Thane: A ravishing quinta, anchored by vivacious marine bodies displaying medley everywhere

Summary: Thane is one such place in India, where one can witness a large diversity in terms of religion and lifestyle. Yet unity is the driving force, which runs in everybody’s blood and leads them to live a peaceful life.

Thane, which is one of the prominent districts of Maharashtra is located in the northern part of the state. This important province is situated between 18 degrees 42 minutes to 20 degrees 20 minutes north latitude and 72 degrees 45 minutes to 73 degrees 48 minutes east longitude. This region covers an area of 9,558 square kilometres and falls under the Konkan division. This triangular shaped district is bounded by Pune and Ahmednagar in its eastern side and by Nashik in its north-eastern side. While it is bounded by Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban by south-western side, it is bounded by Raigad in its southern part. It is also the bordering region of the state and faces Valsad district of Gujarat and Dadra and Nagar Haveli Union Territory in its northern frontier. This district is also the coastal region of the state, as it faces the Arabian sea in its western profile. The mighty waterfront serves as a royal safeguard in its western side. This landscape proudly embraces the broad coliseum like Ulhas basin in its southern portion and its northern frontier is safeguarded by the Sahyadri mountainous slopes and is fondled with the Vaitama valleys and rocky plateaus.

Two major rivers, which include Ulhas and Vaitarna drain through this region and render maximum fertility to this piece of land. Ulhas river, which has its origins from the Tungarli is 135 km long and diverges into the sea at Varsa brooklet. Two major tributaries of this estuary , which are Barvi and Bhatsa drain the boundary region of the district. Some other major brooks and brooklets, which lend fertility to Thane are Vaitarna, Pinjal, Surya, Daherja, Tansa, Bhiwandi, Chinchani and Dahanu. The region also adorns several hot springs in the beds of the river Tansa. These are located near Vajreshwari, Akloli and Ganeshpuri. The temperature of these hot water ranges from 42 to 55 degrees centigrade. The province can be divided into two parts, on the basis of climate: the western coastal plain and the eastern slopes of Sahyadri. While the climate of the former part is tropical, humid and warm, the weather of the later part is comparatively less humid type. Generally, the temperature of the region remains at 32.9 degrees centigrade throughout the year. During summer, the temperature rises upto 42 degrees, while in winters, the mercury drops upto 8 degrees centigrade. Different parts of the zone receives different amount of rainfall. While average rainfall in Mahim ranges upto 1730.5 mm, the average rainfall at Shahapur ranges upto 2293.4 mm. The period from June to September receives maximum amount of rainfall.

This region comprises of 15 Tehsils and 24 Vidhan Sabha Constituencies. It is further divided into 4 Lok Sabha Constituencies and consists of 1,748 villages. There are 37 major cities and 23 desert villages. The population of this district is around 81,31,849 and has an average literacy rate upto 80.67%. In ancient times, Thane was known as Shristhanaka. It was the capital of the Shilahara kingdom. The history of this region dates back to 1300 A.D. From 1300 to 1500 A.D, the region was under the rule of the Mughal dynasty. The most powerful ruler of this period was Muhammad Tughlak. The beginning of the 15th century A.D witnessed the invasion of the Portuguese rulers. Vasai was the headquarter of their sovereignty. Some of the major attractions of this district include Ganeshpuri. This place is abode to one of the most ancient temples, which is built among four archaic tanks. These are also known as Kundas and are 800 years old. These contain hot water springs. Other spots include Bassein, Jawhar Palace, Masunda Talao lake, Dadara Kopra falls etc.