A Portuguese dowry handed to the English crown in 1661, filled in causeway by causeway, then rebuilt in Gothic and Deco by the merchants the mills made rich.
Largely a household festival until 1893, when Bal Gangadhar Tilak promoted public Ganesh pujas as a way to gather crowds when political meetings were restricted. Today thousands of neighborhood mandals install idols for ten days, ending in immersion processions to the sea.
Usually late August or September; check the year's dates. The big mandals have queues of many hours, so go late at night or on a weekday. On the final day, Anant Chaturdashi, watch the immersions at Girgaon Chowpatty — arrive early and keep your phone close.
Through the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco ensemble — a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2018 — from Horniman Circle and the Asiatic Society, founded in 1804, to the High Court and university.
Guided walks run on weekend mornings; Khaki Tours is one good operator.
An open-air laundry built in 1890, where washer families still beat and rinse the city's clothes in more than a thousand concrete troughs.
Look down from the bridge by Mahalaxmi station — free, and best in the morning. Go inside only with a resident guide, and ask before photographing people at work.