Sadnasankar138 at 21:17, 6 May 2026

2026-05-06T21:17:54Z

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{{Short description|Heritage statue in Byculla, Mumbai}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2026}}
{{Infobox monument
| name = Khada Parsi
| native_name =
| image = Standing Parsi Statue or the Khada Parsi and the Byculla Hotel - Bombay, Circa 1850-1870 (cropped).jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Standing Parsi Statue or the Khada Parsi, {{circa}} 1870
| location = [[Byculla]], [[Mumbai]], India
| designer =
| type = [[Statue]]
| material = [[Cast iron]]
| length =
| width =
| height = {{Convert|40|ft|m}}
| weight =
| visitors_num =
| visitors_year =
| begin = 1865
| complete = 1867
| dedicated =
| open =
| restore = 2014
| dismantled =
| dedicated_to = Cursetjee Manockjee (1763—1845)
| pushpin map =
| relief =
| pushpin map alt =
| pushpin label position =
| map caption =
| pushpin mapsize =
| mapframe = yes
| coordinates = {{Coord|18.9715541|72.8324427|format=dms|type:landmark_region:IN|display=inline,title}}
| website =
| extra_label =
| extra =
}}
'''Khada Parsi''', '''Ubha Parsi'''{{efn|in the [[Marathi language]]}} ({{translation|Standing Parsi}}){{efn|[[Rais Shaikh]], MLA and corporator of the area, claims that the statue is actually referred to as the "Khara Parsi" ({{Translation|True Parsi}})<ref name="IEArt22" />}} or '''Cursetjee Fountain''' is a Grade 1 heritage monument located in [[Byculla]], [[Mumbai]], India.<ref name="IEArt22">{{Cite web |first=Mohamed |last=Thaver |date=2022-03-19 |title=Art Street: The 'Oldest Parsi in Mumbai' who has been overseeing the city for over 150 years |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/art-street-the-oldest-parsi-in-mumbai-who-has-been-overseeing-the-city-for-over-150-years-7826790/ |access-date=2026-04-22 |website=The Indian Express |language=en |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Installed in 1867, the monument features a life-sized [[cast iron]] statue of Cursetjee Manockjee (19 August 1763 — 7 May 1845), a prominent [[Parsi]] businessman and philanthropist, atop a pillar and surrounded by mermaid fountains.<ref name="Print2024">{{Cite web |last=Walimbe |first=Kasturi |date=2026-04-12 |title=Khada Parsi in Byculla is an act of colonial defiance. And a son's tribute to his father |url=https://theprint.in/feature/around-town/khada-parsi-in-byculla-is-an-act-of-colonial-defiance-and-a-sons-tribute-to-his-father/2902534/ |access-date=2026-04-22 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref> It is considered one of the oldest Parsi statues in Mumbai.<ref name="IEArt22" />

==History==
===Commissioning===
[[File:Manockjee Cursetjee Brockedon.jpg|thumb|[[Manockjee Cursetjee]] commissioned the statue as a tribute to his father]]
The monument was commissioned by [[Manockjee Cursetjee]] as a tribute to his father, Cursetjee Manockjee, a philanthropist. In 1862, Manockjee Cursetjee visited an international exhibition in [[London]] and saw a [[Chile]]an fountain on display, featuring four waterspout mermaid fountains<ref name="Print2024" /> surrounding the ancient goddess [[Ceres (mythology)|Ceres]]. This statue was commissioned by Chilean politician Pascual Binemelis Campos and was installed in the city of [[Concepción, Chile]] in 1857.<ref name="HaywardMermaid18" /> This statue inspired Cursetjee to dedicate a monument to his father.<ref name="MMElsewhere08" />

In 1865, he went to London once again, accompanied by his daughter Serene, and commissioned fountain maker John Bell to build the structure. The total cost of the monument at the time was approximately {{INRConvert|20|k|year=1865}}.<ref name="Print2024" />

===Installation===
Municipal officials objected to the installation of the statue. Manockjee Cursetjee then reclaimed some land in Byculla that he had donated and got the statue installed, without any formal approval or any formal inauguration. It thus became only the third statue of an Indian in Bombay after those of [[Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy]] and [[Jagannath Shankarseth]].<ref name="Print2024" />

===Reverence by locals===
Soon after, Govind Narayan, a historian, stated that locals began treating it "almost as an object of worship, offering coconuts and prayers." They would collect the water from the fountain for their use and use the lamps as streetlights.<ref name="Print2024" />

===Neglect===
By 1915, there were reports of its neglect, with reports stating that the lamps were missing and that the fountains were running dry.<ref name="Print2024" />

===Shift in location and donation to BMC===
The statue was initially installed on the one end of Clare Road in Byculla. In 1928, it was relocated to its current location on the other side of Clare Road, at the base of the Byculla bridge.<ref name="Print2024" />

[[File:Khada Parsi and vintage cars, c. 1929.jpg|thumb|Khada Parsi and vintage cars, c. 1929]]
The statue was then presented to the [[Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation]] (BMC) by the family with the condition that it be maintained and provided with a continuous water supply for its fountains. While it was initially placed in a more prominent, open setting, urban development eventually resulted in it being hemmed in by two major flyovers: the Y-shaped flyover and the Byculla flyover.<ref name="MMElsewhere08">{{Cite web |first=Sudhir |last=Suryawanshi |date=Apr 2, 2008 |title=Khada Parsi may stand elsewhere |url=https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/other/khada-parsi-may-stand-elsewhere/articleshow/15798777.html |access-date=2026-04-22 |website=Mumbai Mirror |language=en}}</ref>

