Brief history
Talao Pali Lake
The name “Thane” is said to be derived from Sthan or Sthanaka, the capital of the
Shilahara kings of
Konkan. It is currently the headquarters of
Thane district.
The earlist evidence of Thane appears in the works of the
Greek geographer, Ptolemy, who, in his writings (
135–
150) refers to a place called Chersonesus, which, according to researches, is the area around Thane creek.
Slabs and copper plates dating back to the middle ages have also been discovered in Thane.
Venetian traveller
Marco Polo also visited Thane in
1290. He describes the city as a great kingdom, which apparently had a well-developed port, for he mentions a continuous traffic of ships, and merchants trading and exporting
leather,
buckram,
cotton, and importing
horses.
The
Portuguese came to Thane about
1530 and ruled for over 200 years till
1739. Thane was then known as Cacabe de Tana. Work on the Thane Fort began in
1730.
The
Marathas, who conquered Bassein and Thane in
1737 and
1739, held sway over the region till
1784, when the British captured the Fort and ruled Thane, then also called Tana. They made it the headquarters of the district administration with a district collector stationed in Thane. The Thane Municipal Council was formed in
1863 when the city had a population of 9000.
The first railway train in India ran from Bombay VT (Now Mumbai CST, See
Mumbai) to Thana in 1853. Thane (or Thana) literally means “station” in
Marathi the local language. It was the only railway station besides
Victoria Terminus.
After India’s independence, Thane grew slowly and became an industrial town in the ’60s and ’70s. There was also a corresponding growth in trade, transport and construction activities, which picked up tremendously in the ’80s. Once considered as the ‘ugly twin’ of Mumbai, today Thane outshines Mumbai cvbcvin its planning and neatness. Even as it develops at a fast pace, Thane, is also known as the City of Lakes, is still plagued with overcrowding and commuting problems.
History
The city of Thane is situated on the western banks of Thane creek with Parsik hills on the east and Yeour hills on the west. The creek not only provides a natural protection to the place but has also facilitated transport of big and small ships since ancient times. This has also acted as an impetus for the development of local and international trade since the pre-historic times. Besides being the stamping ground of the pre-historic tribes, Thane city has a rich cultural heritage, mythological background, and has been home to many events of historical importance.
The history of Thane city can be broadly categorized into 5 eras.
- Vedic period to 1300. : Comprising of Hindu or ancient period, Aparant, Silhara and Bimba dynasties.
- 1300 –1660: Muslim and Portuguese rule.
- 1660-1800: Maratha and Portuguese rule.
- 1800-1947: British Rule.
- 1947-till date : Independent India.
‘Aparant’ is the ancient name of the geographical area hosting Thane city. During the Indian expedition of the Greek Emperor Alexander, a number of philosophers, historians and geographists visited India. The second-century Greek historian
Ptolemymentioned the city of Thane in his writings. In the
9th century the city, know as Shreesthanak, was the capital of the
Silhara dynasty. The Silharas ruled thane from
810 to
1260. A place called ‘Ghodbunder’ was famous for horse trading thus deriving its name from the word ghoda i.e. horse and bunder meaning port. During this period a fabric called ‘Tansi’ was exported from Thane.
The Silhara emperors were disciples of Lord
Shiva, and the Kopineshwar Temple was built during their reign. During this period, due to the secular attitude and tolerance of Silharas towards different religions, people from diverse communities including
Parsis,
Christians, Muslims and
Jews settled down in Thane, creating a cosmopolitan city.
At this time the Silharas also divided the city into different sections and named them as ‘padas’. These padas exist today, in the names of Naupada, Patlipada, Agripada etc.
In the earlier part of the
12th century with a view to create a new township, King Bimbadev, alongwith 66 segments of his community came over and settled in Thane. The explorer
Marco Polo visited Thane in
1290 and noted it to be one of the best cities in the world. In
1480 Sultan
Mahmud Begara of
Gujarat made Thane the capital of his ‘Subha’ Province.
The Portuguese ruled Thane for over 200 years from
1530 to
1739. During this period Thane was known as “Kalabe De Tana”. St. John the Baptist Church was constructed in Thane in
1663. Construction of the Thane Killa (Fort) was started in
1730. In
1737 the
Maratha general Chimaji Appa the planned the conquest of
Vasai (Portuguese Baçaim), and on
March 28,
1738 the Marathas conquered the Thane Killa. The fort is presently being used as Thane Central Jail.
