https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Dharavi_IslandDharavi Island - Revision history2026-08-03T00:29:02ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Dharavi_Island&diff=496712&oldid=prevDhwanika Joshi at 05:46, 11 August 20252025-08-11T05:46:10Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Island within the city of Mumbai, India}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2025}}<br />
'''Dharavi Island''' (also known as '''Dharavi Bhet''') is an island situated at the mouth of [[Vasai Creek]] on the western side of [[Salsette Island]], within the city of [[Mumbai]], India.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dharavi |url=https://gazetteers.maharashtra.gov.in/cultural.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/Thana%20District/places_Dharavi.html |website=Maharashtra.gov.in |publisher=Maharashtra Gazetteers}}</ref> Dharavi Island comprises six villages, [[Dongri]], [[Uttan]], Pali, Chowk, [[Gorai]], and [[Manori]].<ref name="midday">{{cite news |last1=Ramos |first1=Dalreen |title=The other Dharavi you didn't know of |url=https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai-guide/things-to-do/article/the-other-dharavi-you-didnt-know-of-19775152 |publisher=[[Mid Day]] |date=6 September 2018}}</ref> <br />
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== History ==<br />
[[File:IslandsofBombay1893.jpg|thumb|right| 1893 Map of [[Salsette Island]] showing Dharavi Island at top Left corner]]<br />
Dharavi Island is located on the western side of Salsette, situated at the mouth of the [[Vasai Creek|Bassein creek]]. The island is named after the Dharavi Devi Mandir, a [[Hindu temple]] dedicated to Dharavi, one of the deities in Hinduism.<ref>{{cite news |title=भाईंदरच्या तारोडी गावातील धारावी देवी |url=https://www.lokmat.com/thane/dharavi-devi-tarodi-village-bhayander/ |publisher=[[Lokmat]] |date=8 October 2019 |language=Marathi}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Thakur |first1=Mayur |title=भाईंदरच्या तारोडी परिसरातील सुप्रसिद्ध धारावी देवी |url=http://www.loksatta.com/lokutsav/well-known-dharavi-devi-of-tarodi-area-of-bhayander-mrj-95-3993984/ |publisher=[[Lokmat]] |date=18 October 2023 |language=Marathi}}</ref> The word, Dharavi translates to loose mud in [[Tamil language]]. There, confusion often arises between Dharavi Island and [[Dharavi]], a residential slum area of Mumbai.<ref name="midday"/><br />
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Dharavi Island is also home to the [[Bombay East Indians|East Indian community]], who are considered the original residents of [[Mumbai|Bombay]], tracing their roots back to places like the [[Isle of Bombay]], [[Thane]], [[Salsette Island|Salsette]], and [[Vasai|Bassein]] (now [[Vasai]]). In the 15th and 16th centuries, Portuguese missionaries converted locals to [[Roman Catholicism]], particularly among farming, fishing, and salt-making communities.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gadge |first1=Kasturi |title=Go island hopping with original inhabitants of Mumbai |url=https://www.mid-day.com/sunday-mid-day/article/go-island-hopping-with-original-inhabitants-of-mumbai-21694728 |publisher=[[Mid Day]] |date=8 September 2019}}</ref><br />
== Culture ==<br />
Kulvem Village in [[Gorai]] retains much of its traditional ambience. The [[Bombay East Indians|East Indians]] are mainly engaged in agriculture, and live in century-old homes with [[Mangalore tiles|Mangalorean tiled]] roofs, wooden balconies, and spacious kitchens equipped with backdoors for livestock like pigs.<ref name="midday"/><br />
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In Uttan, the East Indian Museum, founded by the Mogai Gauthan Panchayat, displays artefacts like the 'Puraan', a [[Bible]] from 17th-century, written in the [[East Indian language]] using the [[Roman script]].<ref name="midday"/><br />
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There are many religious places on the island, like Our Lady of the Sea Church in [[Uttan]], which was built around 1664, and the over 400-year-old Our Lady of Bethlehem Church.<ref name="Rangan">{{cite news |last1=Datta |first1=Rangan |title=Who are the East Indians of India's western coast and what is their Portuguese link |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/people/who-are-the-east-indians-of-indias-western-coast-and-what-is-their-portuguese-link/cid/2042814 | date=22 August 2024 |agency=My Kolkata |newspaper=The Telegraph | accessdate=9 June 2025}}</ref><br />
