Juhu

Juhu
suburb
Juhu
Coordinates:
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
District	Mumbai Suburban
Metro	Mumbai
Languages
• Official	Marathi
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)

Juhu is a suburb of Mumbai. It is most famous for the sprawling Juhu beach. It surrounded by the Arabian Sea to the west, Versova to the north, Santacruz and Vile Parle to the east, and Khar to the south. Juhu is among the most affluent areas of the city and home to many Bollywood celebrities. The nearest railway stations are Santacruz, Andheri and Vile Parle on the Western Line and Harbour Line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway.

J. R. D. Tata, the father of civil aviation in India, made his maiden voyage to Juhu Airport from Drigh Road airstrip, Karachi, via Ahmedabad, on 15 October 1932 carrying mail in a Puss Moth aircraft.

History

In the nineteenth century, Juhu was an island: a long, narrow sand bar rising above sea level by a metre or two, just off the west coast of Salsette. It could be reached during low tides by walking across the tidal inlet.

Juhu was called "Juvem" by the Portuguese. At its north point, nestled the village of Juhu, inhabited by Bhandaris (toddy tappers), Agris (salt traders) and Kulbis (cultivators) and at its south point, opposite Bandra island, lived a small colony of fisher folk and cultivators (Koliwada). The inhabitants of Juhu were mainly East Indians and there was a small section of Goans. The Church of St. Joseph was built by the Portuguese in 1853.

The open beaches of Juhu have attracted the well-heeled and the most affluent among Mumbai's population for almost a century. In the 1890s, Jamsetji Tata purchased land on Juhu and built a bungalow there. He planned to develop 1200 acres (5 km²) in Juhu Tara. This was to yield 500 plots of one acre (4,000 m²) each and a seaside resort. Simultaneously he wanted to extend the Mahim Causeway to Santacruz, to access to this area. After his death in 1904, the scheme was abandoned. With the dawn of aviation in the 20th century, the Bombay Flying Club commenced operations in 1929 at what eventually became the present Juhu Aerodrome.

Climate

Juhu enjoys a uniform climate throughout the year. In summers the maximum temperature reaches 35 °C and the minimum temperature is 25 °C. The weather is pleasant in winter. Monsoons prevail from mid June to September, when it rains quite heavily.

Popular Attractions

Juhu Beach

Juhu beach is located 18 kilometres north of the city centre on the shores of Arabian sea stretches for six kilometres right up to Versova. It is a popular tourist attraction throughout the year and is also a sought after destination for shooting films. The beach generally gets more crowded on weekends with families and courting couples. The food court at its main entrance is famous for its 'Mumbai style' street food, notably Bhelpuri, pani puri and Sevpuri. Horse pulled carriages offer joyrides to tourists for a small fee while acrobats, dancing monkeys, cricket matches, toy sellers vie for tourist's attention. The beach is among the most popular sites in the city for the annual Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations where thousands of devotees arrive in grand processions, carrying idols of the Lord Ganesh of various sizes, to be immersed in the water at the beach; unfortunately, the beach often becomes very dirty. Juhu Beach is also a popular spot for planespotting as a portion of it lies underneath the departure path from Runway 09 and occasionally, the arrival path from Runway 27 of the Mumbai Airport.

Home to celebrities

The busy-yet-peaceful surroundings of Juhu is home to many Bollywood celebrities like Akshay Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Hritik Roshan, Dimple Kapadia, Anil Kapoor, Yash Chopra, Rakesh Roshan, Hema Malini, Mithun Chakraborty, Vidya Balan, Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan, Ameesha Patel, Zayed Khan, Paresh Rawal, Shakti Kapoor, Govinda, Dharmendra, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Raveena Tandon, Anupam Kher, Rani Mukherjee, Fardeen Khan, Mahesh Bhatt, Varun dhawan and Vivek Oberoi, reside in Juhu. Salman Khan also owns an apartment in a building known as Galaxy Apartments, not too far from the beach. Apart from celebrities, it is also home to a significant portion of Mumbai's Business elite. Hence, Juhu has come to be referred to as "The Beverly Hills of Bollywood".

