Bhandup Koliwada

By Anurag

Mumbai, being an island city, is surrounded by two main kinds of water bodies: the open sea to the west and numerous creeks to the north, east, and south. The fishing communities that settled along the coasts of these water bodies adapted their livelihoods and lifestyles according to the surrounding marine ecology. We can thus divide the Koliwadas of Mumbai into two categories: those who have access to the open sea and those who have access to the abundant creeks. The article focuses on one of the prominent Koliwadas on Thane Creek's coast.

Early History

Bhandup is one of Mumbai's most historically significant locations. The Shilaharas of Thane, who ruled this region from 10th–12th centuries CE, are known to have built a Rajpath, or royal road, that passed through Bhandup [1] and connected their capital to places on the eastern seaboard of Mumbai. In 1835, researchers found a copper plate inscription mentioning Bhandup in a field in Nahur. The inscription dates back to the reign of Northern Shilahara King Chhittarajadev, who ruled from 1022–1035 CE. [2]

The Mahikavatichi Bakhar, chronicling Mumbai from the 13th–14th centuries CE, mentions the place with the same name as the present-day Bhandup. This makes Bhandup one of the few places in Mumbai whose name has remained unchanged for the last seven to eight hundred years. Bhandup and the surrounding areas are under the jurisdiction of an administrator named Harbaji, according to the text.

The local Mhasoba shrine in Bhandup Koliwada worships a Gadhegal, or ass curse stone, and a Virghal-like sculpture as deities. Historically, the king would install Gadhegals on the boundary of any individual's donated land to deter trespassing on private land. A virghal was a memorial stone in honour of a warrior who had fallen in armed conflict. Based on their art style, we can date both of these sculptures found in Bhandup to the 13th or 14th century CE, providing another important marker of the historicity of the Bhandup region.

Bhandup was an important location for salt production on the Shasthi or Salcette island, dotted with numerous salt pans lined along the coast of the Thane Creek. Advait Keni, a young Koli community member and an avid documenter of local history and culture, asserts the existence of a practice known as Fattemari in Bhandup. This practice involved shipping the abundant locally produced salt from Bhandup to Thane, and then exporting it to the global market.

After the British supplanted the Maratha rule in Salcette in 1818, they focused on maximising the profits from the salt production at Bhandup. They established the office of the Collector of Salt Revenue and built numerous structures to serve as the offices for the Salt Revenue Collector and warehouses, locally known as Mith Chowki, for storing the salt. Many of these British structures still survive in Bhandup, and the main office of the Salt Collector is still in use as the office of the Superintendent of Salt under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the Government of India.

A distillery in Bhandup supplied rum to the Bombay presidency government, the army, and the general city population. The rum distillery was also subject to the Salt Revenue Collector's jurisdiction. In 1858, when the presidency government discovered that rum imported from Mauritius was cheaper compared to the locally manufactured one, the Bhandup distillery went into dormancy and eventually closed down in 1878.[3]

Another significant aspect of Bhandup's place in Indian history is its connection to the country's first railway line. The famed Parsi businessman Framji Cowasji owned a large estate stretching from Bhandup to Powai. During a visit to Cowasji’s estate, the chief engineer of the Bombay Presidency government, George Clarke, conceived the idea of establishing a railway line [4] connecting Bori Bunder on the southern end of Bombay to Thane, the northern end of Salcette island. The government approved his idea, and the first passenger railway in India ran on April 16, 1853, from Bori Bunder to Thane. [5]

The Koliwada of Bhandup is also one of the leading Koliwadas that participated in the Indian Independence Movement. Numerous inhabitants of this locality diligently struggled against British rule. The local government used a structure near Bhandup Koliwada as an execution facility, where they hanged many freedom activists. The most significant phase in its local history was the Salt Satyagraha, organised by Mahatma Gandhi. The salt pan owners of Bhandup joined the Salt Satyagraha wholeheartedly, producing salt independently and defying British laws.

Bhandup Koliwada

Bhandup Gaothan was originally located near Vihar Lake. According to Keni, the British relocated the Koliwada to its current location in Bhandup East when they established a water filtration plant in that locality to supply drinking water to South Mumbai. He further mentions that when the railway line passed through Bhandup, the natives were terrorised by the hitherto unseen railway engines and called them ‘Aag Oknare Rakshas’ or fire-spewing demons, and ran away at the sight of the passing trains.

The locals eventually adapted to this new technology, and the fisherwomen of Bhandup Koliwada began using the trains bound for Bori Bunder to transport their daily catch to Sassoon dock, where they sold it in the wholesale market. Locally known as hamal, coolies used to sprint from Koliwada to Bhandup station in the early morning, carrying the paati (heavy fish baskets) on their heads. Gradually, with the advent of tar roads and road transportation such as rickshaws, the fisherwomen started carrying their fish baskets in these vehicles to the railway station.

