I am hoping to blog about the green spaces around Mumbai soon (yes there are none left in the city!).
The best of them are Sanjay Gandhi National Park at Borivali and Aarey colony at Goregaon. If you are into Nature then going to Yeoor hills (or also known as Mama Bhanja Hills has the highest density of leopards in India),Thane for biking or plain simple walking is a good idea. The prime attraction here is the 150-year-old holy shrine of Mama Bhanja.
https://picasaweb.google.com/108977172875177523959/Yeoor
Ghodbunder Road:
A great route to travel on is the Ghodbunder Road (SH 42) which skirts the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The road is fabulous during the monsoon months of June to September. It has remnants of a few forts along it. Ghodbunder derives its name from Ghod (Horse) and Bunder (Port).
The Ghodbunder road has three forts, which are mainly ruins now. But, they give you a glimpse of history. The three forts are Nagla Bunder, Ghodunder and Gomukh fort. Nagla bunder and Ghodbunder were the two ports in Thane district in olden days. The three forts were built to guard these ports.
Ghodbunder Fort: In 1530 AD, the Portuguese came to Thane. They began building the Ghodbunder fort in 1730. the Portuguese name for the fort was Cacabe De Tanna and remained under Portuguese rule till 1737. It was also the site of a Portuguese Church. The British captured the fort and made it their district administration headquarters with a district collector stationed in Thane. The site has a hotel now. There are two angels carved on the Church wall can be seen.
Snaps: https://picasaweb.google.com/108977172875177523959/GhodbunderFort
Gomukh Fort: Four kilometers from the Nagla Bunder, the Ulhas creek turns around. Here there are mountains. A citadel called the Gomukh Fort is situated in the extensions of the mountain. Near this is an extension of the mountain. Unfortunately, the site does not has even remnants. The fort played a major role in protecting the Ulhas creek.
Nagla Bunder Fort: Nagla Bunder village is on the Ghodbunder road. Which connects Thane and Borivli. The fort is situated on a hill near the creek. It takes around 45 minutes to reach the fort from the village and a walk of 10 minutes from bus stop.
Village on Ghodbunder Road
Jan 2, 2010, 09.49pm IST
Today, Ghodbunder Road is perhaps the most important road in Thane. The four-lane highway that connects the Eastern and Western Express Highways has lakhs of vehicles using the road everyday. However, somewhere off the highway, as we go through one of the smaller roads, we come to Ghodbunder village, which at some point of time was a popular site for movie shooting.
The village is not the only thing that adds to the history of Ghodbunder Road, the Ghodbunder Fort, which is located near the village, was a landmark in the history of Thane, taking its history back to the 18th century, although historians say that Thane's history is a lot older.
The village, which is now under the jurisdiction of Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC) and comes in Thane District, is just at a distance of 20 to 22 kms from Thane Station. Ghodbunder Road, a state highway, SH 42 of Maharashtra which stretches between Kapurbavdi and Ghodbunder village is the only road that reaches the village.
The village is surrounded by towering hills on one side and with a creek view on the other side. Also the sand required for construction purpose is extracted from this creek. The creek gives a splendid sight from Ghodbunder fort.
Ghodbunder village once used to be ideal shooting spot for the Mumbai film industry. Many movies like Shakti, Nagin, Samadhi, Nastik, Aaya Toofan, Jyoti, Amar Akbar Anthony, Andhi aur Toofan, Agneepath, to name a few were shot here.
The Ghodbunder Fort is currently undergoing redevelopment. Historians say that the Ghodbunder fort, which was ruled by Portuguese till 1730 was then conquered by the Marathas. The fort is currently being redeveloped to turn it into a tourist spot. Even though the redevelopment work is going slow, Thane will be getting one more tourist destination very soon.
The fort is located in Ghodbunder village itself just at a distance of 3 kms from NH 8 i.e. the Western Express Highway. "Another feature about this fort is its natural water. In the fort area, one will find a huge natural water tank. But this tank is now filled with plants and creepers which will have to be cleaned. Once this place is developed as tourist point, people will start visiting the place and will come to know about the historical importance of the fort," says a resident of the Ghodbunder village. There is a Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) bungalow at the top of the village which is often used for film shootings.
