Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Kalyan – A place to visit



Kalyan city is located by the estuary of the Ulhas River with access to the Arabian Sea. Kalyan is 48 km (30 mi) north-east of Mumbai and is part of the Greater Mumbai area. Overcrowding in Mumbai and incentives from the government to develop areas outside of Mumbai have attracted industrial business as well as industrial employees to Kalyan.
Kalyan Junction is a very important railway station for suburban travel as well as for long distance trains. The line splits into two at Kalyan Junction, one heads south-east for Karjat, the other heads north-east for Kasara.
On the eastern side of the city is a large industrial complex where electrical equipment, rayon, and dyes and other chemicals are manufactured. There are also a large number of textile-based cottage industries
.
Kalyan (Marathi: कल्याण) is a city in the Thane district of Maharashtra, and a major railway junction in the vicinity of Mumbai, India. It is the capital of Kalyan Taluka, an administrative subdivision of the district. The city has been combined with its neighbouring township of Dombivli to form the City Corporation of Kalyan-Dombivli. It is considered a part of the Greater Mumbai metropolitan agglomeration, along with Navi Mumbai and the cities of Bhiwandi, Thane.




History
Kalyan is a port for more than two millennia until siltation and the rise of Mumbai eclipsed it and its sister ports, Sopara, Thane, Vasai, etc. The port was ruled by the Maurya and Gupta Empires of North India and later was part of a petty Konkan principality vassal to the Yadava Empire of Deogiri. Extensive ruins in Kalyan indicate the city's former magnificence.
After the Khilji sack of Deogiri, the Yadavas fled into the Konkan region and set up their base at Mahikawati, modern Mahim; Kalyan was a part of the brief Yadava state of Mahikawati. Mahikawati was conquered by the Muslims who set up petty coastal principalities.
As a major entrepot, Kalyan soon became, by 530-535 CE the seat of a Nestorian bishop[1]. The Churches of South Asia which were ecclesiastically dependent on the Church of Assyria and Chaldea in Mesopotamia or modern Iraq, lands then subject to the Persian Empire (Sassanians),


Parsi Fire Temple - Kalyan


early fell with it into the Nestorian Schism and used Middle Persian as the liturgical language. The Konkan, Tulunad and Malabar Coasts of South Asia are marked by stone crosses with Pahlavi inscriptions.
According to some interpretations, Bombay region on the Konkan coast, a region which have been known after the ancient town Kalyan, was the field of Saint Bartholomew missionary activities and his martyrdom.[2]
During the Middle Ages, Pope John XX, headquartered at Avignon, sent a group of five missionaries to the Mongol Emperor at Khanbalik, modern Beijing in China, under the Dominican Fray Giordano or Jordanus. On their way, they picked up a novice, Demetrius, from West Asia and then travelled through South Asia, succoring the Nestorian Christians there, who were hard pressed by the Muslims. Giordano left his colleagues at Kalyan and travelled back north to Gujarat. During his absence, the Muslim governor and Qazi of Thane summoned the missionaries and demanded submission to Islam; when they refused, they were murdered (1321). The local Nestorians collected their remains and buried them; Giordano, on his return, took them to Sopara and buried them there. The Muslim Arab sultan of Gujarat, when informed of this development, summoned his governor of Thane and the Qazi; the Qazi fled but the governor was executed for his actions that militated against international commerce. When a later missionary, Odoric de Pordenone ([1]), visited Thane in 1324-1325, he collected their remains and moved on to China.
The Martyrs of Thane were canonized by Pope Leo XIII and are Saints Thomas of Tolentino, James of Padua, Peter of Siena and Demetrius of Tiflis.
In the later Middle Ages, Kalyan was occupied by the Ahmednagar Sultanate, an indigenous dynasty founded by a man forcibly converted from a Hindu Brahmin family as a child, and then by the Bijapur Sultanate, an Indo-Turkish state in the Deccan in the 1500s, and later by the Mughals under the Emperor Shah Jahan, who fortified the city in the mid-1600s. It came under Portuguese sway for a brief time before being re-conquered by the Muslim allies of the Mughals, and was later conquered by the Marathas, who made it one of their strategic centers because it guarded the entrance to Mumbai and the western coast of India. Kashibai, wife of the Peshwa Bajirao was born in Kalyan. About eighty years after the Maratha conquest, the Maratha Empire was forced to cede it to the British and Kalyan became part of the Bombay Presidency, a British India province that became Bombay state after India's independence in 1947.
In the Middle Ages, when Kalyan was occupied by the Ahmednagar Sultanate, they gave name as Gulshanabad and in the time of Maratha it was changed to Kalyan.
Kaali Masjid : It was founded by Mughal emperor Akbar. It is located on the bank of the lake called as "Kaala Talav".
Durgadi Fort (किल्ले दुर्गाडी): It is not known when the Durgadi fort was constructed. The wall of the fort along the top of the inner bank of the ditch, and, near the north end, had a gateway known as the Delhi or Killyacha Darwaja, which was entered by a path along the top of the north side of the town wall. Inside the fort there was a low belt of ground, about the same level, as the top of the ditch, with a shallow pond not far from the Delhi gate. The remains of the pond are still visible, in the north-west corner the fort rose in a small flat-topped mound about thirty feet high. On the top of the mound, on the west crest which overhangs and is about 100 feet (30 m) above the river, is the prayer wall or idgah, sixty-four feet long, thirteen high and seven thick, which is now in a dilapidated condition. This doubtful wall is said to be of the old Durga temple wall and is thickly plastered. It is said that near the east crest of the mound there was a mosque, but no remains of it can be traced. About thirty to forty yards of the idgah was a round cut stone wall of great depth, eleven feet in diameter with a wall two feet eleven inches thick at the top, which has now completely, collapsed except the basement of the wall. Under the Marathas (1760-72), a new gate about 150 feet (46 m) to the south of the Ganesh gate was opened near