Along with fishing, rice cultivation during the monsoons was an important occupation for the natives of Bhandup Koliwada. The Bhandup villagers' farmlands extended from the Bhandup Koliwada to the present-day Airoli bridge near Mulund.

Socio-religious Landscape

Four shrines dedicated to local deities in the four cardinal directions marked the traditional expanse, or ves, of Bhandup Koliwada. The shrine of Brahmandev marked the northern end of Koliwada; the shrine of Nama Devi sat on the western border; the shrine of Gaondevi formed the eastern boundary; and the shrine of Varoba demarcated the settlement's southern frontier.

Kolis and Aagris make up the main communities in Bhandup Koliwada, and the fishing hamlet is divided into two localities: Aagar Vali and Koliwada. Vali is a local adaptation of the Marathi word 'aali', which denotes a lane. The original settler families of Bhandup Koliwada are the Patil, Bhoir, and Vatandar, who form the oldest households continually residing in the Koliwada.

Owing to the large number of salt pans present in the region, extra manpower was required to tend to these pans. Gujarat invited a community known as the Kharvi Kolis and granted them a plot near Koliwada to establish their settlement. The term Kharvi originates from the word khar, which means salt, and signifies their traditional occupation. Near Bhandup Koliwada, the Kharvi Kolis settlement is still present.

The gramdevta of Bhandup Koliwada is the Goandevi, whose shrine sits on top of a hillock on the LBS Road in Bhandup West. The railway line now separates the shrine from the original Gaothan, which was originally located near the Vihar Lake. Every year on Magh Pornima, all the villagers of Bhandup visit Gaondevi's shrine and make offerings. On the second day of the jatra, the goddess receives an oblation of a goat and a chicken. Due to difficulties faced by the elderly from the Koliwada while travelling to the Gaondevi shrine, the young generation of locals has started organising the palkhi (palanquin) of Gaondevi on the day of her jatra. The old members of the Koliwada parade the palkhi from her temple, enabling them to access their beloved goddess from their homes, thereby avoiding the long trek to her temple. Subhash Namdev Bhoir's family in Bhandup Koliwada is the hereditary caretaker of the Gaondevi shrine.

According to Keni, the older generations believed that Gaondevi came out of her shrine at night atop a white horse and roamed through the Bhandup Koliwada to ensure the safety of its inhabitants. Locals in Bhandup Koliwada, believing the white horse to be Gaondevi's divine mount, avoided using them for grooms in weddings, reserving them exclusively for the goddess. The locals still actively follow this practice with dedication and humility.

Veshi Varche Dev, or frontier deities, are important entities in Bhandup Koliwada's religious landscape, and their shrines mark the boundaries of the settlement, as previously mentioned. According to Keni, before roads and vehicles became common in Bhandup, Varoba, dressed as a shepherd, protected the citizens, particularly the fisherwomen who were heading to Sassoon dock during the dark hours. He safely escorted people from Koliwada to the railway station and back. In return for his favour, the locals gave maan (an annual offering) at his shrine on the southern end of their village.

Mhasoba is an important guardian deity for the natives of Bhandup Koliwada. He is believed to walk around the settlement at night, preventing any evil forces from disrupting the local peace. In February, the Bhandup natives hold the annual jatra at Padhgha in Bhivandi, Mhasoba's main shrine. During this event, Bhandup Koliwada presents the deity with a ghongdi (blanket). Around the same time, the locals organise the jatra at the Mhasoba shrine and offer an oblation of mutton to the deity. Mhasoba is believed to be an incarnation of Bhairav and is part of the Shaiva cult; therefore, offerings of meat, alcohol, cigarettes, and cannabis are commonplace at the Mhasoba shrine. The locals believe that Mhasoba wears out his chappals (slippers) regularly because of his peripatetic nature. Therefore, people place small footwear in front of his shrine, symbolically replacing his worn-out chappals.

Nama Devi, who sits on the western edge of Bhandup within the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, is considered the rakhandar (guardian) of their settlement by the Bhandup Kolis. This tradition traces back to the era when the Vihar Lake nestled the old Gaothan, and the shrine of Nama Devi stood close to the former settlement. Because to her shrine is not possible due to its location within the core territory of the National Park. The local Adivasis staying near the shrine take care of its upkeep and maintenance.

The annual jatra offers a vegetarian oblation to the shrine of Brahmandev, which guards the northern limits of Bhandup Koliwada, because the deity, as his name suggests, is a Brahman. The shrine of the Bayas (water deities), located near the creek, also houses his image, and the locals consider him their brother.