"Ghodbunder Road at one time used to be the lone road passing by the side of dense Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The road used to pass through China creek which was also famous for film shootings. The original name of creek is Chena Creek. During the course of time it has become China Creek. Most Bollywood movies are shot in our village. And if one wants to take a glimpse of old Ghodbunder village then he should watch a film Paanch Qaidi in which most of the shots are shot in this village," says Vilas Vaity, a resident of the village.
"I believe that these forts are the monuments of our glorious history and if we want to show this heritage to our new generations then it's our duty to preserve them. A well-maintained fort would be added attraction to tourists and it would be the real memorial," concluded Ajit Vartak, a resident of Ghodbunder Road.
Mumbai Mirror Article on Ghodbunder Road: http://m.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=CITY%20-%20Briefs§id=35&contentid=20100925201009271743068271933f38
Ghodbunder Road, an apt place for sight seeing
Ghodbunder Road has many historical forts and Mother Nature has bestowed her beauty here with wild life and the Yeoor range that runs parallel to the Ghodbunder Road providing a pleasant backdrop
Posted On Saturday, September 25, 2010 at 05:43:06 PM
Rapid industrialisation and vast construction activities are slowly converting the green forest to a concrete jungle. Though there are many tourist destinations in the city, with most of them are amusement parks or places of historical importance. Even for people in Mumbai, the nearest place to enjoy the nature happens to be Lonavala which has compromised its beauty to commercialisation and construction. But not many know that at an hour's drive from Mumbai towards Thane, there is a place which can be a visual treat for nature lovers and trekkers.
The Ghodbunder Road offers one of the best scenic locations for a day-long outing near Mumbai. The road is primarily a highway connecting Borivali to Thane, which was carved out of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. There is lush green atmosphere on one side of the road while on the other side there is a beautiful creek with boats in it providing a delight for the visitors to the place. This road has offered a lot of convenience for traffic flowing towards Gujarat.
Though it happens to be the carrier of the heaviest traffic in the city, the scenic beauty of the place cannot be ignored. Blessed with mountains on both the sides, the highway offers halt-spots at regular intervals with flowing water from the mountains.
Especially, during the monsoons, the water and the cloud-clad mountains offer a picturesque. The dense forest plantations still exhibit board notifications to be careful as there can be a risk of wild animals crossing the roads. The stretch of Ghodbunder Road has natural beauty with different species.
The creek along the Ghodbunder road not only provides a natural protection to the place, but also has many historical places to visit like the Ghodbunder Fort which is located at a very short distance from Ghodbunder Road. The remains tell the stories of the era of the Portuguese and Marathas. It isn't too high or at a distance, and it can be an attractive place to visit. The precinct seems to be rich in flora and fauna.
The restoration work is on to revive the Ghodbunder Road which is just next to the creek.The road has a number of forts like the Naglakot which is now left with only two to three sided walls. The fort is at a peculiar location and has a nice view too. Gaimukh Gadi another fort has a single wall as support.
The walls of the fort are damaged completely. Another fort called Firangkot is now only left with two to three walls. But all these forts boast of a history unfolded. The history of these forts dates back to the 1500 century during the reign of Portuguese.
According to experts, "These forts were built during the Portuguese rule at a location so that they can keep a vigil on the movements on the Thane creek extending till Ulhasnagar creek about the ship coming in through the waterways."
Many citizens are not aware of the forts close to them and if these forts are maintained and redeveloped they can attract many tourists from round the globe to make them potential tourist destinations.
There are scores of beautiful places of waterfalls and trekking points which are still unexplored but a few of them are very close to residential localities.Giriraj Deshpande, a trekker said, "We are blessed with beautiful lush green sights close to our city and we prefer to visit them through the Manpada, Tikujiniwadi, kasarwadavli which leads us to Yeoor and the Sanjay Gandhi National Park."
