Viraj Mehta
In 1825, when the British explored their newly annexed territories in Bassein, they discovered that Thane was inhabited primarily by Roman Catholics, both natives and Portuguese, and that the latter was virtually from the former, both with regards to skin color and custom. The indigenous Catholics were converts from the Bhandaris (musicians) and Koli (fishermen) classes. To this day, some of the upper class East Indians (ethnic group) families in the Khatri ward of Thana speak Portuguese. At present, Thane has a predominantly Maharashtrian culture although, like its neighbouring city Mumbai, it has a cosmopolitan culture as well. Because of the huge residential boom, the city has witnessed a large number of immigrants from the neighboring city of Mumbai as well as from other pockets of state and country. The face of the city, now a days becoming increasingly cosmopolitan. Beside Marathi, sizable populations of North Indians, South Indians, Sindhis, Gujaratis and Marwari and other people from different regions live in Thane, mainly because of its proximity to Mumbai.Thane is bordered by the Yeoor Hills on one side and is dotted with numerous beautiful lakes, which are a cause of cooler weather than that of Mumbai.Festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Navratri and Durga Puja are celebrated with great zest in the city. As in Mumbai, Thane offers high rewards amounting to 1 million rupees (US$ 25,000) for winners of Dahi Handi sport during the Gokulashtami festival.Since 2005 the Dahi Handi festival has been on a much larger scale; there is competition between various clubs to host the biggest of Dahi Handis. The biggest ones are Open House, Panchpakhdi, Jambli Naka, Tembhi Naka and Vartak Nagar all of these now have TV coverage will almost all major news channels beaming the day's proceedings to the whole nation.
Throughout recorded history the city has left its mark under various names. The earliest evidence of Thane appears in the works of the Greek geographer, Ptolemy, who, in his writings ( 135 - 150 AD) refers to a place called Chersonesus, which, according to researches, is the area around Thane creek. The city crops up again in the Middle Ages and slabs and copper plates dating back to the period have been discovered in Thane. One of them, dug up from the foundations of Thane Fort in 1787, dated 1078 AD, is apparently a land grant from Arikesara Devaraja, sovereign of the city of Tagara, wherein he address the inhabitants of a city called Sri Sthanaka. Friar Jordanus, a great traveler, who visited the city between AD 1321 and 1324, describes it as being under a Muslim governor. He leaves a detailed sketch of early Christians in Thane and refers to the martyrdom of four Christian priests in the region, more than 200 years before the Portuguese ever set foot in India. The celebrated Ibn Batuta and Abul Feda, contemporaries of Friar Jordanus, also came here. They refer to Thane as Kukin Tana and speak of its fame as a port from which ships sailed to the gulf carrying a kind of cloth called 'Tanasi' which was produced in Thane. Duarte Barbosa, a noted traveler, described Thane by the name Tana Mayambu 25 years before the Portuguese conquest. He paints a vivid picture of the town as one of Moorish mosques and temples, with many pleasant gardens. The Portuguese came to Thane about 1530 and ruled for over 200 years till 1739. Thane was then known as Cacabe de Tana. Work on the Thane Fort began in 1730. The Marathas, who conquered Bassein and Thane in 1737 and 1739, held sway over the region till 1784, when the British captured the Fort and ruled Thane, then also called Tana. They made it the headquarters of the district administration with a district collector stationed in Thane. The Thane Municipal Council was formed in 1863 when the city had a population of 9000 souls
Yeour hills is definitely recommended for those with affinity for nature and who desire to seek peace of mind for the weekends. It is a part of Sanjay Gandhi National Park. A visit to the Swami's Math is a must for those seeking peace. If you are lucky, you might get to see a few wild animals, and if you are not maybe a few wild human beings. But a visit after dark has a high probability of attracting both.
Tikujiniwadi is more domesticated wilderness. For a nominal sum, you could spend the entire day including good feast at the in-house restaurant and an execellent siesta on the khat or the satranji (for which you pay of course) under the trees.