Thane District Essay

Thane (Marathi : ???? ) (also called Thana) is a city in Maharashtra, India, part of the Mumbai Conurbation, northeastern suburb of Mumbai at the head of the Thane Creek. It is the administrative headquarters of Thane District. The city has an area of 147 km2. It had a population of 1. 26 million according to the 2001 census. [1] Contents [hide] •1 Geography •2 Demographics and culture •3 Transport •4 See also •5 References •6 External links [edit] Geography Thane is located on Salsette Island to the Northeast of Mumbai. Spanning an area of about 147 km? the city is located at an elevation of 7 meters above sea level. It is surrounded by scenic hills, the hill of Yeoor and Parsik Hill. It is divided by Thane Creek, a stream of water from the Ulhas river and Arabian Sea forming an estuary. Two road bridges & one rail bridge connect the two parts of the city. It is one of the oldest cities of India with its history dating back to about 2000 years. The city has around 30 lakes. The most beautiful of them is the Masunda Talao, also known as Talao Pali. The lake offers boating and water scooter facilities.

The Upavan Lake is located at the foot-hills of Yeoor hills and is a scenic spot. It is flanked by the Yeoor hills on one side and the tall Neelkanth Heights on one side. It is a common spot for people to hang out and refresh themselves. Other lakes include : • Masunda Lake • Kachrali Lake (near parmartha niketan) • Makhmali Lake • Ambe Ghonsali Lake • Siddheshwar Lake • Jail Lake • Wagle Lake • Upvan Lake • Yashasvi Nagar Lake • Kausa Lake • Kharegaon Lake • Raila Devi Lake • Balkum Lake • Rewale Lake • Bramhala-Kolbad Lake [edit] Demographics and culture

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In 1825, when the British explored their newly annexed territories in Bassein, they discovered that Thane was inhabited primarily by Roman Catholics, both natives and Portuguese, and that the latter was virtually from the former, both with regards to skin color and custom. The indigenous Catholics were converts from the Bhandari (musicians) and Koli (fishermen) classes. [2] To this day, some of the upper class East Indian Catholic families in the Khatri ward of Thana speak Portuguese. [3] At present, Thane has a predominantly Maharashtrian culture although, like its neighbouring city Mumbai, it has a cosmopolitan culture as well.

Because of the huge residential boom, the city has witnessed a large number of immigrants from the neighbouring city of Mumbai as well as from other pockets of state and country. The face of the city, now a days becoming increasingly cosmopolitan. Beside Marathi, sizeable populations of North Indians, South Indians, Sindhis, Gujaratis and Marwari and other people from different regions live in Thane, mainly because of its proximity to Mumbai. Thane is bordered by the Yeoor Hills on one side and is dotted with numerous beautiful lakes, which are a cause of cooler weather than that of Mumbai.

Festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Navratri and Durga Puja are celebrated with great zest in the city. As in Mumbai, Thane offers high rewards amounting to 1 million rupees (US$ 25,000) for winners of Dahi Handi sport during the Gokulashtami festival. Since 2005 the Dahi Handi festival has been on a much larger scale; there is competition between various clubs to host the biggest of Dahi Handis. The biggest ones are Open House, Panchpakhdi; Jambli Naka; Tembhi Naka; Vartak Nagar; all of these now have TV coverage will almost all major news channels beaming the day’s proceedings to the whole nation.

Gadkari Rangayatan [edit] Transport Main article: Transportation in Thane TMT NEW BUS Thane was the terminus for the first ever passenger train in India. On 16 April 1853, the first passenger train service was inaugurated between Bori Bunder (Now renamed Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus), Mumbai and Thane. [4] Covering a distance of 34 kilometres (21 mi), it was hauled by three locomotives, Sahib, Sindh and Sultan. Thane is well connected with neighbouring suburbs through Central Railways’s sub-urban railway network. There are 4 railway stations in Thane city limit.

Thane station is part of the Central Railway division of Indian railways, and is about 34 km away from the Mumbai city station. The other 3 stations are Kalwa, Mumbra, Diva which are also the suburbs of Thane. Thane has gained new importance as a railway link to Navi Mumbai due to the Thane-Vashi/Nerul and Thane -Panvel local train line. Since Feb2010 new fast trains have started between Thane Panvel- Stopping at KoparKahirane,Neral,Belapur. This line runs many trains between Thane and Vashi, the principal node of Navi Mumbai, passing through Airoli, Ghansoli, Koparkhairane, Turbhe and Sanpada.

