• This fisherman’s village turned upmarket neighbourhood is located in Andheri in north Mumbai. The place is famous for its beach and a fort nearby. The original name of the village was Vesawe, meaning “rest” in Marathi. The great Maratha chief, Chatrapati Shivaji Raje used to bring his navy her to take rest after the war. The village and the beach were under the Portuguese till 1739. The Portuguese lost the area to the Marathas in the war between 1737 and 1740. After a few years, the Marathas were defeated by the British.
  
  Versova has a large population of Mumbai's fishing community, the Kolis, who reside and work near the beach. Nowadays, many actors and celebrities, too, have set up their homes in this calmer part of Andheri. The Koli community celebrates the Coconut Festival with much pomp. Gold Coconuts are given as offerings to Sea God. Another famous festival is Holi, the festival of colours.
  
  An interesting thing is that during high tide the entire beach goes under water. And so the Versova beach uses massive rocks to buffer the buildings from the waves. The beach is a great place for a day’s picnic as it’s a quiet place. There aren’t too many shops and establishments here.
  
  

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