Mount Mary Church, Mumbai

Mount Mary Church in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) is one of the oldest churches in the city. This church is dedicated to Virgin Mary. It was built in 1640. After demolishing the church was rebuilt on 1761. Many people in Maharashtra are devotees of Mount Mary. They light candles and pray in front of the statue of Mount Mary for blessings. There is another statue placed outside apart from the main statue.

The church has a special place in the hearts of the people who reside in Mumbai because it is a symbol of pride of the city. The church and the ambience get illuminated and decorated beautifully during the time of the Bandra fair. This one week long festival is celebrated in the month of September
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Mother Mary is Math Mauli for the Marathas. They pay homage to Mt. Mary by praying to Math Mauli. There are stalls selling wax idols of Mt. Mary and Goan sweets beside the church complex.

People who are suffering from certain diseases and inabilities light candles in the church which are in the shape of hands, feet or other body parts because they believe that Mt. Mary will cure such diseases and inabilities affecting the same parts of the body. The original statue in this church was brought from Portugal. Situated on a hill, this church overlooks the Arabian Sea.