My Heritage Chronicles

Aarey forest lies on the fringes of Sanjay Gandhi National park, It became a hub of dairy industry when Dara Nusserwanji Khurody, milk commissioner of Bombay established Aarey milk colony in 1949-50. Aarey today acts as a buffer between the city and the forest of SGNP, one of the few green spaces left in the city. The road dissecting the Aarey forest provides easy connectivity between the western and eastern suburbs. But within the forest of Aarey lies close to over 25 settlements of the indigenious tribal hamlets or locally known as "padas", The tribals who have inhabited the forest for many generations and centuries. Marol - a locality today near Aarey was an area that has been inhabited in pre Portuguese era also. It is said that Marol was the economic capital during the Shilahara dynasty which ruled North Konkan during 8th to 12th century. It is also said that Raja Bimbdev from 13th century who established his kingdom and capital Mahikhavati at present day Mahim is also s...

When we talk about an ancient Shiva temple in Mumbai then the first thought reaches to Ambreshwar Shiva temple of Ambarnath which is one of the most beautiful 11th-century temple around Mumbai. But not many are aware of yet another Shiva temple in Atgaon valley which though lies in a very dilapidated state could have been yet another very beautiful temple in its heydays, remnants of the temple prove the point. The Shiva temple as per some information available in the Thane gazetteer shows that it was built in the 12th or 13th century. The temple is well known as Pandav temple. Having seen some posts about the temple visited by heritage enthusiasts on social media and the fact that there were some hero stones lying in the vicinity evinced my interest in this ancient site. The temple stands some 1.2 km southwest of the Atgaon station on a small hill and the path that crisscrosses the rice fields and the teak forest at the mouth of Atgaon valley. The setting of the temple is such that it ...

Ranakpur - located in western Rajasthan between Udaipur and Jodhpur cities is famous for its magnanimous Jain temples from the 15th century carved in marble stone. The set of three Jain temples stands like a white pearl surrounded by dense forest and hills of the Aravalli mountain range. The Jain temples draw devout Jain pilgrims from across India and abroad including architecture and heritage enthusiasts. But apart from the Jain temple complex, there lies a lone temple just 350 meters from Jain temple complex which is much older and was built by the Maharana Mokalji - father of Rana Kumbha. This temple stands in the shadow of the grandeur of the Jain temples and is dedicated to Sun God - known as Lord Surya Narayan. The Surya Narayan temple is one of the few temples in India dedicated to the Sun god built in white limestone in Nagara style of architecture with a delicate ornamental work. The 13th-century temple built on a raised stone platform with no boundaries is managed by Eklingji...

Borivali is a coastal suburb of Mumbai located at the Northwest end. It is believed that the name Borivali comes from bushes of sweet berries called "Borr" in the local language that was found in abundance here. It was once a congregation of small villages called Eksar, Vazira, Shimpoli, Mandapeshwar, Kanheri, Magathane, Tulsi, etc sandwiched between two major erstwhile rivers, Poisar river & Dahisar river. Some say it was called "Berewlee" under British rule. Prehistoric era caves of smaller Mandapeshwar & bigger Buddhist center cum settlement of Kanheri stand testament to the rich heritage of this place. But apart from these caves, there are many ancient religious places as well as pieces of heritage scattered across nooks & corners of Borivali which makes this suburb of Mumbai worth exploring and knowing about interesting trivia around it. Borivali's most famous attraction is the well-preserved cave complexes of Kanheri, located deep inside the S...