Churchgate

This article is about the area. For the railway station of the same name, see Churchgate railway station.

Churchgate (Marathi pronunciation: [t͡ʃəɾt͡ʃɡeːʈ]) is an area in the southern part of Mumbai, close to the Arabian Sea. The area is known for its unique architecture consisting of art deco style residential buildings, access to sporting venues, and the business district of Nariman Point.

Churchgate
Neighbourhood
The original gate which led to the present day St. Thomas Cathedral in 1863 was later dismantled.
Churchgate Show map of India Churchgate Show map of Maharashtra Churchgate Show map of Mumbai
Coordinates: 18.93°N 72.82°E / 18.93; 72.82
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
District	Mumbai City
City	Mumbai
Government
• Type	Municipal Corporation
• Body	Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (MCGM)
Languages
• Official	Marathi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	400020
Area code	022
Vehicle registration	MH 01
Civic agency	BMC

Mumbai in the 1860s with Church Gate visible in the background.

History

During the eighteenth and up to the mid-19th century, Mumbai was a walled city surrounded by a fortification. The city walls had three gates. One of the gates, Churchgate, was named after St. Thomas Cathedral, Mumbai. The area west of the original gate came to be known as Churchgate. In the mid-19th century, the wall of the fort along with its gates were torn down to aid in the expansion of the city.^{[citation needed]} At the exact location of the Churchgate, Flora Fountain was built.^[1]

Geography

Arabian Sea is situated at west and Nariman Point on south of Churchgate. Churchgate railway station is a major railway terminus on the Western line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway.^[2][3]

2008 Mumbai attacks

On 26 November 2008, a Pakistan trained Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist attacked the Trident hotel and the Oberoi hotel. This attack ended up killing as many as 30 people.^[4] The hotels are situated on the southern border of Churchgate in the Nariman Point area. The attacks were part of a larger Mumbai terrorist attack, which killed 166 and injured 238 in an unprecedented Islamic terrorist attack. In response, Mumbai police killed one terrorist and apprehended another, Ajmal Kasab, along with which the National Security Guards (NSG) killed 8 other terrorists.^[5]

Metro

Mumbai Metro's Aqua Line (Line 3) will pass through Churchgate area, with its route covering Colaba-Bandra-Seepz. Hutatma Chowk, Churchgate and Vidhan Bhavan are the stations listed for this area, and all of these will be built underground. Line 3 is expected to reduce road congestion as well as the load on the Western Line between Bandra and Churchgate.

Places

Following places are located in Churchgate area of Mumbai:

• Cricket centre - headquarters and office of Board of Control for Cricket in India
• Wankhede stadium - an international cricket Stadium
• Mumbai Cricket Association - headquarters of Mumbai cricket
• Marine drive - a seaside road
• Cricket Club of India (CCI)- an exclusive sports club for rich elites
• Brabourne Stadium - an old cricket stadium, owned by CCI
• Churchgate railway station

Colleges

• K.C College
• K.C. Law College
• Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies
• H.R. College of Commerce and Economics
• Government Law College, Mumbai
• Jai Hind College
• Sydenham College
• Elphinstone College
• SNDT Women's University

Sights

Tourist spots in the Churchgate area include:

• Hutatma Chowk
• Maharashtra High Court
• Marine Drive
• Oval Maidan

1

1 Churchgate

.