The House of Mangaldas and their love for Elephants
Mangaldas market - a century-old market is one of the busiest and oldest markets in South Mumbai known as a wholesale cloth center. Such is the popularity of the market that 100 small shops which line the narrow lanes inside had a daily footfall of over 100,000 people (pre-covid). My curiosity to know more about the person "Mangaldas" lead me to this interesting story about this wealthy family. Sir Mangaldas Nathubhai (1832 -1890) was the first Hindu to have received a knighthood from the British. The famous cloth market and a street in old Bombay have been named after him. Mangaldas Nathubhai came from a trading (Bania) family of Kapole Bhatias, He was the biggest benefactor to Mumbai University and had helped several charitable institutions. It is said that the great grandfather of Sir Mangaldas, Manordas Rupji Dhanji (1727-92) was a Hindu banker and merchant while his father Rupji Dhanji was one of the earliest traders from the village of Ghogha near Diu to have settled in