In
1744 the British conquered Thane city and its fort.
The famous Kopineshwar Temple was renovated in
1760. In
1778 the palatial residence of the
Peshwas was converted into the Court building. In the year 1780 Keshavji Sorabji Rustomji Patel constructed the first Parsi Agyari in Thane. The first District Court was established in
1803. The first railway train ran on
April 16,
1853 from Boribunder to Thane. The Thane Borough Municipality was established on
March 10,
1863.
The first newspaper in Thane was launched in the year 1866. Different Marathi magazines like Arunodaya, Survodaya, Vakilancha Sathi, Nyaylahari, Manohar, Dyanapradip, Dyanadipika were seen to be in circulation thus showing the importance of the print media during that period. In the year 1880 the Thane Borough Municipality spent Rs. 12,960 on construction of the Pokharan Lake, to supply the town with drinking water. This prestigious project was inaugurated by the then Governor of
Bombay Presidency, Sir
Ferguson James. The first elections of the Municipality were conducted in
1885.
The first census took place in the year
1881 and the population of Thane at the time was 14,456. The
Jain temple of Thane was built in
1879. The first ever English medium school was started in 1821 and was named as ‘Thane English School’. In the year 1893, the first Marathi Library was established. In 1896 the birth anniversary of
Shivaji Maharaj was celebrated for the first time in Thane. In June 1897 Lokmanya Tilak visited Thane.
On April 19 1910 freedom fighters Veer Anant Laxman Kanhere, Gopal Krishnaji Karve, and Vinayak Narayan Deshpande were hanged to death in the Central Jail for killing the
Nasik District Collector Jackson. In 1938 freedom fighter Veer Savarkar was fêted by the citizens of Thane after his release from the British confinement. In 1920 a road near Masunda lake was named after Dr. F.A. Moose for the commemorative service during the epidemic of plague.
A reputed citizen of Thane Shri Vithal Sayanna’s son Divan Bahadur Narayan Sayanna reconstructed the Civil Hospital building in 1935.
India’s Independence day,
August 15,
1947, was celebrated in Thane by bringing down the British
Union Jack and hoisting the tri-coloured flag of India at the hands of a freedom fighter Shri Nanasaheb Joshi at the District Collector’s Office.
With a view to preserve the rich cultural heritage of Thane, the Thane Municipal Council constructed Rangayatan, a drama theatre, named after the Marathi writer Shri Ram Ganesh Gadkari. The theatre has been hosting different plays and cultural programmes since.
The Thane Municipal Corporation was established on
1 October 1982. It had a population of 790,000 as per the 1991 census. The population has reached to about 1,400,000 in the year 2003. The Thane Municipal Corporation has undertaken many development projects and schemes since 1982. One of major projects is the Integrated Road Development Project. Taking in view the all round infrastructural development which has recently taken place in Thane , the Govt. of India conferred the prestigious
‘Clean City Award’to Thane in the year 2000.
Geography
Thane is located to the North of
Mumbai (Bombay,
Maharashtra,
India). Although being a district place, the city has always been shadowed by the existence of the metropolis just on its outskirts .Spanned over an area of about 147 km², this city houses over 10 Lakh (1 million) people. A total of 200 km of roads run through the city. The city is surrounded by scenic hills, which add to its beauty. The Hill of Yeoor is considered to be the hill station for the Thaneyites. On the other hand is the Parsik Hill. The city is divided by Thane Creek, a stream of water from the
Arabian Sea. Two road bridges & one rail bridge connect the two parts of the city.
Currently the Thane Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Indian Parliament) constituency is the most populous constituency of the country.
Culture
Majority of the people in Thane are Maharashtrians and Marathi is the most commonly spoken language in the city. In spite of a predominant Maharashtrian culture, Thane, just like its neighbouring city Mumbai, boasts of a very vibrant cosmopolitan culture. Kannadigas and Tuluvas are present in large numbers.
Festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi are celebrated with great zest in the city. The Gadkari Rangayatan auditorium has cultural programs running all through the year.