Shani Mandir - Dombivili


the mansion of Ramji Mahadeo Biwalkar, the Peshwa s Governor. In the citadel of the fort Marathas built a small wooden temple of Durgadevi behind the mosque, and called the fort Durgadi Killa in honour of the goddess, a name which it still bears. They also converted the mosque into Ramji's temple. The fort measures 220 feet (67 m) in length and somewhat less in breadth. Under the English the fort wall was dismantled and stones carried to build the Kalyan and Thane piers and a dwelling for the customs inspector in the west of the Kalyan fort. The gate to the north-west is almost the only trace of the fort wall, which is of rough stone masonry. During 1876 the original idol of the goddess Durga was stolen. The other idol was placed during the last decade of the 19th century. The present fort as well as the present Durga temple was renovated (jitnoddhar), by the Kalyan municipality on 15 December 1974. A new idol of goddess Durga made if Panchadhatu (five sacred metals) was installed by Shri Gajanan Maharaj and Shri Annasaheb Pattekar of Thane on the same date. The idol is four-armed, three and half feet in


Lonar Temple - Kalyan




height, with a lion resting at its back. To the right of idol is the old idol. The municipality has constructed a new gate 35 feet (11 m) high and with four towers. There has also been laid a beautiful garden which surrounds the fort.

Creek view from Ganesh Ghat,Kalyan
The fort, which has now more or less become a picnic spot, gives an excellent view of Retibunder, the creek, the Bhiwandi bridge, the groves near and afar and the hills to the north of the fort.
In and before July 1946 there was a large military transit camp near Kalyan. Kalyan is also a major Central Railway junction. Now Kalyan City is being developed as a new Railway Terminus and already a second flyover Bridge has been constructed in Kalyan Station to cope up with the increasing population using the station. Now Sky walk Project has been planned to restrict the traffic tension near the station area and work already has begun.
Attractions in Kalyan
Metro Junction Mall (one of the biggest mall in India).
Durgadi Killa (Fort) of the Shivaji Era.
Birla Mandir, Shahad, (One of the most beautiful temples, dating back centuries and a must visit, currently maintained by the Birla Group)
Kala Talav, Kalyan