ISKCON Temple in Juhu-Mumbai

Main article: ISKCON temple Mumbai

ISKCON temple Mumbai in Juhu is set upon four acres of land and is a stone's throw away from Juhu Beach.

Juhu Citizen Welfare Group

The Juhu Citizen Welfare Group is the outcome of many years of activism by Juhu residents who have been associated with other NGOs. It was formed in April 2002 (The Juhu Seatizen) and later formalised in August 2003 with its own monthly publication called The Juhu Citizen. Officially registered in March 2004, it now comprises voluntary members invited from NGOs in the K-West Municipal Ward of North West Mumbai.

Religious places

ISKCON, Juhu

• International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) also known as Hare Krishna Mandir
• Mukteshwar Devalay (Gandhigram Road)
• Chandra Prabhu Jain Temple
• Mahalaxmi Temple
• St. Joseph's Church, Juhu
• Holy Cross Church, Juhu Koliwada
• Vittal Rukmani Temple, Juhu Koliwada
• Grand Mosque Juhu (Opposite Juhu Garden)

Hotels and restaurants

• Sun-n-Sand Hotel, Juhu
• Ramada Plaza Palm Grove
• The Orchid Hotel
• Subhash Dawda Residency
• JW Marriott, Mumbai
• Juhu Residency Boutique Hotel
• Hotel Royal Garden, Juhu
• Citizen Hotel
• Golden Manor
• Sea Side
• Juhu Hotel
• Sea Princess
• Sea Palace
• Novotel
• Fition
• Juhu Continental
• Emerald
• Ramee Guestline Hotel Juhu
• King's International
• Iskcon Guest House
• Govinda's Restaurant
• Govinda’s Bakery
• Tulip Star (previously known as Juhu Centaur Hotel - under construction - disputed property)
• Hotel Atlantic, Juhu

Education

Primary and secondary schools

• Santacruz (W)Education society popularly known as Taraben
• Ecole Mondiale World School
• Silver Beach High School - Closed (as of 1993)
• Utpal Shanghvi School
• Jamnabai Narsee School
• Maneckji Cooper Education Trust School
• Sumati Vidya Kendra High School - Closed since 2004
• R.N.Shah High School
• St. Joseph's Convent High School, Mumbai
• Kamla Dharamshi Narsee Shruti School (Rotary Services Public Charitable Trust, Mumbai West Rotary Institute For Deaf)
• RIMS International School
• Vrajlal Parekh Vidyanidhi High School (English medium)
• Vrajlal Parekh Vidyanidhi High School (Marathi medium)
• Arya Vidya Mandir (Juhu Branch)
• K.K.Rajpopat School
• Gandhi Gram School (Marathi medium)
• St Teresa's Convent High School
• Billabong High School
• Rajhans Vidyalaya
• Holy Cross High School
• Dilkhush Special School (School for Mentally Challenged Chil
• Podar Education Complex- (consisting of ICSE, CBSE, SSC, IB BOARD SCHOOLS)

Colleges and universities

• Mithibai College of Arts
• Jeetendra Chauhan College of Science and Law
• Amrutben Jeevanlal College of Commerce and Economics
• Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics
• Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS)
• Shobhaben Pratapbhai Patel School of Pharmacy and Technology Management
• School of science,SVKM's NMIMS University
• Malini Kishore Sanghvi College of Commerce and Economics
• D J Sanghvi College of Engineering
• Russell Square International College
• Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management and Engineering
• Bhagubai Polytechnic
• Sreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey University [SNDT Women's University]
• Ritambhara College
• Madhumati Academy of Film Acting & Dance & Style
• Asha K. Chandra Acting Institute
• Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute of Architecture and Environmental Studies (KRVIA)
• Upnagar Shikshan Mandal's College of Architecture
• Malti Jayant Dalal Institute of Pre-Primary Teachers Training College
• Bhawans College
• Podar Education Complex
• Dr. R N Cooper Municipal Medical College& General Hospital

Institutes and organisations

• ISKCON
• The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT India)
• Prithvi Theatre: It was built by Shashi Kapoor in memory of his father and has been a centre for performing arts since decades. The adjoining cafe is very popular.