Juhu

Juhu is a suburb of Mumbai. It is famous for its sprawling beach, the Juhu Beach. It is surrounded by Arabian Sea in the west, Santacruz and Vile Parle in the east. Juhu is one of the more affluent areas of Mumbai. Many 'Bollywood' stars own bungalows in Juhu, famously including Amitabh Bachchan and Amrish Puri along with the Deols.

The nearest railway stations are Santacruz and Vile Parle.

History

The open beaches of Juhu have attracted the well-heeled among Bombay's population for almost a century. In the 1890s, Jamsetji Tata purchased land in Juhu and built a bungalow there. He planned to develop 1200 acres (5 km²) in Juhu Tara. This was to yield 500 plots of one acre (4,000 m²) each and a seaside resort. Simultaneously he wanted to extend the Mahim–Bandra causeway to Santacruz, in order to provide access to this area. The city turned down this plan in 1903. After his death in the same year, the scheme was abandoned.

Juhu Beach

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Vile Parle entrance of Juhu Beach

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Juhu beach is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places in Mumbai city

Juhu Beach is the most famous beach in Mumbai city. It is situated on the shores of Arabian Sea in Juhu suburb.

There are three main entrances to the beach. One is from the Vile Parle side, another is from the Santacruz side and the third one is from the Andheri side.

Many tourists make it a point to visit the beach when they come to Mumbai, as it is a relatively uncrowded free space in the city, although it does get crowded in the evenings and weekends.

It is famous for its Mumbai 'street food', notably bhelpuri, pani puri, shevpuri, chaats, and of course pav bhaji. Due to the nature of the food stands hygiene standards are often low. On the southern end of Juhu beach there are many luxury hotels and apartments.

At the north end of Juhu Beach there is a place called Gandhi Gram. When Mahatma Gandhi used to practice in the Bombay high court in the late 1800's and early 1900's, he used to live there. He mentions in his autobiography that he used to walk to Bandra station from far-flung Juhu to catch an empty train to south Bombay. Even today, a lot of people do the same, but now the mode of transport is either a BEST bus or an autorickshaw.

Juhu Citizen Welfare Group

JCWG officially registered in March 2004 is the outcome of many years of activism by some Juhu residents who have been associated with other NGO groups. It was formed in April 2002 (The Juhu Seatizen) and later formalised in August 2003 with its own monthly publication called: 'The Juhu Citizen'[1]. It now comprises voluntary Members invited from NGOs in the K-West Municipal Ward of North West Mumbai who meet every Thursday evening at the Office of Janki Kutir Residents Association, Juhu Church Road, (near Prithvi Theater), Juhu, Mumbai 400 049.

Religious Places

• ISKCON temple
• St. Joseph's Church
• Holy Cross Church, Juhu Koliwada

Schools

• Silver Beach High School - Closed.
• Utpal Shanghvi School
• Jamnabai Narsee School
• Maneckji Cooper Education Trust School
• R.N.Shah High School
• St. Joseph's High School
• Kamla Dharamshi Narsee Shruti School (Rotary Services Public Charitable Trust, Bombay West Rotary Institute For Deaf)
• Vrajlal Parekh Vidyanidhi High School

Colleges

• Malini Kishore Sanghvi College of Commerce and Economics
• KRVIA - Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies

Theaters

• Chandan Cinema
• PVR (Priya Village Roadshow)
• Prithvi Theatre
• Bhaidas Sabhagriha

External Links

• Juhu Beach An Image Gallery of Juhu Beach
• Template:Wikitravel