The remnants of Infant Jesus Church, which was destroyed after the Maratha invasion in 1739, are visible from Vairala Tank.<ref name="midday"/><ref>{{cite book |author1=James Burgess |author2=Henry Cousens |author1-link=James Burgess (archaeologist)|author2-link=Henry Cousens |title=Revised Lists of Antiquarian Remains in the Bombay Presidency |date=1897 |publisher=Printed at the Government central Press |page=110 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H2ZBAQAAIAAJ&dq=Dharavi+Island&pg=PA110 |quote=Dharavi Island, on the west of Silsette, at the mouth of the Bassein Creek, has, on a ridge of bill, the ruins of a large Portuguese church and the remains of a fort with a tank.}}</ref><br />
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These villages of Dharavi Island are primarily inhabited by marginalized communities, including the [[Kolis]], the [[Kunbi|Kunbis]], and the [[Bhandaris]].<ref name=sca/><br />
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== Economy ==<br />
[[File:Women at work in Uttan - Velankanni Beach.jpg|thumb|Women working in [[Uttan]], Velankanni Beach of Dharavi Island ]]<br />
Women's groups on Dharavi Island engage in various activities, including preparing fish and vegetable pickles, crafting bottle masalas, and making rice handbreads. They also run catering services, make candles, and participate in other Income Generation Programs (IGPs). These groups receive ongoing training to improve product quality and marketing abilities.<ref name=sca>{{cite web |title=Dharavi Island |url=https://csamumbai.in/where_we_work/dharavi-island/ |publisher=Centre for Social Action |date=2024}}</ref><br />
== Archaeology ==<br />
In the archaeological discoveries of Dharavi Island, two Gadhegals or [[Donkey stone|donkey stones]] from the 12th century were found, depicting a donkey engaged in intercourse with a woman. Over generations, villagers have held these stones in reverence. In 2012, archaeologists interpreted these stones as declarations of land grants, warning of severe punishment for trespassers.<ref name="midday"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Sunavala |first1=Nergish |title='Ass curse' on boundary stones is the subject of new research of Mumbai University |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/ass-curse-on-boundary-stones-is-the-subject-of-new-research-of-mumbai-university/articleshow/51097635.cms |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=25 February 2016}}</ref><br />
== Gallery ==<br />
<gallery><br />
File:Vegetable vendors on the Gorai beach.JPG|Vegetable vendors on the [[Gorai Beach|Gorai beach]]<br />
File:Dongri Fort 2.jpg|[[Dongri Fort]], locally known as the Janjire Dhavari Fort at Dharavi Island<br />
File:Gorai Beach ,Uttan .jpg|Gorai Beach<br />
Fishermen in Uttan.jpg|Fishermen<br />
File:Velankanni Church, Uttan.jpg|Velankanni Church, Uttan<br />
File:Fish Sorting Velenkani Beach, Uttan 4.jpg|Fish Sorting, Velenkani Beach, Uttan <br />
File:Uttan village2.jpg|Fish market in Uttan<br />
Church of Our Lady of Bethlehem 2.jpg|Church of Our Lady of Bethlehem<br />
</gallery><br />
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==See also==<br />
{{portal|Islands}}<br />
* [[Dongri Fort]]<br />
* [[Gorai]]<br />
* [[Manori]]<br />
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== References ==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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{{coord|19|15|N|72|48|E|display=title|region:IN_type:isle_source:GNS-enwiki}}<br />
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[[Category:Islands of Mumbai]]<br />
[[Category:Islands of India]]<br />
[[Category:Portuguese forts in India]]<br />
[[Category:Neighbourhoods in Mumbai]]<br />
[[Category:Villages in Mumbai Suburban district]]<br />
[[Category:Islands of Maharashtra]]<br />
[[Category:Populated places in India]]</div>Dhwanika Joshi