Lokhandwala-Kandivali

Artefacts found near Kandivali indicate that the region was inhabited since the Stone Age. The township was semi-rural up to the 1980s, with agricultural land, huts and villages. With the real estate boom in the 1980s and 1990s, many residential projects started to shift northward.

The original inhabitants were the Koli (fishermen) of Charkop village.

The Kandivali railway station was built 100 years ago in 1907, then known as Khandolee. The station probably derived its name from the Marathi word "Khaan" meaning mine. The area around Western Express between Malad and Kandivali had numerous stone quarries and was once famous for Malad Stone. Many heritage buildings in Mumbai were constructed with Malad stone between 1860 and 1930, notable among them are David Sasson library, Bombay House, Western Railway building at Churchgate.

Kandivali (West)

Kandivali (W) is the developed and inhabited side of Kandivali

(West) includes village (gaon), M.G. Road, Kamla Nagar, Mathuradas Road, Shanker Lane, Parekh Nagar, Dahanukar Wadi, Mahavir Nagar, Patel Nagar, Poisar, Ganesh Nagar, Irani wadi, Ekta Nagar and Charkop. It is a beautiful place and a cosmopolitan area. The oldest place in Kandivali is Kandivali Village (Gaon) which was home to more than 5 families, mostly Pachkalshi's, in the 1800s. It developed a lot in 1900s. The Kandivali village is surrounded by all the basic amenities. It has a school, a college, a market, a temple, and a hospital. The Kandivali railway station is just ten minutes walking distance from this place. Once a very peace full locality, Kandivali village has now become quiet noisy with cars, autos and two wheelers from Mahavir Nagar and Charkop using the shorter route to reach S.V. Road and railway station.

Kandivali village is one of the Old East Indian villages of Mumbai. It originally consisted of the East Indian Catholic families (such as the Mirandas, Mendes, Daniels, Rodrigues, Murzellos) and the Maharashtrian families (such as the Patil's, Pathare’s, Mhatre’s, Joshi’s ). Also there is a beautiful church "Our Lady of Assumption Church" in the same area, which is one of the oldest churches of Mumbai, There is a famous Shankar Mandir in Kandivali village where there is a pond in which Lord Ganesha immersion is done by Krida Mandal. The area surrounding the Mandir is Kandivali Village.

Mahavir nagar is one of the fast developing Area of Kandivali West. Mahavir Nagar came into existence via small old Buildings called J/4, J/3, I17, I18 etc. The M.G Road in Kandivali (West) has the famous Kala Hanuman temple which is visited by hundreds of devotees every day. Kandivali is also famous for 56 year old Shreeji Temple.

Kandivali (East)

Kandivali (E) is the new and developing side of Kandivali. This area has suddenly turned from a middle class locality to an upmarket posh locality. There is a steep rise in property markets with world class new projects being constructed over here. Places like Thakur Complex, Thakur Village, Lokhandwala township have really added to the reputation of Kandivali (E).The infrastructure of Thakur Educational Institutes often attracts a lot of movie and serial shootings.

Samata Nagar

Samata Nagar was developed in the 70's by MHADA. It is one of the oldest of the townships that exist in Kandivali (East). It has a post office and School Samata Vidya Mandir (English and Marathi Medium). Samata nagar is one of the greenest places in Mumbai.

Thakur Complex

Thakur Complex was developed in 1990s by Thakur and Sons. It is one of the most sought after addresses in the suburbs after Bandra, Juhu, Parle and Andheri, mainly for the amenities, such as schools and restaurants. Thakur Complex has several schools, Jr. Colleges and a Polytechnic. This area is also known for Sai Dham temple, which is one of the most famous Sai Baba temple in Mumbai and Thane District. The Thakur Vidya Mandir school is located in Thakur Complex.

Thakur Village

Thakur Village developed as a planned residential township, on the eastern side of the Western Express Highway (Mumbai-Ahmedabad NH8) and has developed rapidly since 1999 with multiple residential towers and open spaces. The area has seen rapid development but is scorched with roadside vendors and upscale retail outlets such as DMart. The suburb has a multicultural mix and the real estate affordability has attracted the young double income with kids households. The civic infrastructure however is yet to catch up with the burgeoning crowd with traffic jams and seasonal water logging.

This area also has located a number of parks that can be used with small entry fee. Some of the popular ones are the Joggers Park and the Dreams Park (which is very good for children). The Dreams Park is popular and gets quite crowded on weekends. There a number of educational institutions in the vicinity. There are also branches of many of the popular banks like State Bank of Indore, Indian Overseas Bank, IDBI Bank, Karnataka Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Shamrao Vitthal Bank, HDFC and ICICI. Thakur village covers most of the Educational institutes, commercial divisions etc of the Thakur Group. This region has close proximity to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park mountain range (entrance borivali east).

Lokhandwala Township

Lokhandwala Township comprises buildings constructed by Lokhandwala Construction Pvt. Ltd. The Township is a self sufficient suburb within Kandivali, with the newly built Lokhandwala Foundation School in the centre of the complex. It is mainly a residential area. The population is a heterogeneous mix of Maharashtrians, Mangaloreans, Gujaratis, Bengalis, Tamilians, Malayalees and North Indians. This area is a calm and serene place with a lot of scenic beauty. It is an ideal place for all those who would like to live in a calm place within the hustle- bustle of the city.

Industrial Estates

Kandivali (East) is home to many industrial estates, businesses and service providers. Some of the famous industrial estates in Kandivali (East) are Akurli Industrial Estate, Gundecha Industrial Estate, Balaji Industrial Estate and Bonanza Industrial Estate.

Big Bazaar is a mega-shopping mall located on Akurli Road near Kandivali station. A new exit has been constructed linking Big Bazaar with Western Express Highway. This has reduced the traffic problems on the Akurli road during peak hours. Gundecha Industrial Estate is a large spacious industrial estate located next to Big Bazaar. Many important Indian companies have their corporate office in Gundecha Estates. Google named, CGS Infotech Ltd a company based in Gundecha Industrial Estate, as one of its Authorized Reseller in India in 2006.

Important Landmarks of Kandivali

Santoshi Mata Temple, Shivaji Road, Kandivali (West)
Girirajji Haveli, Mathuradas Road, Kandivali (West)
Shankar Mandir, Shankar lane, Kandivali (West)
Shoppers Stop, Kandivli West
Munishvrut Swami Jain Dehrasar Mathuradas Road, Kandivali (West)
Vasupujay Swami Jain Dehrasar Shankar Lane, Kandivali (West)
Shri Krusangali Devi Akurli Mata Temple and Hanuman Temple at Akurli Road at Kandivali (East)
Bohra Masjid, M.G. Road, Kandivali (West)
Fame Cinema, Kandivali at Raghuleela Mall, Kandivali (West)
Fame Cinema, Thakur Village Kandivali (East)
Sai Dham Temple, Western Express Highway, Kandivali (East)
Lokhandwala Foundation School, Lokhandwala Township, Kandivali (East)
Thakur Educational Campus, Thakur Village, Kandivali (East)
Mahindra & Mahindra, Thakur Village, Kandivali (East)
Thakur Circle, Thakur Village, Kandivali (East)
Tera Panth Bhavan, Thakur Complex, Kandivali (East)
Growel's 101 Mall - Also known as BIG BAZAAR at Kandivali (East)
Our Lady of Remedy High School (estd. 1926), Poinsur, Kandivali (West)
Kamala Vihar Sports Club - Mahavir Nagar Kandivali - (West)
Shopper's Stop, Near Shankar Lane, Kandivali (West)
Charkop Talao called as Dingeshwar Talao (Lake) - West
The Roadside Food At Milap
The Roadside Food At Patel Nagar
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel School - Shantilal Modi Road - West

Lokhandwala-Kandivali

Friday, July 24, 2009

Do you know of any great deals/offers in our area?

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Coming Up Next Week... Restaurant Reviews

Lokhandwala Township, surrounding areas and a brief History of Kandivali