Almost all trains going to Konkan railway from Mumbai have stops at Thane. Thane Municipal Transport (TMT), Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport ~ BEST, Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport ~ NMMT,Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Transport ~ KDMT, Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Transport ~ MBMT and MSRTC (State Transport) corporations provide public bus service to the city. Autorickshaw on Meter is available to travel within City along with Taxies Normal as well as A/c. A light rail network covering 42 km has been proposed in three phases.

In the first phase, consultants have suggested connectivity between Balkum and Kolshet via Naupada. It will be 16. 05 km long with 14. 65 km elevated, and only 1. 4 km on the surface, and 11 stations in all. [5] “The public transport on newly developed Ghodbunder road area is not satisfactory at the moment and needs lot of improvement . The newly constructed SATIS (Station area transport improvement system. )has however given good results” (May 2010). Thane: The city of Thane is situated on the western banks of Thane creek with Parsik hills on the east and Yeour hills on the west.

The creek not only provides a natural protection to the place but has also facilitated transport of big and small ships since ancient times Thane is located to the North of Mumbai The Temperatures range from 25 degrees C to 37 degrees C Tourist spots in Thane District Jawhar / Jawhar hill station Tansa Lake Vasai Fort Bassain Beach Dahanu Borid Beach Malshej Ghat Hill Station PLACES OF INTEREST Tourist Attractions – Lakes and Hills | Essel World | Water Kingdom | Matheran | Bassein (Vasai) | Nishiland | Tansa wildlife sanctuary | Lonavla and Khandala | Kashi Mira | Jawhar Palace Lakes and Hills

Thane the city of Lakes has around 30 lakes. The most beautiful of them is the Masunda Talao, also known as Talao Pali. The lake offers boating and water scooter facilities. Some of the other popular lakes are Upvan Lake, Kacharali Talao, Makhamali Talao, Siddheshwar Talao, Bramhala Talao, Ghosale Talao, Railadevi Talao etc. Yeoor Hills or Mama Bhanja Hills is a hill station of Thanaites. This naturally beautiful and pollution free area attracts lot of people. There is also a Math there. Essel World This amusement park is located at Gorai, at a distance from the hub of the city.

The main attractions here are the 34 rides that comprise of roller coasters, rainbows, bumping cars. The complex houses many cafeterias and restaurants. Nearest Railway Stations: Malad or Borivali, from where the journey must be made by road and sea (Ferry). Also approachable by road via Bhayandar on Western Express Highway. Open: 1100 to 1900 (off season) 1000 to 2000 (April-June & October-December). Water Kingdom is just next to Essel World and claims to have the largest wave pool in Asia. It has water slides and swimming pools for kids as well as elders.

Matheran Matheran, 70 kms from Thane, is a hill station of natural beauty and pollution free environment. It is situated 750m up in the Sahyadri Ranges of the Western Ghats. Matheran is a 11 km hike by road from Neral and accessible from the foothills by a toy train. There are fine views from the top. Best season is November-February and April-June. Nishiland is an amusement park located on the Mumbai – Poona Highway and is an hour and a half’s drive from Thane. This is a water park, best during summers when one often needs to chill off.

There are water slides, wave pools and splashes with lodging and food facilities. Bassein (Vasai) Bassein or Vasai was an ancient Portuguese settlement located about 48-km to the north of Mumbai, near the Thane creek. The Bassein Fort was constructed in 1532 by Bahadur Shah, Sultan of Gujarat. You can see ruins of the Fort and the Cathedral of St. Joseph and the Churches of St Antony and St. Paul. The city walls are still intact. There are also decorative gateways inscribed with coats of arms and Portuguese graves dating back to 1558. Tansa wildlife sanctuary

This sanctuary is located 90km from Mumbai in Thane district. The sanctuary with an area of about 320sq. kms has around 54 species of animals and 200 species of birds in the sanctuary. Major wild animals are Panther, Barking deer, Mouse deer, Hyena, Wild boar etc. Tansa Lake flows through the sanctuary. Best time to visit is November -May. Lonavla and Khandala Lonavla and Khandala are two hill resorts 5kms apart at an altitude of around 600m in the western ghats. Khandala is a quite village overlooking a picturesque ravine and surrounded by wet season waterfalls.

