Thane
| ठाणे Thane | |
| — city and district headquarters — | |
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|
 ठाणे Thane
in ठाणे |
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| Coordinates | 19°10′21″N 72°57′25″E / 19.172431°N 72.957019°ECoordinates: 19°10′21″N 72°57′25″E / 19.172431°N 72.957019°E |
| Country | India |
| State | Maharashtra |
| District(s) | Thane |
| Mayor | Ashok Vaity |
| Municipal Commissioner | R. Rajeev |
| Parliamentary constituency | Thane |
| Assembly constituency | Thane |
| Population • Density |
2,486,941 (2011[update]) • 16,918 /km2 (43,817 /sq mi) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
| Area | 147 square kilometres (57 sq mi) |
| Website | www.thane.nic.in |
Thane (IPA: [ˈʈaɳe]) (Marathi : ठाणे), (Shri Sthanak or lake city) is a city in Maharashtra, India, part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, which is the northeastern suburb of Mumbai at the head of the Thane Creek. It is the administrative headquarters of Thane district. On 16 April 1853, the G.I.P. Railway’s first train ever to run in India rolled out from "Boree Bunder" (now the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) to "Thane" (then Tannah), 34 kilometers away. This marked the dawn of the Railway Age in Asia. It covers an area of 147 km2 and has a population more than 2.4 million according to the 2011 census.[1]
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[edit] Geography
Thane is located on Salsette Island to the northeast of Mumbai. Spanning an area of about 147 km², the city is located at an elevation of 7 meters above sea level. It is surrounded by hills, including the hill of Yeoor and Parsik Hill. It is divided by the Thane Creek, a stream that courses from the Ulhas River to the Arabian Sea that forms an estuary. Two road bridges and one rail bridge connect the two parts of the city. It is one of the oldest cities of India, with its history dating back to about 2,000 years.[citation needed] Thane Municipal Corporation City's limits includes Kopri to the south, Wagle estate Naupada, Pachpakhadi to the west, Kalwa, Mumbra and Diva to the east and Manpada, Bramand, Kaserwadavli to the north. It is divided into politically two parts by the Thane Creek.
The city has around 30 lakes. The most beautiful[citation needed] of them is the Masunda Talao, also known as Talao Pali. The lake offers boating and water scooter facilities. The Upvan Lake is located at the foot-hills of the Yeoor hills and is a scenic spot. It is flanked by the Yeoor hills on one side and the tall Neelkanth Heights on one side, and is a common spot for recreation. Other lakes include:
- Masunda Lake (Talav Pali)
- Kachrali Lake
- Makhmali Lake
- Ambe Ghonsali Lake
- Siddheshwar Lake
- Jail Lake
- Wagle Lake
- Upvan Lake
- Yashasvi Nagar Lake
- Kausa Lake
- Kharegaon Lake
- Raila Devi Lake
- Balkum Lake
- Rewale Lake
- Bramhala-Kolbad Lake
- Joshi Lake
[edit] Demographics and culture
Thane was inhabited with people of the Agri and Koli communities, and their villages still exist today as "Chendani Koliwada", "Kopari Goan", and "Uthalsar". It also includes Majiwade, Balkum, Dhokali, Kolshet, Wadavli, and others. In 1825, when the British explored their newly annexed territories in Bassein, they discovered that Thane was inhabited primarily by Roman Catholics, who are both native and Portuguese, and that the latter was virtually indistinguishable from the former in skin color and custom. The local villagers, like Kolis (fishermen), are converted into indigenous Catholics mostly from villages of Chendani, Koliwada, and Majiwada. The Agri and Koli community people had their own culture.[citation needed] Some of the upper class East Indian families in the Khatri ward of Thane still speak Portuguese.[2]
Thane has a predominantly Maharashtrian culture, although, like its neighbouring city Mumbai, it has a cosmopolitan culture as well. Because of the huge residential boom, the city has witnessed a large number of immigrants from the nearby city of Mumbai as well as from other pockets of state and country. The face of the city is nowadays becoming increasingly cosmopolitan. Beside Marathi, sizable populations of North Indians, South Indians, Sindhis, Gujaratis and Marwari and other people from different regions live in Thane, mainly because of its proximity to Mumbai. Thane is bordered by the Yeoor Hills on one side and is dotted with numerous beautiful lakes, which are a cause of cooler weather than that of Mumbai.
Festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Gudhi Padwa, Durga Puja, Mahashivratri and Shivaji Jayanti are celebrated with great zest in the city. As in Mumbai, Thane offers high rewards amounting to 1 million rupees (US$ 25,000) for winners of Dahi Handi sport during the Gokulashtami festival.
[edit] History
Throughout recorded history the city has left its mark under various names. The earliest evidence of Thane appears in the works of the Greek geographer, Ptolemy, who, in his writings ( 135 – 150 AD) refers to a place called Chersonesus, which, according to researches, is the area around Thane creek. The city crops up again in the Middle Ages and slabs and copper plates dating back to the period have been discovered in Thane. One of them, dug up from the foundations of Thane Fort in 1787, dated 1078 AD, is apparently a land grant from Arikesara Devaraja, sovereign of the city of Tagara, wherein he address the inhabitants of a city called Sri Sthanaka. Friar Jordanus, a great traveler, who visited the Bombay city between AD 1321 and 1324, describes it as being under a Muslim governor. He leaves a detailed sketch of early converted Christians in Bombay and refers to the martyrdom of four Christian priests in the region, more than 200 years before the Portuguese ever set foot in India. The celebrated Ibn Batuta and Abul Feda, contemporaries of Friar Jordanus, also came here. They refer to Thane as Kukin Tana and speak of its fame as a port from which ships sailed to the gulf carrying a kind of cloth called 'Tanasi' which was produced in Thane. Duarte Barbosa, a noted traveler, described Thane by the name Tana Mayambu 25 years before the Portuguese conquest. He paints a vivid picture of the town as one of Moorish mosques and temples, with many pleasant gardens. 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 souls.
[edit] Transport
Thane was the terminus for the first ever passenger train in India. On 16 April 1853, the first passenger train service was inaugurated between Bori Bunder (now renamed Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus), Mumbai and Thane.[3] Covering a distance of 34 kilometres (21 mi), it was hauled by three locomotives – Sahib, Sindh and Sultan.
Thane is well connected with neighbouring suburbs through Central Railways' suburban railway network. There are 4 railway stations within Thane city limits. Thane station is part of the Central Railway division of Indian railways, and is about 34 km away from the Mumbai city station. The other 3 stations are Kalwa, Mumbra, Diva which are also the suburbs of Thane.
Thane has gained new importance as a railway link to Navi Mumbai due to the Thane-Vashi/Nerul and Thane-Panvel local train lines. Since February 2010 new fast trains have started between Thane and Panvel – stopping at Kopar Khairane, Nerul and Belapur. This line runs many trains between Thane and Vashi, the principal node of Navi Mumbai, passing through Airoli, Ghansoli, Kopar Khairane, Turbhe and Sanpada. Almost all trains going to Konkan from Mumbai have stops at Thane.
Thane Municipal Transport (TMT), Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT), Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Transport (KDMT), Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Transport (MBMT) and MSRTC (State Transport) corporations provide public bus service to the city. Autorickshaw on Meter is available to travel within City along with Taxies Normal as well as A/c.
A light rail network covering 42 km has been proposed in three phases. In the first phase, consultants have suggested connectivity between Balkum and Kolshet via Naupada. It will be 16.05 km long with 14.65 km elevated, and only 1.4 km on the surface, and 11 stations in all.[4]
"The public transport on newly developed Ghodbunder road area is not satisfactory at the moment and needs lot of improvement .The newly constructed SATIS (Station Area Traffic Improvement Scheme)has however given good results" (May 2010). The New Flyover Bridge is being Constructed On the Ghodbunder Road to overcome the traffic issues.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Sub_Districts_Master. Censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved on 2012-01-21.
- ^ Thane Gazetteer: Ppolation: Christians – Speech. Maharashtra.gov.in. Retrieved on 2012-01-21.
- ^ Colonialism: An International, Social, Cultural and Political encyclopedia By Melvin Eugene Page, Penny M. Sonnenburg, page 135
- ^ Now, attention on Thane light rail – Times Of India. timesofindia.indiatimes.com (2005-12-26). Retrieved on 2012-01-21.
[edit] External links
- Thaneweb.com – The city portal
- Thanecity.in – Thane community portal
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