During the late 18th century, Byculla was an extension of Mazagaon, one of the seven islands that originally formed the city of Mumbai. The area was low-lying Flats inundated during the high tide through the Great Breach at Mahalaxmi. However, the breach was closed by the Hornby Vellard project in 1784, which joined all seven islands of Bombay into a single island. This was followed by the construction of the Bellasis Road causeway in 1793. Thereafter the area saw habitation as Europeans living in the Mazagaon area started shifting here.[1] The Byculla Club was opened in 1833. Birthplace of Lady Patricia Helen Marie Rodrigues[2]
The Byculla railway station was completed by 1857. This was also the time the first mills came into this area, until then, used only for residential purposes. Byculla used to house many of the city's textile mills until the mills shut shop and moved out of the island city. As of today, few mills are operational and even they are on the brink of closure. Many of these old mills are now desolate and some are being razed down to make way for newer constructions. The Khatau Mills were situated in Byculla, in the news for the alleged murder of the owner Sunit Khatau in May 1994.
Byculla saw some horrible riots during 1936-37 rose during temple-mosque dispute.[3][better source needed]
Byculla, like many other locations of Mumbai have witnessed strong real estate growth, particularly in the Motisha Lane area where there are many tall residential buildings, occupied by affluent Jain community.
Of late, Byculla has also witnessed the increase of population of Dawoodi Bohra and other traditional Muslims, who are primarily a business community like most of the Gujaratis.
The Magen David Synagogue of Byculla, the place of worship of the Jewish community is a tourist attraction.
There is also a BIT Chawl in Love lane, primarily housing Marathi working class community, home to one of the largest Ganesha idols during the Ganeshotsav celebrations. Love Lanecha Raja is one of the largest Ganeshotsav Mandal in Byculla East.
Heritage Botanical Garden & Zoo: Veermata Jijabai Bhonsale Udyan or Rani Baug (earlier the Victoria Gardens). Spread over 50 acres in the heart of central Mumbai, it is the oldest public garden in the city.[4]
Mumbai's oldest museum: Byculla is home to the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum (formerly, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Bombay,[5] which opened to the public on 2 May 1872. It reopened on 5 January 2008, following an extensive restoration project.[6]
Gloria Church: The Nossa Senhora de Gloria or Our Lady of Gloria Church originally stood in Mazagaon. The Church was rebuilt at its prominent corner site in Byculla in 1913.
Khada Parsi: The Khada Parsi statue, or the Standing Parsi Statue, is a memorial fountain dedicated to Seth Cursetjee Manockjee Shroff (1763–1845), a Parsi businessman and educational reformer. Originally, the cast-iron structure with the bronze statue atop a Corinthian pillar was placed at the Nagpada junction. Today, it stands at the intersection of Byculla, Clare Road and Nagpada, between the branches of the Y-Bridge.
BIT Chawl: The old and most amazing chawl. The houses and build structures are most ungraded then other Mumbai Chawls.
Vegetable Market: The Byculla Vegetable Market is the largest vegetable market in Mumbai (even larger than Crawford Market).
Fly-overs and bridges: Byculla is also known for Mumbai's first-ever Y-shaped bridge built across Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Road which then splits further to go to Byculla East and West before the Clare Road intersection, thereby forming a Y shape when seen from the air. This was one of the oldest fly-overs built in Mumbai. It also has one of its kind S-shaped bridge[8] called as P. S. Mandlik bridge which connects the Byculla East to West near Jijamata Udyaan.
Fire Brigade Headquarters: Mumbai Fire Brigade's headquarters are situated just below the "Y Bridge". In the front of the Headquarters building stands a memorial built in the memory of the numerous fire fighters who died during the Bombay Explosion of April 1944.
Mustafa bazaar: A wholesale timber market is frequently visited by many from the city.
Jerbai Baug and Rustom Baug: are the two Parsi colonies where most of the Parsis of Byculla live.
Masina Hospital: Built in memory of Jerbai Masina by her family and descendants, this hospital is a well-known landmark in Byculla. It is run by a Parsi trust.
Seva Niketan: A solar-powered Jesuit-run men's hostel that has served as headquarters for various NGOs.
Mazagaon: A residential locality close to Byculla which has a hospital named "Prince Aly Khan Hospital".
Orphanage: Ashadaan is an old age home and a home for specially abled kids.
St. Anne's Church: Byculla is also home to St. Anne's Church in Mazagon. The present structure of St Anne's Church was erected in 1881 on top of the foundation of the small chapel that was originally built in 1787. The original chapel was erected by an Armenian woman called Rose Nesbit. The land on which the chapel (and now St Anne's Church) was built was her farmland, on the Island of Mazagon where she lived with her parents.
Gloria Church: Byculla also houses Gloria Church, the church frequented by most local Christians. The Church shares a common playing ground with Antonio D'Souza High School which was built in 1825.
Magen David Synagogue is believed to be one of the oldest ones in the city. David Sassoon, a Baghdadi Jew, built the Magen David Synagogue in 1861 in Byculla, where the family first lived.[12]
Byculla Aerial View on the West SideLike most other localities of Mumbai, Byculla also is home to a number of small Hindutemples and MuslimMosques located in its small pockets.
Most of the bus routes servicing South Mumbai, South-Central Mumbai, Central Mumbai and North-East Mumbai pass through Byculla. The resulting heavy traffic prompted city planners to develop major fly-overs in Byculla, as early as the 1980s.
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