Located 106km from Mumbai, on the Mumbai-Pune railway line, Lonavla is a good base to visit the Karla and Bhaja caves and also the Rajmachi, Lohagen and Visapur Forts nearby. Karla and Bhaja are rock-cut-caves which are among the oldest and finest examples of Hinayana Buddhists rock temple art in India. The Walwan Dam at Lonavla was built in 1915 to supply hydroelectric power to Mumbai’s textile mills. Best time to visit is during the monsoon. Kashi Mira Kashi and Mira are two villages in Thane Taluka located close to each other.

The surroundings of the two villages abound in natural beauty and scenery. Just after leaving the check-post at Dahisar is an open surface with the backdrop of hills with zigzag paths leading up the hills. And it is this flushy background that has given these two villages the name “Kashimira”. Jawhar Palace It is called the “Mahabaleshwar of Thane District”, when compared in beauty and climate. And places to see are the majestic Dadara Kopra Falls, Jai Vilas, the palace of the tribal kings, the Hanuman and Sunset Points and the enthralling Shirpamal, where Shivaji chose to camp on his way to Surat.

Jawhar also offers you the unique opportunity to expose and enlighten yourself with the tribal way of life especially with the Warli paintings. About Thane Tourism Thane is an industrial town situated on the western banks of Thane creek that was frequented by ships since ancient times. It has been a hub of economic activity since medieval times due to its location. Thane, which means ‘station’ in Marathi was also known as Sthanaka, the capital of the Shilahara kings. Many travellers, including Venetian explorer Marco Polo, described the bustling trade at its well-developed port, and the cultural diversity of its people.

Historically Thane has been ruled by the Portuguese, Marathas and the British. The first railway train in India ran from Bombay VT to Thane in 1853. The city is bounded by the Parsik hills and Yeour hills on the east and west. It lies north of Mumbai and northwest of Maharashtra state. The region features all types of landforms, from the Jawahar Mokhade plateau to the Sahyadri ranges, and coastal plains and river basins. Sightseeing Highlights: There are many beautiful lakes around the city. Yeur Hills is an ideal getaway from the city rush.

Titwala (45 km) is pilgrim centre with Maha Ganesh Temple and Temple of Shri Vithoba. The 11th bout the place Thane is called as the city of lakes as it constitutes 30 lakes. It was an important Portuguese trading center until the Marathas captured it in 1739. The original name of Thane was ‘Sristhanaka’ i. e. the residence of Lord Ganesha. It is located to the north of Mumbai; the city is surrounded by hills and lakes. It has several historical buildings, including forts and several churches. Now it is a booming industrial hub with growth in trade, transport and construction activities.

Religious Spots Ganeshpuri This is a small town near Bhivandi, about 40 km from Thane which is the residence of Swami Nityananda Maharaj. An ancient temple is also there with four tanks called kundas. The kundas are some 800 years old. It is more famous for its hot water springs. Historical Monuments Bassein (Vasai) Bassein or Vasai was an ancient Portuguese settlement located just 48-km to the north of Mumbai, near the Thane creek. The Fort of Bassein was constructed in 1532 by Bahadur Shah, Sultan of Gujarat. The ruins of the Fort still exist.

You can visit to the Cathedral of St. Joseph and the Churches of St Antony and St. Paul. The city walls are still intact. There are also decorative gateways inscribed with coats of arms and Portuguese graves dating back to 1558. Lakes The most famous lake of the city is the Masunda Talao, also known as Talao Pali. The lake offers boating and water scooter facilities to the tourists. Some other popular lakes in and around the city are Upvan Lake, Kacharali Talao, Makhamali Talao, Siddheshwar Talao, Bramhala Talao, Ghosale Talao, Railadevi Talao etc. Other Attractions

Jawhar Palace The climatic condition of this place is so marvelous that it is some time called as the “Mahabaleshwar of Thane”. The places of worth visiting are majestic Dadara Kopra Falls, Jai Vilas and the palace of the tribal kings. Jawhar also offers some unique moments to share time with the lives of tribal people. Tansa wild life sanctuary This wild life sanctuary is situated in the Thane district about 90 kms from Mumbai. It is a home to 54 species of animals and 200 species of birds. The total area covered by the lake sanctuary is about 217 sq. ms. Major animal species include panthers, sambars, cheetal barking deers, wild boar, jackal, common langur and bonnet macaque. You can best visit the place during November to May. How to reach The city is close to Mumbai; hence transport is not a problem for it. You can reach the city by roads, rails or by air. The nearest airport is at Mumbai. Thane is an important railway station of the state. The three national highways passing through the city are Mumbai-Agra Highway, Mumbai-Banglore Highway, Mumbai-Ahmadabad Highway.

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