The Bayas are an important divinity for the Bhandup fishermen, and their shrine is located near the access point of the Thane Creek from the Bhandup Koliwada. Every Koli prays at the bayas shrine before venturing into the water for their safety and a good catch.

Fishing Practices

The traditional fishing techniques in Bhandup Koliwada Creek aim to maximise the catch in this distinctive marine environment. A predominant fishing practice is creating bokshi (dams) along the creek coast. The fishermen construct a bund, approximately three to five feet high, using sea mud and stones, and secure it with a wooden door known as a ugari. The fishermen create a hole in the corner and place a net on bamboo poles outside. This man-made dam floods during high tide, creating an artificial reservoir that allows fish to breed and mature in size. The Kolis open the corner hole once the fish inside the bokshi reach the desired size, trapping the escaping fish in the attached net and removing them.

Locals use paag, or cast nets, as another fishing technique in the middle parts of the creek, where the water is relatively deeper. People fished the crab populations in the creek at Bhandup using a circular cage contraption known as phaga. Bhise is a fishing technique unique to creek fishermen, involving tying a long net about 50 meters in length and three feet in height to mangrove branches in shallow waters. Weights tied to the nets secure the bottom of the nets on the creek bed, while buoys keep the top afloat. This contraption is set during a high tide, trapping the marine animals in the nets as the low tide recedes.

Another unique practice in Bhandup Koliwada is the use of shet talis (farm ponds) for fishing. Fishermen excavate a pit in the ground near the creek, allowing it to flood during high tide. The local Kolis fill the pond, create a bund around it, and use this artificial lake to cultivate and farm prawns and other crustaceans.

The main types of fish found in the Bhandup waters are boit (flathead grey mullet), taam (red snapper), pala (herring), karpal (tiger prawns), mud crabs, nivti (mudskippers), kala masa (black snapper), khube (oysters), and jitada (Asian seabass).

Keni laments that the construction of the two dumping grounds at Deonar and Kanjur Marg has severely impacted the water quality of the Thane Creek due to waste and toxic secretions from both of these dump sites. This has adversely affected the fish population in the Bhandup waters, which has had a devastating effect on the livelihoods of the Bhandup Kolis. The local fishermen now rarely catch fish like karpal, which were once abundant in the adjoining creek. He further states that the creek near Bhandup was once home to the seasonal migration of flamingos, and the local water body used to turn pink during the winter months as the creek waters were rich in algae and brine shrimp, the main food of these birds. However, with increasing water pollution in the creek, the algae and shrimp populations in the waters near Bhandup dwindled, and the flamingos shifted their base to the waters near Sewri, which is now the main hub of their annual migration.

Festivals

Known as Bhandup Gavchi Jatra, the local jatra is an annual fair that takes place during the Sankashti Chaturthi of Magh month. People from as far as Navi Mumbai attend it, making it the biggest jatra in the eastern suburbs of Mumbai.

The main festival in Bhandup is Holi, or Shimga, like all Koliwadas. The Holi in Bhandup commences on the next day of Mahashivratri and goes until the main day of Holi. People use wood from amba (mango), bhendi (Portia), and jambul (jamun) trees to erect the Holi bonfire. On the day of Mothi Holi, also known as main Holi, people wash the Holi tree with turmeric, followed by milk and water, and drape it in traditional bridal attire, such as a sari and jewellery. The tree receives a naivedya (food offering) of puran poli. The natives of Bhandup Koliwada celebrate a tradition known as Holichi Madki with great fanfare. The tradition involves women carrying three pots stacked atop each other on their heads, with a lamp positioned in the topmost pot. The traditional Koli brass band organises a merry procession of women carrying the Holichi Madki, who then dump these pots into the Holi bonfire at the end of the procession.

The Bhoir household holds the honour of lighting the bonfire, known as maan. The Bhandup Kolis revere Holi as a benefactory goddess who made sacrifices for the people. After lighting the bonfire, all Koliwada members pray to Holika Mata, also known as Haulubai, for her pious flames to burn away all their pain and sufferings. An interesting local custom is to wait in anticipation to see where the Holi bonfire collapses. The natives believe that the direction in which the Holi collapses is an indication from the goddess as to where the Kolis should focus in the sea to ensure a prosperous fishing year ahead.

Another important local Holi custom is known as Songa, which consists of short plays created and acted out by the locals based on social messaging themes. The Songa theatre of Bhandup Koliwada is famed in the Koli and Aagri communities of the eastern suburbs and Navi Mumbai, with people flocking from these Koliwadas and Goathans to Bhandup to witness this festive folk theatre.

