The town being of great antiquity and an important industrial and commercial center in the vicinity of Bombay, the prima dona of India, there are a number of objects of interest in the town. A description of the few of the important objects of interest is given in what follows.

Fort : The fort, now used as a jail, is a Portuguese building. Strong stone-built walls from 16ft to 21ft high, provided with regular bastions and towers, enclose an area of 13 ½ acres. The for was begun by the Portuguese about 1730 and in 1737 though unfinished offered a shout but unsuccessful resistance to the Marathas. It was completed by the Marathas on the original plan, and, when taken by the English in 1774, was armed with more than a hundred cannon. In 1816 the Peshwa's minister Trimbakji Dengle who was charged by the british of the murder ofGangadhar Shastri, the Gaikwad'd envoy, was imprisoned in the fort and, though guarded by a strong body of Europeans, made good his escape with the help of hints sung to him by a Maratha groom.

Hirakot or Diamond fort : The Hirakot or the Diamond fort is located in the center of the town and was formerly used as the town jail. It seems to have largely added to in 1824. In 1861 Government abolished it as a town jail, removed the prisoners to the fort jail and offered the building to the Mauritius government as an emigration depot. The offer does not seem to have been accepted. Since 1862 it is used as the Mamlatdar's Office and Collector's record room, Located in the fort at present are the offices of the Prant Officer, Biwandi, the Mamlatdar, Thane and the Police Inspector. A police custody where prisoners are detained temporarily is also located in the fort.

Temples : In the town there are a number of Hindu temples and two Jain temples. A description of a few of these temples is given as follows :

Kopineshwar Mandir : The temle dedicated to Kopineshwar Mahadeo is a large cut stone building. It wa raised by Sarsubhedar Ramaji Mahadeo Bivalkar in about 1760 after Salsette had fallen in the hands of the Marathas. It stands to the east of the municiplal garden named after Mahatma Gandhi and laid and managed by the municipal council and is said to have been built in honour of Kopineshwar that was found under the water.
Within the enclosure of the Kopineshwar temple are six small shrines dedicated to Brahmadev now commonly known as Panchmukhi Mahadeo, Rama, Maruti, Shitladevi, Uttareshwar and Kalikadevi.

Vitthal Sayanna Datta Mandir : The temple is dedicated to the Lord Dattatraya is known as the Vitthal Sayanna Datta Mandir and is named after the person who undertook the constuction of the temple at the instance of Shri Narayanand Maharaj who took samadhi in 1910.
Datta Jayani is celebrated at the temple for eight days when about a lkh of devotees pay visit to the temple Gokulashtami also celebrated at the temple for two days. The tmple has a firrly large sabha mandap, audience hall supported by 26 pillars. The idol of the Lord Dattatraya is placed in gabhara.

Laxmi Narayan Mandir :
It is a private temple constructed in 1905 ( Shaka 1827). The shrine covers an area of 34' * 14'. The idol is made of white marble and is 3 feet in height. Champa Shashthi and Gokulashtami are celebrated in the temple.

Thakurdwar Mandir :
The temple is dedicated to Thakurdwar is located at Jambhali Naka in the west of town. The temple formerly got an yearly allowance of Rs. 49 from the Government. The shrine also contains an idol of Lord Ganapti and the temple is also known as Siddhi Vinayak Temple.
Besides the temple mentioned above, there are temples dedicated to Maruti, Datta, Vitthal, Gavdevi, Ghantali, etc.

Jain Temples :
There are two Jain Temples, one old and other new, facing each other with a road in between very close to the Thane Civil Hospital. The new temple took about 20 years to complete and construction was started well before the First Great World War. The temple has two majestic elephants in marble at the entrance and has an inner chamber with a dome and a considerable space about the inner chamber. The temple is visited not only by the followers of the Jain sect but by a number of people belonging to other communities also.

Churches : Of the churches in the town, two, the church of St. John the Baptist and the English church or the St. James church are worth mentioning.

St. James Church : St. James Church, also known as the English church, was built in 1825 at a cost of Rs. 48,039 and was consecrated in July of the same year by Rt. Rev. Reginald Heber. The church, managed until the dawn of Independence by the Government, is now under the management of the Bombay Diocesan Trust Association. This church is located near the jail reservoir. The church celebrated its 150th anniversary in July 1975.

Church of St, John : The church of St. John the Baptist is one of the numerous churches and religious houses built by the Portuguese in sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It is prettily placed on the north side of the Masunda lake, which is formerly known among the Christians as the lak of St. Antony. The bell is one of the largest Portuguese bells in India.

Mosque & Dargah :
The most famous Mosque in Thane is the Jama Mosque. It is located in the Mohagir Guftar. It is a large building of an unknown date. It was repaired during the seventies of the last century by the widow of Jusab Menun at a cost of Rs. 10,000. It is formerly enjoyed by an allowance of Rs. 20 from the Government.
Just by the side of Lake is a Dargah in honour of on Nuribaba who is said to have taken samadhi on 10 Dec, 1923. An annual urus is held at the dargah on 10th December when about 7000 to 8000 people assemble. Many devotees fulfill their views then.

In addition to these there is on Parsee fire Temple and a synagogue.

There are four reservoirs in the town. These reservoirs or ponds are almost the only remains of Thane before the Portuguese possession of the town. The four ponds are the Masunda, the Devala, the Gosala and the Harquala. Of these, the largest and the most important lake is the Masunda Lake.

| About Us | Advertise Here | Conatct Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer |

Designed, Developed & Hosted by