If you go to tiny by-lanes of Mumbai, you are likely to see some
old heritage buildings.
My friend, Mr Biswajit Dey, recently visited one such lane
called Khotachiwadi and he share his experience with us.
Khotachiwadi is a tiny colony containing a cluster of
old-Portuguese-style bungalows. Hence, it has a tremendous history and heritage
value to Mumbai – going back almost 300 years.
It’s tucked away in a lane in Girgaon (Girgaum), South Mumbai –
near St Teresa’s Church, not too far from Charni Road Station. The bus stop is
Majestic Cinema. Khotachiwadi’s original people were East Indians, Christians,
and the few bungalow-type houses that still remain are homes to the descendants
of these people.
These pretty-looking bungalows are typically wooden structures,
with wooden verandahs, porticos, staircases and roofs. Some now have
brick-and-plaster walls.
There aren’t too many of these bungalows left now, maybe 25 or
so. Modern houses have come up all around them, bringing in a population of
Gujaratis and Marwaris, cars and motorbikes... relegating Khotachiwadi as a
dying ‘heritage village’ in the middle of South Mumbai.
The first thing I saw as I entered the lane in Khotachiwadi is a
tiny church.
The old-Portuguese-style Khotachiwadi bungalows (cottages, one
might say) are all wooden structures made from Burma teak (or so I was told),
with tiled roofs, some of them with canopies and wrought iron grills.
I admired the wooden
staircases outside the bungalows.
Thank you Biswajit for sharing your post and your pictures.