Thane used to be described as a ‘sleepy’ city when compared to Mumbai till the early 90s. But the size of the city has increased manifold in recent years, spurred by a residential boom due to people moving away from the Mumbai city to find affordable and good homes as well as amenities in Thane. Although Thane doesn’t have a night life yet, there are several activities going on in the evening time in Thane. There a variety of good places to eat as well as hang out.
Thane was also adjuged in the recent past as India’s most beautiful city, following a beautification drive by the then commissioner of Thane T.Chandrashekhar.
Industry
Thane has a large industrial area.There are many big and small industries even today. Thane industrial area consists of Wagle industrial estate,Trans Thane Creek( TTC ) area known as Thane belapur road, Ghodbunder road. These industrial area houses mostly chemical,engineering,textile and electrical industries. Now many of these industrial area are housing Software centres, BPO and Callcentres like TCS,Adventity etc.
Transport
Thane has its own bus service known as Thane Municipal Transport (TMT). BEST (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport) also runs buses from Thane to some destinations in Mumbai. Thane is well connected with neighbouring suburbs through Mumbai’s railway network. Thane is a stop on the Central Railway division of Indian railways, and is about 30 km away from the Mumbai city stop.
Location
30 km North East of
Mumbai on the western coast of India. Also close to
Navi Mumbai Airoli node via the Thane-Belapur road TB road for short. Its a junction for Local Trains towards Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.
Weather
Typical coastal sultry & humid
Rainfall – Average 1500 to 2000 mm beginning of June to end of September. Temperature – Average – 25 – 37 °C (76 – 99 °F) Humidity – 45% to 87% highest in month of August.
Altitude
Plains at sea level
Population
Area
48 km²
Lakes
Thane the city of Lakes has around 30 lakes. The most beautiful of them is the Masunda Talao, also known as Talao Pali. The lake offers boating and water scooter facilities.
Some of the other popular lakes are
- Upvan Lake – located at conjunction of roads Pokhran 1 and Pokhran 2.
- Kacharali Talao – Located at Panchpakhadi (opp. New Thane Municipal Corporation).
- Makhamali Talao – Located Near Nooribaba Dargah, Charai.
- Siddheshwar Talao – Located at Hansnagar, Khopat.
- Bramhala Talao – Located near Thane Central Jail.
- Ghosale Talao –
- Railadevi Talao – Located near Mulund Checknaka.
- Kausa Talao – Located at Kausa, Mumbra
- Kolbad Talao – Located at Kolbad, Old Agra road.
- Hariyali Talao – At Yehoor
- Rewale Talo – Located opp. to Balkum Fire station.
- Kasar Vadawali Talo – Located at Kasar Vadawali Goan
- Khidkaleshwar Talao – Near Shil. on the road towards Dombivali
- Nar Talao –
- Abhiruchi talao-
Educational Institutes
- Saraswati Education Society (SES) High School, Thane
- Nalanda Public School
- A.K. Joshi High School, Thane
- Bharat English High School, Thane
- New English School and Jr. College, Thane
- St Johns the Baptist High School -, Thane
- Parshvanath College of Engineering – Thane
- Vidyavardhini’s College of Engineering (VCET) – Vasai
- S. S. Jondhale College of Engineering – Dombivali
- V.P.M.’S Polytechnic, Chendani Bunder Road, Thane
- Institute of Management & Computer Studies, Thane
- Smt. Sulochana Devi Singhania High School
- Holy Cross Convent High School, Thane
- Thane Police School, Kharkarali Thane
- M. H. High School, Shivaji Path, Near Masunda Lake, Thane(W)
- DAV Public School[1]
Thane City Quick Look
Gadkari Rangayatan Drama Hall, Photo by YogB
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M G Road, Photo by Harshal Jawale and Kiran Jawale
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Kopri Railway Bridge, Photo by Harshal Jawale and Kiran Jawale
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CBD Belapur is a node of Navi Mumbai, with a fairly vibrant Central Business District that is moving some of the economy out of congested central Mumbai into the hinterland. Belapur is also one of the largest assembly constituencies from this region. CBD Belapur has been growing since the 1990s, and is now home to colleges as well as a number of technology businesses.