With so many species of birds and animals found there, the researchers find it easy for their studies. The authorities have also realised the potential of the place and have planned a shallow water park on 200 hectares of land along Ghodbunder Road with international standards of tourist spots in the city.
State government and Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) are in the favour of it and very soon the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) will send the proposal to the concerned authorities to set up the plan.
The best of them are Sanjay Gandhi National Park at Borivali and Aarey colony at Goregaon. If you are into Nature then going to Yeoor hills (or also known as Mama Bhanja Hills has the highest density of leopards in India),Thane for biking or plain simple walking is a good idea. The prime attraction here is the 150-year-old holy shrine of Mama Bhanja.
https://picasaweb.google.com/108977172875177523959/Yeoor
A great route to travel on is the Ghodbunder Road (SH 42) which skirts the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The road is fabulous during the monsoon months of June to September. It has remnants of a few forts along it. Ghodbunder derives its name from Ghod (Horse) and Bunder (Port).
The Ghodbunder road has three forts, which are mainly ruins now. But, they give you a glimpse of history. The three forts are Nagla Bunder, Ghodunder and Gomukh fort. Nagla bunder and Ghodbunder were the two ports in Thane district in olden days. The three forts were built to guard these ports.
Ghodbunder Fort: In 1530 AD, the Portuguese came to Thane. They began building the Ghodbunder fort in 1730. the Portuguese name for the fort was Cacabe De Tanna and remained under Portuguese rule till 1737. It was also the site of a Portuguese Church. The British captured the fort and made it their district administration headquarters with a district collector stationed in Thane. The site has a hotel now. There are two angels carved on the Church wall can be seen.
Nagla Bunder Fort: Nagla Bunder village is on the Ghodbunder road. Which connects Thane and Borivli. The fort is situated on a hill near the creek. It takes around 45 minutes to reach the fort from the village and a walk of 10 minutes from bus stop.
A Times of India article on Ghodbunder Road: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-01-02/thane/28127160_1_ghodbunder-road-thane-station-village
Village on Ghodbunder Road
Jan 2, 2010, 09.49pm IST
Today, Ghodbunder Road is perhaps the most important road in Thane. The four-lane highway that connects the Eastern and Western Express Highways has lakhs of vehicles using the road everyday. However, somewhere off the highway, as we go through one of the smaller roads, we come to Ghodbunder village, which at some point of time was a popular site for movie shooting.
The village is not the only thing that adds to the history of Ghodbunder Road, the Ghodbunder Fort, which is located near the village, was a landmark in the history of Thane, taking its history back to the 18th century, although historians say that Thane's history is a lot older.
The village, which is now under the jurisdiction of Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC) and comes in Thane District, is just at a distance of 20 to 22 kms from Thane Station. Ghodbunder Road, a state highway, SH 42 of Maharashtra which stretches between Kapurbavdi and Ghodbunder village is the only road that reaches the village.
The village is surrounded by towering hills on one side and with a creek view on the other side. Also the sand required for construction purpose is extracted from this creek. The creek gives a splendid sight from Ghodbunder fort.
Ghodbunder village once used to be ideal shooting spot for the Mumbai film industry. Many movies like Shakti, Nagin, Samadhi, Nastik, Aaya Toofan, Jyoti, Amar Akbar Anthony, Andhi aur Toofan, Agneepath, to name a few were shot here.
The Ghodbunder Fort is currently undergoing redevelopment. Historians say that the Ghodbunder fort, which was ruled by Portuguese till 1730 was then conquered by the Marathas. The fort is currently being redeveloped to turn it into a tourist spot. Even though the redevelopment work is going slow, Thane will be getting one more tourist destination very soon.
The fort is located in Ghodbunder village itself just at a distance of 3 kms from NH 8 i.e. the Western Express Highway. "Another feature about this fort is its natural water. In the fort area, one will find a huge natural water tank. But this tank is now filled with plants and creepers which will have to be cleaned. Once this place is developed as tourist point, people will start visiting the place and will come to know about the historical importance of the fort," says a resident of the Ghodbunder village. There is a Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) bungalow at the top of the village which is often used for film shootings.
