Girgaon

Girgaon, also spelt formerly Girgaum, is an area in southern Mumbai in Maharashtra, India. The culture in Girgaon is diverse and varied. Like most areas of cosmopolitan Mumbai, residents span diverse languages, religions, traditions, festivals, and attire. Girgaon occupies prime residential real estate due to increasing demand just because of its prominent location in South Mumbai. The Sanskrit term "Giri" stands for hills, whereas the Sanskrit word "gram" denotes a village. Thus, Girgaon means a village at the foothill of mountains. A birds' eye view from the top of Malabar Hill will justify this etymological finding.

History

Khetwadi, originally an area with a sparse population living off agriculture and plantations, developed in the mid-19th century with the widening of Parel road and the Girgaon road (then called the Breach Candy Road). In 1839, Grant Road was completed, leading to migration of a large number of people into this area. Girgaon got its own station much later at Charni Road which was opened in the year 1867. Today it has become a hub for diamond traders and wholesalers of almost all the traditional businesses.