Mahim is one of the seven islands that originally made up Mumbai. Mahim, or Mahikawati as it was known, was the capital of Raja Bhimdev, who reigned over the region in the 13thcentury. He may have come from Anahilwada-Patan in Gujarat or from the dynasty of Yadavs in Deogiri. He built a palace and a court of justice in Prabhadevi, as well as the first Babulnath temple. During his reign he brought
various communities to these islands, such as the Pathare Prabhus (The First Settlers), Palshis, Pachkalshis, Bhandaris, Vadvals, Brahmins, etc. The Bhandaris were originally toddy tappers; the Vadvals were gardeners. He also introduced many fruit-bearing trees, including coconut palms to the island. Today, we cannot think of Mumbai's landscape without its swaying coconut palms. In 1343, this island was possessed by the Mohammedans of Gujarat. It was in their reign that the old Mahim mosque was built. Dargah of Makhtum Fakir Ali Paru was built here in 1431. In 1662, the island was given to the English King, Charles the II, as a part of the wedding dowry for the Portuguese princess, Catherine of Braganza. In 1668, Bombay was acquired by the English East India Company, on lease from the crown, for the annual sum of 10 pounds in gold. The British then built the Mahim Fort here in order to protect themselves from the Portuguese. This heritage structure has perhaps not been given its due, for today it stands virtually in ruins - a sad testimony to our times. The East India Company shifted its headquarters from Surat to "Bombay" (corrupted by the British from "Bom Baia") in 1687. Thus Mumbai (from "Mumbadevi"- the goddess of the fisher-folk), acquired even more importance as a trading center - it became the gateway to India, which of course was called the jewel in the crown of the British Empire. The Causeway connecting Mahim and Bandra (corrupted from "Bunder" meaning port) was completed in 1845 at a total cost of Rs.1,57,000 donated entirely by Lady Avabai Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, wife of the first baronet Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy with a stipulation that no toll would be charged to citizens for its use by the government. In 1847, a small group of Scottish missionaries decided to start a new school. Charitable, god-fearing and humble, they stayed in the background working unobtrusively and leaving no trace of their names. Nevertheless, they paved the way for a glorious future for Bombay Scottish School. On 28th February 1878, the construction of the Bombay Scottish Orphanage was completed and opened by his Excellency, the Hon. Sir Richard Temple Bart, G.C.S.I, the then Governor and President in Council. In 1913, the Bombay Municipal Corporation opened up Mahim for development as a suburb. This was done by building three major north-south access roads, now called the Western Express highway, N. Joshi Marg, and Tulsi Pipe Road. Mahim houses several places of worship. It boasts of Temples, Churches, Mosques, and a Gurudwara - in short, something for every person of every religion. It is also in close proximity to the remarkable Maharashtra Nature Park. This park has been created out of a garbage dump, and houses a bird sanctuary. It houses 12,500 varieties of plants and several rare birds including flamingos. With several Restaurants, Professionals, Stores and Places of Recreation, Mahim can truly be likened to a buzzing beehive and today, Mahim is well connected with rest of Mumbai by Western railway and Harbour railway and Mahim Bus Depot, which has buses travelling to the far south Mumbai, Colaba and also to far north Mumbai, Dahisar.
