A Koli eatery managed by women is situated right outside the Mazagaon Dockyards. There are several roadside restaurants in Mazagaon Koliwada, such as this one. They offer a range of seafood-based dishes that are typical Koli fare. Popular dishes include the Bombil fried (Bombay Duck), Kolambi curry (Prawn), Sukka curry (Dry), Khekda masala (Crab), and Bangda curry (Mackerel).
Bungalows at Mazagon Koliwada have traditional architecture. They are usually one or two stories high, with protruding balconies held up by wooden brackets. Tiled roofs drain rainwater during the monsoon season. The interiors are flooded with natural light and fresh air thanks to the open balconies. The building entry opens onto the street, and the upper levels are connected by a wooden staircase.
A bicycle vendor on Baker Lane, which links Hospital Lane and D'Lima Street. As the name implies, Baker Lane was home to numerous bakeries that provided dock workers with freshly made pao. The workforce was made up of people from many communities, regions, and faiths. Each group had its eating traditions, but there was one food that they all shared: the locally made bread, or pao.
Mazagaon has grown into an industrial area with numerous large and small businesses that support the shipbuilding sector. As stated in the sign over this shop's door, the alleyways surrounding Mazagaon dockyard are a hive of offices, workshops, factories, and warehouses offering a variety of fabrication and ship-repair services.
Remnants of the Portuguese-era fort which stood on top of Mazagon Hill. The hill overlooked Mazagon harbour and the fort protected the harbour from piracy. The British destroyed the fort in 1881, and built an underground water reservoir on the hill. It was originally named after John Hay Grant, the Municipal Commissioner of Bombay from 1871 to 1881. Later it was renamed after Joseph ‘Kaka’ Baptista, a leading figure of the East Indian community.
Kaka Baptista Gardens on Mazagaon Hill is named after Joseph ‘Kaka’ Baptista, who was born in Matharpacady in 1861. In 1925, he was elected as the mayor of the Bombay Municipal Corporation. A barrister by qualification, he practised law at the Bombay High Court. He was also involved in politics and advocated for the rights of the East Indian community. Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Kaka Baptista were close allies during the Indian Home Rule Movement.
Chawls provided affordable housing solutions for the working-class population. Typically, a chawl is a multi-storeyed structure and has individual living units arranged around a central courtyard. The units open on a running balcony which is used to socialize with neighbours. The residential unit may include a bedroom, sitting room, and kitchen, though washroom facilities are usually common.
As a gesture of goodwill and public service, the descendants of Nawab Ayaz supported the construction of a sizable tank on the site of which a pyau (drinking waterspout) was placed in 1916. Horses and bullocks that pulled carts carrying cargo to the warehouses and dockyards had their own section of the tank. Subsequently, the tank was filled and transformed into a playground. It also has a subterranean water tank.
Though Mazagon was an island with sea on all sides, it was well-known for freshwater resources. Before the days of municipally supplied tap water, there were a lot of wells and tanks that supplied drinking water. While some of these wells were privately dug within homes, others were open to the public. This covered well, for instance, is a private well located inside a Parsi mansion.
A tailor operates a sewing machine on the ground floor of Khorshed Mansion. This building, located on Nawab Tank Bridge Road, is extremely narrow, and the shop stands on its wedged corner. The floor space of the shop is barely a metre wide, enough to run a tailoring business.