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| Bandra | |
| Railway | Western Railway, Central Railway(Harbour Line) |
| Station number | 12 |
| Neighbouring stations | Khar (North)
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| Fast stop: | Yes | Platforms | 7 |
Bandra is a suburb of Mumbai, India. It is also the name of a railway station on the Mumbai suburban railway. Bandra has one of the largest Catholic population in Mumbai. It is famous for its churches, especially Mount Mary's basilica. Bandra is also known as the "Queen of the suburbs in Mumbai".
Over the years, Bandra has also gained the title of the "Restaurant Suburb of Mumbai". More restaurants open and close in Bandra every few months than any other location in Mumbai.
Bandra (East) is the capital of Bombay suburban district. However it if completely overshadowded by its neighbouring city district with regards to government departments. The most prominent office is the suburban collector's office.
Legend has it that the name Bandra comes from the Hindi word Bandar meaning monkey. According to reports, the hillocks of Bandra were infested with monkeys and hence the name. 'Bandar' also means port in Hindi.
In 1543, the Portuguese took possession of the island of Bombay by force. The Portuguese gave the Jesuit priests the sole ownership of Bandra, Parel, Wadala and Sion. In 1570 the Jesuits built a college and a church in Bandra. In the mid-18th century, the traveller John Fryer records that the Jesuit church, which stood near the sea shore, was still in use. The Portuguese built several churches in Bandra, including the famous St. Andrew's Church, which has the distinctive Portuguese-style facade.
In 1733 when the Kunbi farmers migrated to this island from Bombay, because the fish manure they used was banned, they found St. Andrew's church (still extant), St. Stanislaw's Orphanage and a monastery of St. Anne. After this was destroyed in a Maratha raid in the year 1737, when the Portuguese troops were aided by the English, a slaughter house was built on the same spot.
There was also a chapel of Mount Mary, build around 1640. Local tradition has it that this was destroyed in 1738 during a Maratha raid. The statue of the virgin was recovered from the sea by fishermen and temporarily installed in St. Andrews, before being shifted to the rebuilt Mount Mary in 1761.
Bandra remained a village with plantations of rice and vegetables in the low-lying areas of the island until it was connected to Mahim by a causeway in 1845. Although many bungalows were built here in the boom years of the 1860's and 70's, the fashionable Pali Hill area, now full of film stars, saw the first constructions only in the 1880's.
Bandra (West) became one of the most fashionable suburbs already by the middle of the century. Bandra (East) is regarded as a commercial area, consisting of the Bandra-Kurla Commercial Complex.
Neighboring suburbs
Arterial Roads
Bandra railway station is connected via the Western Railway and the Harbour Line which is an offshoot of the suburban Central Railway. BEST buses, autorickshaws and taxis are abundant here.
Bandra also being centrally located makes it easy to move to different parts of the city.
(See List of Bombay Colleges)
Schools
Colleges
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