Thane

The name "Thane" is said to be derived from Sthan or Sthanaka, the capital of the Shilahara kings of Konkan. It is currently the headquarters of Thane district.

The earlist 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.

Slabs and copper plates dating back to the middle ages have also been discovered in Thane.

Venetian traveller Marco Polo also visited Thane in 1290 AD. He describes the city as a great kingdom, which apparently had a well-developed port, for he mentions a continuous traffic of ships, and merchants trading and exporting leather, buckram, cotton, and importing horses.

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.

The first railway train in India ran from Bombay VT (Now Mumbai CST, See Mumbai) to Thana in 1853. Thane (or Thana) literally means "station" in Marathi the local language. It was the only railway station besides Victoria Terminus.

After India's independence, Thane grew slowly and became an industrial town in the '60s and '70s. There was also a corresponding growth in trade, transport and construction activities, which picked up tremendously in the '80s. Once considered as the 'ugly twin' of Mumbai, today Thane outshines Mumbai in its planning and neatness. Even as it develops at a fast pace, Thane, is also known as the City of Lakes, is still plagued with overcrowding and commuting problems.

History (ANCIENT SHREESTHANAK TO THE ULTRA MODERN THANE CITY)

The city of Thane is situated on the western banks of Thane creek with Parsik hills on the east and Yeour hills on the west. The creek not only provides a natural protection to the place but has also facilitated transport of big and small ships since ancient times. This has also acted as an impetus for the development of local and international trade since the pre-historic times. Besides being the stamping ground of the pre-historic tribes, Thane city has a rich cultural heritage, mythological background, followed by a large number of events of historical importance , archeological collectives that have contributed to the enrichment of the history of Thane city.

The existence of Thane city appears in the global history since the 9th century A.D. The city was then know as Shreesthanak. It was more popularly known as the Capital of the Shilahar dynasty. The history of Thane city can be broadly categorized into 5 eras.

Vedic period to 1300 A.D. : Comprising of Hindu or ancient period, Aparant , Shilahar and Bimba Dynasty.
1300 –1660 A.D. : Mohamedan and Portuguese Rule.
1660-1800 A.D. : Maratha and Portuguese Rule.
1800-1947 A.D. : British Rule.
1947-till date : Post Independence Thane.

‘Aparant’ is the ancient name of the geographical area hosting Thane city. During the Indian expedition of the Greek Emperor Alexander, a number of philosophers, historians and geographists visited India. Among them a Greek historian ‘Tolemi’ has mentioned about the city of Thane in his writings. A famous sailor named Marcopolo had also visited Thane in 1290 A.D. and noted it to be one of the best cities in the world. A place called ‘Ghodbunder’ was famous for horse trading thus deriving its name from the word ghoda i.e. horse and bunder meaning port. During this period a fabric called ‘Tansi’ was exported from Thane. During the period from 13 A.D. to 17 A.D., the Muslims, Portuguese, Marathas, & the British dynasties ruled Thane. From 810 A.D. to 1260 A.D. the Shilahar Dynasty ruled over Thane.

The Emperors of Shilahar dynasty were disciples of Lord Shiva and the Kopineshwar Temple has been built during their reign. During this period, due to the secular attitude and tolerance of Shilahars towards different religions, a large number of people from different communities like Parsis , Christians, Muslims and Jews settled down in Thane, thus sowing seeds of a cosmopolitan city.

At this time the Shilahars also divided the city into different sections and named them as ‘padas’. It is seen that these padas exist even today by names of Naupada, Patlipada, Agripada etc.

In the earlier part of the 12th Century A.D. with a view to create a new township, King Bimbadev, alongwith 66 segments of his community came over and settled in Thane. In 1480 A.D. ‘Sultan Mehmood’ of Gujarat made Thane the Capital of his ‘Subha’ Province.

St. John the Baptist Church was constructed in Thane in 1663 A.D. The construction work of famous Thane Killa (Fort) was started in 1730 A.D. In 1737 A.D. Chimaji Appa the Maratha Sardar planned the ‘Conquest of Vasai’ and on 28th March, 1738 the Marathas conquered the Thane Killa. The fort is presently being used as ‘Thane Central Jail’.

The Portuguese ruled Thane for over 200 years from 1530 to 1739 A.D. During this period Thane was known as “Kalabe De Tana”. In the year 1744 the British conquered Thane city alongwith its fort.

The famous Kopineshwar Temple was renovated in the year 1760. In 1778 the palatial residence of the Peshwas was converted into the Court building. In the year 1780 Keshavji Sorabji Rustomji Patel constructed the first Parsi Agyari in Thane. The first District Court was established in the year 1803 A.D. The Thane Borough Municipality was established on 10th March 1863.

The first ever railway train was started on 16th April, 1853 from Boribunder to Thane, giving Thane the honour of hosting an event of historical importance in the city. In the year 1880 the Thane Borough Municipality spent Rs. 12,960/- on construction of the Pokharan Lake, to make use of the lake water for drinking purpose. This prestigious project was inaugurated by the then Governor of Mumbai, Sir Ferguson James. The first elections of the Municipality were conducted in the year 1885.

The first newspaper in Thane was launched in the year 1866. Different Marathi magazines like Arunodaya, Survodaya, Vakilancha Sathi, Nyaylahari, Manohar, Dyanapradip, Dyanadipika were seen to be in circulation thus showing the importance of the print media during that period.

The first census took place in the year 1881 and the population of Thane at the time was 14,456. The Jain temple of Thane was built in the year 1879. The first ever English medium school was started in 1821 and was named as ‘Thane English School’. In the year 1893, the first Marathi Library was established. In 1896 the birth anniversary of Shivaji Maharaj was celebrated for the first time in Thane. In June 1897 Lokmanya Tilak visited Thane. On 19th April, 1910 noted freedom fighters like Veer Anant Laxman Kanhere, Gopal Krishnaji Karve & Vinayak Narayan Deshpande were hanged till death in the Central Jail for killing the then Nasik District Collector Jackson. In 1938 noted freedom fighter Veer Savarkar was felicitated by the citizens of Thane after his release from the British confinement. In 1920 a road near Masunda lake was named after Dr. F.A. Moose for the commemorative service during the epidemic of plague.

A reputed citizen of Thane Shri Vithal Sayanna’s son Divan Bahadur Narayan Sayanna reconstructed the Civil Hospital building in 1935.

The first Independence Day of India –15th August, 1947 was celebrated in Thane by bringing down the British Union Jack and hoisting the tri-coloured flag of India at the hands of a noted freedom fighter Shri Nanasaheb Joshi at the District Collector’s Office.

With a view to preserve the rich cultural heritage of Thane, the Thane Municipal Council constructed Rangayatan, a drama theatre, named after the noted Marathi writer Shri Ram Ganesh Gadkari. The theatre has been hosting different plays and cultural programmes since then.

The Thane Municipal Corporation was established on 1st October, 1982. It had a population of 7,90,000 as per the 1990 Census. The population has reached to about 14,00,000 in the year 2003. The Thane Municipal Corporation has undertaken many developmental projects and schemes since 1982 for a balanced development of the city. One of major projects is the Integrated Road Development Project. Taking in view the all round infrastructural development which has recently taken place in Thane , the Govt. of India conferred the prestigious ‘Clean City Award’ to Thane in the year 2000.

Geography

Thane is located to the North of Mumbai (Bombay, Maharashtra,India). Although being a district place, the city has always been shadowed by the existence of the metropolis just on its outskirts .Spanned over an area of about 147 km², this city houses over 10 Lakh (1 million) people. A total of 200 km of roads run through the city. The city is surrounded by scenic hills, which add to its beauty. The Hill of Yeoor is considered to be the hill station for the Thaneyites. On the other hand is the Parsik Hill. The city is divided by Thane Creek, a stream of water from the Arabian Sea. Two road bridges & one rail bridge connect the two parts of the city

Location

30 km North East of Mumbai on the western coast of India

Template:Mumbai - Suburban Railway,Central

Weather

Typical coastal sultry & humid

Rainfall - Average 250 to 300 mm beginning of June to end of September. Temperature - Average - 32 - 37 °C Humidity - 45% to 87% highest in month of August.

Altitude

Plains at sea level

Population

1.55 million (Year 2003)

Area

48 km²

Lakes

Thane the city of Lakes has around 30 lakes. The most beautiful of them is the Masunda Talao, also known as Talao Pali. The lake offers boating and water scooter facilities.

Some of the other popular lakes are

Upvan Lake
Kacharali Talao
Makhamali Talao
Siddheshwar Talao
Bramhala Talao
Ghosale Talao
Railadevi Talao

Educational Institutes

Colleges

Dyansadhana College
Thane College (Dnyanadweep)
Parshwanath Engg.College
Institute of Management and Computer Studies(IMCOST)
VPM Polytechnic (Thane College)
NKT College
New English Junior College
SES junior college
Vasant Vihar High School and Junior College
Muchhala Polytechinic

Schools

Saraswati Secondary School (Marathi Medium)
St.John The Baptist High School and Junior College
Sau A K Joshi English Medium School
M.H.Highschool
Smt.Sulochana Devi Singhania High School
S.E.S High School and Jonior College
Bedekar HighSchool
Bhagwati Vidyalaya
Holy Cross
Vasant Vihar High School.
Sheth T.J. High School (Gujarati Medium)

Thane City Quick Look

Missing image Than1.jpg Gadkari Rangayatan Drama Hall	Missing image Than2.jpg M G Road	Missing image Than3.jpg Kopri Railway Bridge
Missing image Than4.jpg M G Road	Missing image Than5.jpg Tower at Thane East	Missing image Than6.jpg Flyover above Teen Haath Naka
Missing image Than7.jpg Tip Top Mithawala	Missing image Than8.jpg Service Road	Talao Pali

The Best Eatouts in Thane City

Kulkarni Vaada Paav (Near Jagdish Book Shop)
Kunj Vihar
Raj Mata Vaada Paav
Shanghai Chinese Corner
Tip Top
Monis Restaurant
Shiv Prasad Restaurant
Mamledar Misal
Namaskar Restourant

Thane City Links

Thane City Photos (http://thanecity.blogspot.com)
Thane City Portal (http://www.thaneweb.com)
Thane Mahanagar Palika (http://www.thanemahapalika.com)
Aaple Thane (http://www.aapalethane.com)

Districts of Maharashtra

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