Parel परळ |
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Neighbourhood | |
Coordinates: 18°59′N 72°50′E / 18.99°N 72.84°ECoordinates: 18°59′N 72°50′E / 18.99°N 72.84°E | |
Country | India |
State | Maharashtra |
Metro | Mumbai |
Demonym(s) | Parelkar |
Language | |
• Official | Marathi |
Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
PIN | 400012[1] |
Area code(s) | 022 |
Vehicle registration | MH 01 |
Lok Sabha constituency | Mumbai South |
Vidhan Sabha constituency | Worli (covers Lower Parel and surrounding areas) Shivadi (covers Parel, Lalbaug and surrounding areas) |
Parel or Lower Parel [2] is a neighbourhood of Mumbai. It lends its name to two railway stations (Parel and Lower Parel) on the Mumbai Suburban Railway. Parel West is also known as Elphinstone due to the Elphinstone Road railway station that lies in close proximity to the neighbourhood. Many of the cotton mills in Mumbai and housing for their employees were in this area until the beginning of the 21st century when most of these mills were shut down.
Lower Parel, which too was once dominated by textile mills till the 1980s, morphed into a posh locality as part of the redevelopment of Mumbai mills. The area is now dominated by luxury skyscraper apartments, upscale restaurants and pubs, premium office space, luxury hotels, and boutiques.
History
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20151106165759im_/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Seven_Islands_of_Bombay_en.svg/160px-Seven_Islands_of_Bombay_en.svg.png)
Parel was one of the original seven islands of Bombay (now Mumbai). It belonged to the 13th century kingdom of Raja Bhimdev.[citation needed]
In the 1770s, William Hornby, the Governor of Bombay, shifted his official residence to Parel. This area then became one of the poshest areas of the city. In 1867, tanners and dealers in dry fish were relocated in this area. By the 1870s, several cotton mills had been established in the reclaimed lands in Parel (West). Gradually, Paral became very polluted. In 1883, the Governor's wife died of cholera in the Government House. Two years later, the Governor's Mansion was moved to Malabar Point. During the plague epidemics of the 1890s, the old Government House was leased to the newly founded Haffkine Institute. After the plague epidemics, mills proliferated in this area. In 1915, the Parel Bridge was built with linked the Western and Central Railway stations. It became an industrial area and in addition provided space for mill workers.[3]
Overview
Parel has seen an influx of huge enterprises in the compounds of the long-gone cotton mills. A five star hotel, ITC Hotel The Grand Central, Mumbai - The Luxury Collection, is located in Parel. During the time the cotton mills were operating in Parel, many thousands of mill workers called Parel home.[citation needed]
Parel's hospitals include KEM (Municipal corporation hospital), Tata Memorial Centre, Wadia Hospital, and MGM (ESI hospital).[citation needed] Parel has also a influence of da famous Ganpati festival of Mumbai... The so called Lalbaug is also a part of Parel . The famous Parel cha raja, Parel vibhag sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav Mandal ,Narepark has a record of the highest idol in the area. Also the crowd during the 'aagman' here is tremendous. The area is also known as ,'Bhai lokancha area' (the area of the dons). Many severe incidents have taken place here including the 1933 riots. The recent such a fight was witnessed on 4th January 2015, on the Day of Eid-e-milad, when the people of the Muslim religion here, had to face the consequences of wrong behavior with a lady. The whole lot of public involved in this festival who had to pass through Parel were beaten up by the people here. This riot like condition was brought under control with the help of the police officials.
There are some famous 5 star Hotel in Parel & Lower Parel area namely ITC Grand, St' Regis at High Street Phoenix mall, Lower Parel.
PVR Multiplex Cinema is located in High Street Phoenix mall of Lower Parel which is one of the most crowed and famous.
Literature and Popular Culture
" ... the ayah, sitting in the moonlight at the doorway, lulled him to sleep with an interminable canticle such as they sing in the Roman Catholic Church at Parel." From Rudyard Kipling's short story, Baa Baa Black Sheep, published in 1888.
References
- Star Track; Times of India Mumbai; pg-2; 21 April 2006
- ^ "Pin code : Parel, Mumbai". pincode.org.in. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ D'Cunha, Jose Gerson (1900). "IV The Portuguese Period". The Origins of Bombay (3 ed.). Bombay: Asian Educational Services. p. 265. ISBN 81-206-0815-1. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
- ^ Death of an Industrial City: Testimonies of Life Around Bombay Textile Strike of 1982 Indian Labour Archives
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