Around Kalyan
Malang-gad
Acharya Atre Rang Mandir
Ganesh Ghat
Birla College of Arts, Science & Commerce
Siddhivinayak Mahaganapati Temple - Titwala 27 km
Malshej Ghat - 80 km
Transport
Kalyan is historical place. Tanga (Horse-Wagon) is oldest transport service at kalyan. Its charge around Rs.5 from kalyan station to old Kalyan. Its chepest & famous transport service in kalyan. Auto rikhaws also use by all peoples. In 1999 KDMC started own bus transport service for Kalyan City & nearest small villages. Now ringroute bus service started in Old Kalyan. Any two wheelar or walking is best way of transport at Kalyan.
Parts of Kalyan
Kalyan city is divided into two parts: East and West. They are connected via Patripul.
Kalyan East comprises Lok Vasahat (Lok Gram, Lok Dhara and Lok Vatika), Patripul Slum Area, Chakki Naka, Sastri Nagar, Chetna, Amar Deep Colony, Tata Power locality, Sunrise Valley, Anmol Garden Complex, Nandivili, Netivali Area, Chinchpada, Hanuman Nagar, Katemanivali, Anandwadi, Milind Nagar, Kailash Nagar, Kolsewadi, Vijaynagar, Tisgaon, Siddhartha Nagar, Karpewadi, New Jimmy Baug and Patripool area etc.
Kalyan West comprises Station Area (Nehru Chowk), Laxmi Vegetable Market, Rambaug, Shivaji Chowk, Bail Bazar, Shankar Rao Chowk, Ahilyabai Chowk, Tilak Chowk, Bazar Peth, Gandhi Chowk, Parnaka, Dudhnaka, Sahajanand Chowk, Agra Road, Lal Chowki, Adharwadi, Durgadi Area, Murbad Road, Syndicate, Ramdas Wadi,Milind nagar, Pournima Talkies, Karnik Road, Kala Talao, Rambaug Lane [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6], Joshibaug, Birla College Road, Beturker Pada,Mhasoba Maidan, Sahyadri Nagar, some parts of Shahad.
The old Kalyan consists of basically from Kalyan station area, Shivaji Chowk, Kumbhar Wada, Ahilyabai chowk, Gandhi chowk, Tilak chowk, Parnaka & Dudhnaka, Agra road, Lalchowki to Durgadi Fort.
Now the Kalyan Municipal Corporation includes small villages of kalyan. [(Rural Area of Kalyan) Gandhari, Wayale Nagar, Barave Gaon, Khadak Pada, Godrej Hills ]
Second International Airport for Mumbai near Kalyan
As a result of the recent objections being raised by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests on the current proposed location of the Navi Mumbai International Airport near Kopra Panvel area, apparently because the construction of the airport would involve reclamation of low-lying areas in an ecologically fragile zone as well as destruction of several hectares of mangroves, other locations are being actively being considered, which includes the one off village Nevali near Kalyan, 55 km away from the current airport in Mumbai. There exists an old and abandoned air-strip of World War II era and the Union Defence Ministry owns the 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) of land on which it is located. The proposal is now centred around those 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) of land. If the current location at Kopra Panvel does not go through, then the Kalyan-Newali location would be considered for a future second international airport for the Mumbai Metropolitan region.
Schools and colleges
Mumbai University Collges
Birla College of Arts, Science & Commerce
K.M. Agrawal College Of Arts, Commerce and Science
Mutha College Of Arts, Commerce and Science
Sonawane College of Arts, Commerce and Science
Mohindersingh Kabulsingh College of Arts, Commerce and Science.
Model College Kalyan (East)
Proposed extended branch of Mumbai University
Schools
G.E.I'S High School & Jr.College (Subhedar Wada)
Subhedar Wada primary School
Capt. R. M. Oak High School (Balak-Mandir)
Abhinav Vidya Mandir
Sharda Mandir High School
Shree Gajanan Vidyalay
Sri Vani Vidyashala High School
St.Mary's High School
Adarsh Vinodini Mandal High School(known as Shishuvihar)
Nutan Vidyalay, Kalyan(West)
NRC School Mohone, Ambivali
Birla School (CBSE affiliated)
Central Railway School and Junior College
Saraswati Vidya Mandir
Don Boscho School
Girls High School
Guru Nanak English High School
Hindi High School Junior College
Holy Cross Convent School
K.C.Gandhi English School (formerly known as New Lourdes English High School)
Lourdes High School
Mohinder Singh Kabal Singh English High School
Mohinder Singh Kabal Singh
National Urdu High School
Lok Kalyan Public School (CBSE affiliated)
Nirmala Hindi High School
Nutan Hindi School
Symbiosis School
Poddar International School
St.Judes High School (Kalyan East)
Sai English School (Kalyan East)
Model English High School (Kalyan East)
Ideal School (Kalyan East)
Saket School (Kalyan East)
Shopping
Metro Junction Mall, Kalyan(E)
Sardar Patel Road, Kalyan (W) [Agra Road]
Laxmi Market & Shivaji Patth.
Bazaar Peth for Jewellery, Whole-sale for Cloths & Steel Emporiums
APMC Market for Whole-sale for Vegetable foods & Flowers...
City Portal of Kalyan city :: Kalyanguide.com City Portal of Kalyan city
First Kalyan dombivli






No comments: