Powai Pawai | |
|---|---|
suburb | |
 View of Powai from across the Powai lake, Mumbai (MH) | |
  Powai Location of Powai in Mumbai (Maharashtra) Show map of Mumbai Powai Powai (Maharashtra) Show map of Maharashtra Powai Powai (India) Show map of India | |
| Coordinates:19°07′N72°55′E / 19.12°N 72.91°E /19.12; 72.91 | |
| Country | India |
| State | Maharashtra |
| District | Mumbai Suburban |
| City | Mumbai |
| Zone | 5 |
| Ward | S |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal Corporation |
| • Body | Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (MCGM) |
| Elevation | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Marathi |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | |
| Area code | 022 |
| Vehicle registration | MH-03[1] |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Mumbai North East(part)[2] Mumbai North Central(part)[3] |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | Bhandup West(part) Chandivali(part) |
Powai (Pronunciation:[pəʋəiː]) is a residential suburb located in centralMumbai,Maharashtra, India. It is situated on the banks ofPowai Lake, and is bound by the hills ofVikhroli Parksite to the south-east,Chandivali to the south-west, the L.B.S. Marg (old Mumbai-Agra road) to the north-east and theSanjay Gandhi National Park to the north beyond the lake.[4] TheJogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road, one of the city's busiest thoroughfares linking the western and eastern suburbs, passes through Powai.[5] The place also hosts thousands of devotees every year during theGanesh Chaturthi festival for thevisarjan processions.[6]
TheIndian Institute of Technology, Bombay, established in 1958 and currently the second oldest campus of theIndian Institutes of Technology as well as theIndian Institute of Management Mumbai, established in 1963 are both located here,[7][8] as is a campus of theBombay Scottish School.[9] Powai is also home to residential complexes of theIncome Tax department, Customs andNTPC,[10] as well as those of ex-servicemen.[11]Powai houses schools and colleges, some of which are S M Shetty school and college, Gopal Sharma school and Chandrabhan Sharma College.Chandivali has Sinhgad college of management. New school includes Pawar Public school towards Chandivali.[12]Some of the Temples of Powai are Chinmaya Mission's Jagadeshwara Shiva Temple, Sri Ayyappa Vishnu Temple at Hiranandani, Devi Vageshwari Mata Temple at Chandivali. Powai also hosts community birthday havan.
Powai is also Mumbai's start-up hub, with young entrepreneurs like the hiranandanis. starting off fromincubation cells set up by institutes likeIIT Bombay from the tech industry and other sectors setting their bases there,[13] causing the area to be referred to as India's Powai Valley.[14] As a result of the mixture of various communities living together, the suburb has one of the city's most cosmopolitan and modernized cultures.[15] The place has a vibrant night-life,[16][17] and shoots for severalBollywood as well asHollywood movies, such asKalyug,Ghajini,Slumdog Millionaire, Mardaani andHaseena Maan Jaayegi have taken place there.[18] The Hiranandani Gardens are also known for theirneoclassical architectural style and the area has some of thetallest residential buildings inSuburban Mumbai.[19] The suburb is also known for being one of the preferred residential areas for expats in Mumbai.[20]
Powai is a part of theMumbai Suburban District, located in the north-eastern region of what is today considered to be the modern Mumbai metropolis. Administratively, it is a part of the Kurlatehsil[21] and much of the area falls within the boundaries of theS-ward, the largest ward in Mumbai.[22][23] Powai is situated on the banks of its namesakelake and boasts of a recently revamped, landscaped garden with viewing decks, a children's play area and synchronized fountains.[24] The privately run Dr. L. H. Hiranandani Hospital, located within the Hiranandani residential complex, is the first superspeciality hospital in the area.[25]
As a result of prolific construction activity in the last two decades, the area has one of the highest residential population densitiesnote 1 in suburban Mumbai. The development in the region has, however had an adverse impact on the environment, with the area facing the ill-effects of excessive concretization, resulting in a shrinking number of open spaces,[22] green cover and rising pollution levels.[26]
Places adjacent to Powai | ||||||||||||||||
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Perhaps the best-known landmark of Powai is thePowai Lake, a 120-year-old lake that was originally used to supply water to the city of Mumbai, and is today used as an industrial sewage outlet.[24] Another prominent landmark that most outsiders associate Powai with is theIIT Bombay, located to the east of the lake. The campus of theNITIE is located near the north bank of the lake, as is theRenaissance Hotel and Convention centre, part of theMarriott group of hotels, with its distinctive facade visible across the Powai lake.[27] In the past, fishing and bird-watching were popular recreational activities that took place along the shores of the lake. Rare migration birds were known to visit the lake each year and the lake boasted a variety of fish species. Crocodiles have also been spotted alongside the lake. And However, rapid and uncontrolled growth of the region in recent years has had an adverse effect on the flora and fauna found in and around the lake. In its day, the lake used to be an idyllic picnic spot for people wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.[citation needed]
The name "Powai" originates from Padmavati, a Hindu deity to whom a temple was dedicated in the village existing on the contemporary space of the neighbourhood.[28] In 1826, after the death of the previous owner of the estate, the area that is now Powai was leased toParsi merchant Framji Kavasji.[29] The water body at the center of the neighbourhood that is now known asPowai Lake was a result of initiatives by city authorities in the 1890s to increase urban water supply.[28] In 1943, four years before India's independence, the freedom fighter Chandrabhan Sharma & Ram Nath Grover arrived in Mumbai and happened to lease and subsequently buy Powai Estate from Sir Yusuf, the then owner, for a paltry sum. At that time, Powai comprised five villages: Saki, Kopri, Tirandaz, Powai and Paspauli. In the late 1950s, a portion of Powai was given to thegovernment to set up anIndian Institute of Technology (IIT). ThePrime Minister,Jawaharlal Nehru, personally visited the area and during a meeting, Chandrabhan Sharma was motivated by him to give the land free of cost for this purpose. Simultaneously, a young engineer from Denmark,Søren Kristian Toubro had obtained a major contract in Mumbai. As a result, vast tracts of land were leased to him by Mr. Sharma to set up what would becomeLarsen & Toubro.[30]
