroyed by the Portuguese, but rebuilt again in 1715 by Rama Kamath, and by 1860, 10 to 20 other temples were built in the region.[4]

Mountstuart Elphinstone built the first bungalow in Malabar Hill while he was Governor of Bombay, between 1819 and 1827. Following his example, the place soon became a posh locality, as it is today.[4]

Overview

Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Governor, 'Varsha', which is the official residence of the Chief Minister of Maharashtra,'Glenogle' the official residence of the General Manager of Central Railway(erstwhile Great Indian Peninsula Railway)are located here. Houses here are amongst the most expensive in the world. An unhindered view of Back Bay, with the Girgaum Chowpatti beach in the foreground, and the Nariman Point skyline in the background is one of the reasons for the sky-high real estate prices in this district (Rs. 60,000+, or US$ 1200+ per square foot). In January 2012 Maheshwari House was (partly) sold to industrialist Sajjan Jindal of Jindal Steel for 400 crores or > Rs. 92,000 per square foot. This makes it the most expensive house ever sold in India and perhaps in the world).The most expensive private residence lies just outside Malabar Hill namely Antilla, the 27-storey, billion-dollar tower in Mumbai, owned by India's richest and the world's ninth-richest person Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries.

Buses only started serving this area during World War II.

The former residence of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan is also present here, but is closed to public due to property disputes.[5]

Also of note in the Malabar Hill district, there is a cremation ground that sits near the sea which is home to the samadhi shrines of several famous Indian saints. Notably among them is the samadhi shrine of the guru of Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj, who was Shri Siddharameshwar Maharaj, as well as the samadhi shrine of his devoted disciple Shri Ranjit Maharaj.[6]

Gallery

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Malabar Hill.
  1. ↑ "Pin code : Malabar Hill, Mumbai". pincode.org.in. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  2. ↑ Tuesday, 26 July 2011 | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA
  3. ↑ http://www.mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/civic/Malabar-Hill-to-be-renamed-Ramnagari/articleshow/20690201.cms
  4. 1 2 British Library
  5. ↑ Jinnah of Pakistan by Stanley Wolpert
  6. ↑ Shri Ranjit Maharaj
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