"Ghodbunder Road at one time used to be the lone road passing by the side of dense Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The road used to pass through China creek which was also famous for film shootings. The original name of creek is Chena Creek. During the course of time it has become China Creek. Most Bollywood movies are shot in our village. And if one wants to take a glimpse of old Ghodbunder village then he should watch a film Paanch Qaidi in which most of the shots are shot in this village," says Vilas Vaity, a resident of the village.
"I believe that these forts are the monuments of our glorious history and if we want to show this heritage to our new generations then it's our duty to preserve them. A well-maintained fort would be added attraction to tourists and it would be the real memorial," concluded Ajit Vartak, a resident of Ghodbunder Road.
Ghodbunder Road has many historical forts and Mother Nature has bestowed her beauty here with wild life and the Yeoor range that runs parallel to the Ghodbunder Road providing a pleasant backdrop
Posted On Saturday, September 25, 2010 at 05:43:06 PM
Rapid industrialisation and vast construction activities are slowly converting the green forest to a concrete jungle. Though there are many tourist destinations in the city, with most of them are amusement parks or places of historical importance. Even for people in Mumbai, the nearest place to enjoy the nature happens to be Lonavala which has compromised its beauty to commercialisation and construction. But not many know that at an hour's drive from Mumbai towards Thane, there is a place which can be a visual treat for nature lovers and trekkers.
The Ghodbunder Road offers one of the best scenic locations for a day-long outing near Mumbai. The road is primarily a highway connecting Borivali to Thane, which was carved out of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. There is lush green atmosphere on one side of the road while on the other side there is a beautiful creek with boats in it providing a delight for the visitors to the place. This road has offered a lot of convenience for traffic flowing towards Gujarat.
Though it happens to be the carrier of the heaviest traffic in the city, the scenic beauty of the place cannot be ignored. Blessed with mountains on both the sides, the highway offers halt-spots at regular intervals with flowing water from the mountains.
Especially, during the monsoons, the water and the cloud-clad mountains offer a picturesque. The dense forest plantations still exhibit board notifications to be careful as there can be a risk of wild animals crossing the roads. The stretch of Ghodbunder Road has natural beauty with different species.
The creek along the Ghodbunder road not only provides a natural protection to the place, but also has many historical places to visit like the Ghodbunder Fort which is located at a very short distance from Ghodbunder Road. The remains tell the stories of the era of the Portuguese and Marathas. It isn't too high or at a distance, and it can be an attractive place to visit. The precinct seems to be rich in flora and fauna.
The restoration work is on to revive the Ghodbunder Road which is just next to the creek.The road has a number of forts like the Naglakot which is now left with only two to three sided walls. The fort is at a peculiar location and has a nice view too. Gaimukh Gadi another fort has a single wall as support.
The walls of the fort are damaged completely. Another fort called Firangkot is now only left with two to three walls. But all these forts boast of a history unfolded. The history of these forts dates back to the 1500 century during the reign of Portuguese.
According to experts, "These forts were built during the Portuguese rule at a location so that they can keep a vigil on the movements on the Thane creek extending till Ulhasnagar creek about the ship coming in through the waterways."
Many citizens are not aware of the forts close to them and if these forts are maintained and redeveloped they can attract many tourists from round the globe to make them potential tourist destinations.
There are scores of beautiful places of waterfalls and trekking points which are still unexplored but a few of them are very close to residential localities.Giriraj Deshpande, a trekker said, "We are blessed with beautiful lush green sights close to our city and we prefer to visit them through the Manpada, Tikujiniwadi, kasarwadavli which leads us to Yeoor and the Sanjay Gandhi National Park."
With so many species of birds and animals found there, the researchers find it easy for their studies. The authorities have also realised the potential of the place and have planned a shallow water park on 200 hectares of land along Ghodbunder Road with international standards of tourist spots in the city.
State government and Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) are in the favour of it and very soon the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) will send the proposal to the concerned authorities to set up the plan.
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