Between 1924-25, the church was extended to accommodate the increasing number of people. The church was completely remodelled during the Vicarship of Msgr. Stanislaus Pereira to give it a modern appearance.
The year of consecration of Our Lady of the Rosary Church on Dockyard Road, Mazagaon, is inscribed on the outer wall. In 1794, this new church was built a few metres away from the old Gloria Church, which till 1794 was the only church in Mazagaon.
The wrought iron grilles on the boundary wall were installed in 1860 with the marking NRS, which stands for Nossa Senhora do Rosario, or “Our Lady of the Rosary”.
Mazagaon Koliwada, one of Mumbai’s oldest Koli settlements, existed as a fishing village since long before Europeans arrived. While the original fishing village no longer exists, descendants of the Koli fishermen still reside in the same neighborhood.
Individual families bring coconuts to Versova Beach by placing them in a kalash (pot) and carrying the pot on their heads. Though Narali Purnima is primarily a festival observed by sea-faring fishing communities, other communities also offer coconuts to the sea on this auspicious occasion.
The coconut, symbolizing life and fertility, is tossed into the sea as an offering to the Sea God Varuna, whom the Kolis call Darya Raja (king of rivers).
During the monsoon season, a government-imposed fishing ban lasts for two months. Fishing restarts on Narali Purnima, with the offering of coconuts to mark the auspicious beginning of the new fishing season.
Narali Purnima is celebrated on the purnima (full moon day) of Sravana (the fifth month of the Hindu calendar), which begins in mid-to-late July and ends in late August according to the Gregorian calendar.