==Design==
The [[life-size statue]] of Cursetjee Manockjee is depicted as a man with a moustache who is dressed in traditional Parsi attire, the ''jama-pichori'', and a shawl draped over his shoulders. In its left hand, the statue holds two pieces of sandalwood while it holds a book in its right hand, signifying scriptures from [[Zoroastrianism]]. An identifying plaque states:<ref name="Print2024" />

{{Quote|Cursetjee Manockjee. Born 19th August 1763. Died 7th May 1845.}}

The central pillar on which the statue stands is about {{Convert|40|ft|m}} tall. The pillar resembles the [[pillars of Ashoka]] and the [[Persepolitan column]]s.<ref name="Print2024" /> The base of the pillar features four [[mermaid]]s blowing conches, which function as water fountains. The mermaids are depicted with their breasts bare and they have long, curling tails.<ref name="HaywardMermaid18">{{Cite book |last=Hayward |first=Philip |url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=JuxjDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT51&lpg=PT51&dq=Mermaid+statue+panjim |title=Scaled for Success: The Internationalisation of the Mermaid |date=2018-07-26 |publisher=Indiana University Press |isbn=978-0-86196-951-7 |language=en |page=51}}</ref> The mermaids were surrounded by four gas lights, and four more gas lights are placed a little higher on the pillar.<ref name="Print2024" /> The structure is built in the [[Gothic Revival architecture]] style.<ref name="HaywardMermaid18" />

The fountain's water came from Vihar Water Works and the gas for the lights was sourced from the Bombay Gas Company.<ref name="Print2024" />

==Relocation proposals==
Over the decades, the monument was subject to neglect, corrosion, and theft of its bronze lamps. In the late 2010s, the BMC considered shifting the statue to a different location, such as Five Gardens in [[Matunga]] or a traffic island near the [[Bhau Daji Lad Museum]], to improve its visibility and protect it from traffic pollution.<ref name="MMElsewhere08" /> It was also proposed to be shifted to the Mumbai Fire Brigade headquarters. However, heritage conservationists and the local community opposed the move, arguing that the statue was a landmark intrinsic to Byculla.<ref name="IERetain09">{{Cite web |first=Shweta |last=Desai |date=2009-01-25 |title=Khada Parsi to retain his Byculla spot |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/khada-parsi-to-retain-his-byculla-spot/ |access-date=2026-04-22 |website=The Indian Express |language=en |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

==Restoration==
In 2014, the BMC completed a major restoration project at a cost of approximately {{INRConvert|2|c|year=2014}}.<ref name="MMRestored14">{{Cite news |first=Chaitanya |last=Marpakwar |date=2014-06-19 |title=Iconic Khada Parsi statue restored |url=https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/other/iconic-khada-parsi-statue-restored/articleshow/36786876.html |access-date=2026-04-22 |website=Mumbai Mirror |language=en}}</ref> The renovated statue was inaugurated in the presence of [[Shiv Sena (UBT)|Shiv Sena]] chief [[Uddhav Thackeray]]. Pankaj Joshi was the consulting architect for the project, who claims that it is the only cast iron statue in the city. {{INRConvert|6|l|year=2014}} would be spent on its maintenance yearly. The eight gas lamps were restored. The mermaid water fountain was restored with black basalt rock sourced from [[Rajasthan]]. More than 400 pieces of the monument were restored using stones from [[Nagpur]], Rajasthan and [[Mangalore]].<ref>{{Cite news |first=Omar |last=Rashid |date=2014-06-20 |title=After restoration, Khada Parsi stands tall |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/after-restoration-khada-parsi-stands-tall/article6133996.ece |access-date=2026-04-22 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X |url-access=subscription}}</ref> [[Sandblasting]] was done to clean the statue of decades of dirt and dust, after which a special putty was applied and then oxidized to produce a jet black colour. Fresh pipelines for water and gas were constructed; the eight lamps will use around {{Convert|8|kg|oz}} of gas per hour. Further, a small seating space was cleared around the fountain. Skilled workers from [[Makrana]], Rajasthan, were brought to conduct the stone work.<ref name="MMRestored14" />

==Portrayal==
[[File:A painting titled ‘Landscape’ by AM Mali. It features the Khada Parsi fountain statue at Byculla, Mumbai (Dates Unknown).jpg|thumb|A painting titled ''Landscape'' by A. Mali. It features the Khada Parsi fountain statue at Byculla, Mumbai (Dates Unknown)]]
The statue is portrayed in a 1948 painting by A. S. Tendulkar and in another undated painting by A. Mali. Both these paintings were on display at the [[Taj Mahal Palace Hotel]] as part of the ''Bombay Framed'' exhibition in April 2026.<ref name="Print2024" />

In 2014, graphic designer and illustrator Garima Gupta created an animated video featuring the statue.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Dhara |last=Vora |date=8 August 2014 |title=Khada Parsi gets its own video |url=https://www.mid-day.com/lifestyle/culture/article/Khada-Parsi-gets-its-own-video-15514154 |access-date=2026-04-22 |website=Mid-day}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category inline}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Monuments and memorials in Mumbai]]
[[Category:Cultural history of Maharashtra]]

Khada Parsi - Revision history

Sadnasankar138 at 21:17, 6 May 2026