Places of Interest in the Planned Satellite City, Navi Mumbai

Navi Mumbai is a planned satellite city primarily built to decongest Mumbai and to draw a part of the thronging from there on the West Coast of Maharashtra. It was developed as a twin city of Mumbai on its Eastern harbor with urban township. This mainland on the Eastern side of Thane creek has its boundaries in Airoli in the North and Uran in the South. The length of the city is almost the same as that of Mumbai. The highly developed and busiest spots of Navi Mumbai are Vashi and Nerul whereas the developing Kharghar and Panvel lie near to the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport.

Let's discuss some of the important landmarks of Navi Mumbai in this article.

The Vashi Bridge or Thane Creek Bridge connects Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. This bridge is one of the entry points into Mumbai that lessens its traffic density. Having got constructed with several unique features and with emphasis on durability, Vashi Bridge holds the rank of an important landmark in Navi Mumbai. It was awarded for being the most outstanding concrete structure that was constructed by U.P State Bridge Corporation Ltd.

Kharghar node in Navi Mumbai is famous for its lush greenery and mountains. One of the symbolic structures of the node is the tall and majestic Utsav Chowk. With greenery surrounding this chowk, it has become a favorite spot to relax, play and have fun. Residents have termed this structure as a dreamer’s haven in Kharghar.

Vashi, one of the main Navi Mumbai nodes is connected to Mumbai through the Vashi Bridge. It is a premier township center in which Shivaji Chowk, a central square located on the Vashi-Turbhe Road arguably proves this. A large bronze statue of the Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji on a horse forms the center of this square. A big splash complex next to a residential building and the MTNLoffice surround Shivaji Chowk.

‘Three Srikovila’ is a popular place in Nerul that is also called as Sanctum Sanctora. The first phase of it is Sree Ayyappa Temple Complex built by Nerul Sree Ayyappa Seva Samiti. This temple enjoys the premier position as it is centrally located. Hindus perform ‘Poojas’ and other religious rituals in this temple where ‘Mandala Pooja’ is the most celebrated festival. The place has been declared officially as “Sree Ayyappa Mandir Chowk”.

This is the largest container port in India that is locally called as Nhava Sheva. These two are the names of two villages situated here in the Konkan mainland. To relieve pressure on the pre-eminent port of Mumbai, Nhava Sheva port was built run by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust of India. The port handles about 65% of India’s container traffic that is well connected to the major highways and rail networks of India. Almost all kinds of cargo of major industries are exported from and imported to North India from this port.

This stadium at D.Y. Patil campus contains the required facilities for an International cricket stadium and has hosted several national matches so far. It is the home ground for IPL team of Mumbai popularly known as Mumbai Indians. The stadium also houses tennis hard courts, indoor badminton courts and an Olympian sized swimming pool. With a capacity of 60,000 people, the fabric roof, powerful lighting systems, full-fledged music system, suitable pitch and outfield all together make DY Patil International Stadium outstanding.

A small hillock atop a hill anchors this temple whose presiding deity is Sri Balaji. The Rajagopuram or the royal tower on its entrance is glorious that welcomes the devotees. The rear side of Sri Balaji temple arranges a panoramic view of the Palm Beach Road of Nerul.

Much more landmarks are being developed to give vibrancy and color to Navi Mumbai. The yet to come International Airport is in a greenfield land, expected to be one of the foremost in the airport constructions of India.