The sport of Aatya Patya is an integral part of the traditional Holi celebrations in Bhandup. Traditionally, on the day of Holi, all Koliwada members would participate in this game. Recognising the endangered status of this traditional Indian sport, the natives of Bhandup Koliwada have started organising city-wide Atya Patya competitions. Players from across Mumbai and the surrounding areas come to Bhandup Koliwada to compete, thereby increasing its awareness and popularity among the younger generations.

Gauri Ganpati is another important festival, with household Ganpati’s ranging from one and half day, five, and ten days. Gauri is brought in on the third day of Ganpati, and her coming is celebrated with great pomp. The traditional naivedya for Gauri consists of chimbori (crab), and kolambi (prawns). The Fer Nrutya, where groups dance in a circle with a dholki (folk drum) player in the centre, is an important Gauri Ganpati custom performed by men and women of Bhandup Koliwada.

The natives of Bhandup Koliwada observe all four Pavitra Amavasyas, or holy new moons, namely Pithori Amavasya, Sarva Pitri Amavasya, Deep Amavasya, and Diwali. Every household worships Pithori Devi to bestow health and prosperity on the children, making Pithori Amavasya particularly important.

People celebrate Diwali with great enthusiasm, and the pre-Diwali festival of Aatimbre, which takes place eight days before the first day of Diwali, marks the beginning of the festivities. A local prickly fruit and its leaves are hanged outside of every house, and drawings of farming tools are made with ash in the household courtyards. For the Bhandup natives, Laxmi Pujan is another important aspect of Diwali.

Culinary Traditions

Fish preparations dominate the local gastronomy in Bhandup, just like in other Koliwadas. Kalya mashancha ambat (sour curry made with black snapper) is an important local dish and a household favourite. Khengat, a unique Bhandup Koliwada preparation, consists of mixed fish curry. This dish carries ceremonial importance for the Bhandup natives and is a mandatory offering to the ancestors during Sarva Pitri Amavasya.

As mentioned earlier, Sarva Pitri Amavasya is an important day in the religious calendar of Bhandup Koliwada, marked by the preparation of various dishes offered as naivedya to the ancestors. The naivedya platter on Sarva Pitri Amavasya typically includes khengat, kelyachi bhaji (raw banana fritters), ukdavlelya valachya shenga (boiled beanstalks), batata bhaji (potato fritters), and a favourite item of the deceased.

The natives of Bhandup Koliwada also consume seaweed sourced from the neighbouring creek waters. Every household enjoys davla, an important seaweed from the creek waters, for its believed nutritional value, rich in essential minerals and salts. During the monsoon season, numerous fresh vegetables abound, which are foraged and sold in Bhandup Koliwada by the Adivasis living in the adjacent National Park. Monsoon specialities include kantoli (spine gourd) fresh bamboo shoots, an indigenous vegetable known as kadduu, and a tiny leafy vegetable called kavla, which, apart from being a local favourite, is also required for Pithori pooja.

Replete with history and witnessing numerous historical events, the Bhandup Koliwada stands as one of the oldest and most important Koliwadas of Mumbai. Younger generations are keenly aware of their rich legacy and are diligently taking action to preserve and strengthen it.

Footnotes:

[1] Edwardes, The Rise of Bombay.

[2] Campbell, James M. Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency Volume XIV: Thana Places of Interest.

[3] Campbell, James M. Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency Volume XIV : Thana Places of Interest.

[4] Gothoskar, Bharat. ‘Goshta Mumbaichi; Madhya Railway Varil Sthanakanchi Nave Kashi Padli.’ Loksatta Video.

[5] Gothoskar. ‘Goshta Mumbaichi; Madhya Railway Varil Sthanakanchi Nave Kashi Padli.’ Loksatta Video

Acknowledgement:

The author would like to thank Dheeraj Bhandari for his assistance with the research.

Bibliography:

Karmarkar, Dipesh. ‘Understanding place names in “Mahikavati’s Bakhar”: A case of Mumbai-Thane region.’ Studies in Indian Place Names 31 (2012): 116–139.

Campbell, James M. Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency Volume XIV : Thana Places of Interest. 1882.

Edwardes, Stephen Meredyth. The Rise of Bombay: A Retrospect. Times of India Press. 1902.

Gothoskar, Bharat. ‘Goshta Mumbaichi; Madhya Railway Varil Sthanakanchi Nave Kashi Padli.’ Loksatta Video. June 5, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7wcKgJyGcc

‘The First Railways in India’. Indian Railways Fan Club. 2021. https://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-hist.html. Accessed March 2024.

Advait Keni, in conversation with the author, March, 2024.