Parel - History

History

Parel was one of the original seven islands that formed Mumbai. It belonged to the 13th century kingdom of Raja Bhimdev. The name has come from the Parali Vaijanath Mahadev temple, dedicated to Shiva.

When the Portuguese conquered Bombay, they gave the authority of this area to the Jesuit priests, who replaced the Parali Mahadev temple with a church and a convent (probably the present-day St. Pauls' Church and Convent). These buildings remained with the Jesuits until they were confiscated by the British, after the priests sided with the Sidis during their battle with the British in 1689 and spelt the area as Parell.

In the 1770s, William Hornby, the Governor, shifted his official residence to Parel. This area then became one of the poshest areas of the city. In 1867, tanners and dealers in dry fish were relocated in this area. By the 1870s, several cotton mills had been established in the reclaimed lands in Parel (West). Gradually, Paral became very polluted. In 1883, the Governor's wife died of cholera in the Government House. Two years later the Governor's Mansion was moved to Malabar Point. During the plague epidemics of the 1890s, the old Government House was leased to the newly founded Haffkine Institute. After the plague epidemics, mills proliferated in this area. In 1915, the Parel Bridge was built with linked the Western and Central Railway stations. It became an industrial area and in addition provided space for mill workers. With the gradual decline of the mills in the late twentieth century, this space is being recycled.

Recently Parel has seen an influx of huge enterprises in the compounds of the long gone cotton mills. Five star hotel ITC Hotel The Grand Central, Mumbai - The Luxury Collection is located in Parel. During the time cotton mills were operating in Parel are, many thousands of mill workers called Parel home. Now cotton mill jobs have long disappeared and large cotton mill real estate is being recycled into ultra-expensive gated communities. Parel has thus become an area where lower middle class and rich live side by side. The world's tallest residential building World One is under-construction.

Lower parel also houses Palladium, the only luxury retail center in the city. This shopping center is right below the 45 storied Shangri-La tower. The mall houses brands like Ermenegildo Zegna, Bottega Veneta, Bally, Etro, Canali, Jimmy Choo, Burberry, Hugo Boss, Paul Smith and many more.

Parel land is situated to the West Side of South Mumbai and the name taken (पश्चिम रेलवे) PA REL, while this is only resemblance with the पश्चिम रेलवे. The real name is taken from Parali Mahadev temple.