The villages of Madh Island: Madh, Bhati, Erangal and Aksa

Madh Island was once a true island. Land reclamation in the 20th century joined it to Malad, and today it's a peninsula on Mumbai's north-west edge, with the Arabian Sea on one side and Malad (Versova) creek on the other.¹ The Government's film office describes it as "a group of several fishing villages and farmlands".² Much of the land is taken up by Navy and Air Force bases.¹

The villages here are old. Several are named in the medieval Mahikavatichi Bakhar,³⁴ and each has its own deities, feasts and ways of making a living. The area's long-standing communities include Koli fishing families, Bhandari farming families and East Indian Catholics.⁴⁵

Madh

Madh is the Koli fishing village on the southern side of the island, by the jetty for the Versova ferry.³ Most Madh Kolis fish the open sea, mainly with bag nets (dol), and much of the catch is dried on racks (valands) along the shore.³

The village is divided into padas, wadis and gallis, such as Darya Galli and Christian Galli.³ Its village goddess is Harba Devi, whose temple stands on a small hillock in Madh village, near the jetty road.³⁸ The temple's annual Gondhal falls on the first Tuesday after Hanuman Jayanti.³ The parish church of Our Lady of the Sea serves Madh.¹²

On the headland stands the old Portuguese fort, which the Marathas captured in 1739. It's now a defence area and closed to the public.¹³ After the Second World War broke out in 1939, the British cleared land in Madh Koliwada for a Royal Air Force base, which is now an Indian Air Force station.³

If you visit, remember it's a working village: ask before photographing people, boats or fish-drying areas.

Bhati

Bhati is a Koli fishing village between Madh and Erangal.⁴⁶ Boats are moored close to the shore and nets are dried along it, and a small market sells the day's catch.⁶ Bhati is one of the three villages, with Madh and Erangal, that organise the big January feast at Erangal together.³

Erangal

Erangal is an old village on the Madh–Marve Road. The heritage archive describes it as a Bhandari village, where the founding families grew vegetables and tapped toddy, and sent produce to Byculla market by bullock cart.⁴ During the Second World War, the British took over village land for barracks, and that land is now the INS Hamla naval base.⁴

Erangal is best known for St Bonaventure Church, built in 1575.⁴ Its feast, the Baravi chi Jatra, falls on the second Sunday of January and draws pilgrims from far beyond Mumbai.⁴ It's a festival for Christians and Hindus alike: Erangal's Hindu families also honour St Bonaventure as a protector against disasters at sea.³⁴ In 2026, BEST ran 57 extra buses for the fair.⁷ The feast is expected on 10 January 2027, but confirm the date with the parish nearer the time.

Erangal's village goddess is Hiradevi, and the village is a favourite film-shoot location.²⁴

Aksa and Dana Pani

Aksa is the village behind Aksa Beach, the busiest beach on the island. The INS Hamla naval base is at one end of the beach, and the small Dana Pani beach at the other.⁵ The heritage archive names Aksa and Erangal as Mumbai's only two Sheshvanshi Kshatriya Bhandari villages.⁴ The beachfront is lined with cottages and hotels and gets busy at weekends.⁵

Sources describe Dana Pani as that quieter stretch of beach rather than a village of its own.²⁵

Visiting respectfully

• These are homes, not attractions. Keep noise down in the lanes and park where you won't block anyone.
• Ask before taking photos of people, homes, boats and fish-drying racks.
• Dress modestly at churches and temples, and keep quiet during services.
• Buy local. Fresh fish, Koli and East Indian food, and village shops keep these places going.

See where everything is on the map, and the places worth visiting on Explore Madh Island.