Session 6: Bhuleshwar, God's Own Neighbourhood

Walking through the lanes that spill over each other, narrowly demarcating one area from another - one lands up in the nerve centre of south Mumbai, Bhuleshwar. The width of the road is just about enough to support a two-way pedestrian traffic. And amidst the cramped co-existence of old buildings and zillion shops, spring up much to your wonderment, temples of varied sizes and lords.



The bustling lanes of Bhuleshwar in south-central Mumbai are home to more than 100 temples (many dating back several centuries). Name a God and you'll find Him here, either sheltered in a small temple or worshipped in a lavish one. Your faith will definitely find a form here." Out of the 19-20 temples we visited in the bhulbhulaiya, some of them are: the famous 130-year-old Laxmi Narayan temple where it is believed that all wishes come true, the huge Bhuleshwar complex where you can complete your mini tirthyatra, the Vallabhacharya Haveli, the Swaminarayan temple, Sheetla Devi Temple, Ranchodrai Mandir, Madhav Baug Temple, etc.

The entire place is a riot of architecture (referring to the mix of baroque, gothic and Venetian) with its ornamental motifs, community wadis and migrant population.

Also tucked somewhere in the by-lanes of the crowded Bhuleshwar bazaar was the Bombay Panjrapole, a 176-year-old infirmary that primarily looks after 350 cows and other stray animals like donkeys, hens, birds, dogs, goats, parrots and ducks.

Session 5: Visit to Khotachi Wadi

This visit was all about ‘Walk the Talk’ in the lane of Khotachiwadi by Mr Rahul Chemburkar - an architect by profession and our resource person for the visit. Upon entering the heritage village through its narrow lanes flanked by typical Portuguese house style facades and charming brightly coloured houses, it was hard to believe that we were still in Mumbai! Architecture was the highlight of this trip and rightly so, we found it difficult to take our eyes off the beautiful old wood bungalows with large verandas. Since the term ‘heritage’ is not restricted only to its tangible aspects, we visited some residents – Mr. Wilfred Felizardos and Mrs. Sylvester, the original inhabitants, to gain some insights into the history of that place, their culture and traditions.

We walked in the narrow lanes observing our surroundings, eating wafers of the famous 60-year-old Wafer House, taking pictures and thinking how ideal this location is for a game of chor- police or treasure hunt.

We did not realize how the time went by and only after unwillingly stepping out of the wadi did everyone realize how tired we were. We then walked all the way to Grant Rd station to visit the nearby Bhavani Shankar temple built by Jagannath Shunkerseth, which highlights the typical Deccan Marathi style of architecture before calling it a day.

- Aseema Karandikar

Time to get creative and participative!

We are glad to announce an two competitions as part of the Advanced Certificate Course on the Heritage of Mumbai.

Essay Writing
The essay should be approximately 800–1000 words (excluding the bibliography) on one of the following topics based on Mumbai:

1. Bombay to Mumbai: Historic Development
2. Architectural Heritage
3. Cultural Heritage
4. Natural Heritage
5. Conserving the Heritage

Photography Competition
Each participant will have to submit two photographs – one showing tangible heritage, and one portraying intangible heritage.
It could be anything- people, places, nature, etc.
The photos should be of the places visited during our walks. The competition will be judged on creativity and photographic clarity (if not quality).

Timeline
Registration (With Name, Division and Research Area) - 18th August
Submission - 31st August

Please submit your photos and essays on Email id: heritageofmumbai@gmail.com strictly within the stipulated deadline.

Session 4: Workshop at the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum

This 2 hour workshop focused on the theory and practice of Heritage Interpretation. The session began with an interactive discussion on the concept of heritage interpretation and the practice of interpretive planning. Students were then taken on a guided tour of the Museum, following which they worked in groups to create an interpretive strategy for a heritage site in Mumbai. The aim of the workshop was to provide participants with the opportunity to engage with the theory and practice of interpreting and using heritage resources, taking Mumbai’s heritage sites as their subject of study.