Stories behind Railway Station Names
Do you travel via the Mumbai local every day? Here are the origin stories behind our famous stations!
Dadar - This name has a Marathi origin & signifies a small stairway or series of steps built on the eastern edge of Mahim Island by the British. BTW, did you know Dadard was originally named “Lower Mahim?”
Kurla - “Kurla” originated from “Kurli,” the local crab species name, as these were found in plenty of marshes in the vicinity before the area became a suburban locality.
Bandra - This area was a port controlled by the Portuguese as part of their Salsette Islands occupation. In Persian, Ports were called Bandargah, which was eventually shortened into Bandra.
Kandivali - This station was originally called “Khandolee,” probably originating from the word “Khand” concerning the stone & rock quarries in the area.
Matunga - Originates from the Marathi word, matang or elephant, owing to the belief that tuskers from Raja Bhimdev’s army were stationed in the area around the 12th century.
Thane - The old name of the city seemed to be Sri Sthanaka, 'Place of Lord Ganesha', which got bastardized to Tanna by the Portuguese and Thane by the British.
Khar Road - A few centuries ago salt pans were used to mine salt from the sea here. Since salt leads to a salty or Khara (in Marathi) taste, the locals call it Khar.
Dombivali - Derives from the local tribe of “Dombs” or “Dombas” who inhabited the region once.
Andheri - Derives from the original name of the place called Andhakagiri, with the suffix “giri” representing hills in the region.
Bhandup - This name is derived from Bhandupeshwar, one of the names of the Hindu god Shiva.
Borivali - This is a homage to the famous “bori” fruit trees that were once popular & vastly spread in the region.
Vile Parle - The locality and subsequently the station was named after two hamlets called Vidle and Padle which were in turn named after two very old temples called Virleshwar (Vishnu) and Parleshwar (Shiva) located in the area.
Virar - The accepted origin story is that Goddess Eka-viraa, the consort of Lord Shiva gives the area and the station her name. The Goddess is actually named Vira and the suffix of 'ar' is added to her name to signify surrounding hills.
Byculla - The Marathi origins of the word suggest that it derives from the words “Bhava” & “Kala” referring to the Bhava/Bhaya trees that grew on the plains (khala). Or it was probably also a ground belonging to someone named Bhava.
Sandhurst Road - This station was named after Lord Sandhurst who was the Governor of the Bombay presidency between 1895 and 1900.
Mahim - The place was originally called Mahikavati after an Iraqi saint. Still, then a guy named Makhdoom Ali Mahimi of the Mahim Dargah eventually lent his name to the locality & station.