Basilica Of Our Lady Of The Mount

Perched on a hillock in Bandra, about 80 meters above the Arabian Sea, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount is an unmistakable city landmark. Its twin spires, built in a semi-Gothic style from local stone, are visible from a distance, but the experience of the place begins on the ground. The road leading up to the church is almost always lined with small stalls selling the candles, flowers, and wax effigies that people bring as offerings. Inside, the layout is a traditional cruciform plan designed to draw your eye toward the main altar. The space is shaped by ribbed vaults, wooden trusses, and large stained-glass windows that fill the interior with colored light. Along the walls, a series of fiberglass murals illustrates the life of Mary, but the focus of the entire basilica is the historic statue of Our Lady of the Mount, housed within a seven-step marble altar. The site’s history goes back to the 16th century, when Portuguese Jesuits first brought the original statue to a small mud chapel here. After the church was destroyed by pirates in the 1700s, the statue was restored in 1761 with a detachable figurine of the infant Jesus in its arm – a detail that remains today. This long history culminates each year in the Bandra Fair, a week-long festival celebrating the Nativity of Mary that begins on the first Sunday after September 8th, filling the surrounding streets with pilgrims and stalls selling sweets and goods. It’s a spiritual center for people of all faiths, and directly opposite the main entrance, you’ll find the Pranam-Mariae museum.