It is another iconic South India restaurant and it’s over 80 years old.Ram Ashray usually has good, wholesome food all around. If you like dishes with spices and diverse combinations, we recommend the neerdosa, which is served with an assortment of chutneys for you to try. In any case, they write down the day’s specials on a chalkboard out front In fact, if you happen to be in luck and it’s not so crowded, we suggest that you nip inside and have something anyway!

Before we reach to Flower Market we will visit Giri Stores. The store has stood here for decades, and is a haven for all items of Tamil culture. There is a dizzying variety of religious items, like the ingredients required for special rituals; sacred books available in various languages; statues and photos of the gods, charms and bracelets, herbal home remedies, costumes for Indian Classical dance, CDs of classical and devotional music and many, many more things. At flower market you absolutely must take your time to walk along the market and just soak in the colours, the fragrance of the flowers, the varieties of garlands and flower arrangements, and of course, the workers in the stalls weaving garl-ands with skill and vigour. The bestsellers here are garlands made of Rose and Jasmine, or chameli. And some of them sell my favourite flower of all – the champa, known in English as the weirdly named Frangipani. Old-timers often complain that Matunga is losing its south Indian character. Matunga’s flower market is today a fraction of its earlier size but it is undeniably south Indian in its character, and as you walk, you might forget that you’re in Mumbai and imagine that you’re in some small temple town in Tamil Nadu. The market is hardly a 100 meters long.

The AsthikaSamaj temple and another nearby temple, the BhajanaSamaj, are among the main institutions that gave Matunga its significance in the minds of the South Indian community. The AsthikaSamaj was established in 1923, and the temple was consecrated in 1953. As far as religious denominations go, this temple belongs to the Vaishnavite sect, or the devotees of Vishnu. If you want to look inside, we suggest you pause the tour and go inside for a quick view.

After visiting AsthikaSamaj Temple we will reach at King's Circle near the VIP Showroom. The King’s Circle, Matunga, is famous for a few things, and We’ll show them to you before we move on. First, stand and face the King’s Circle garden in the centre of the street. King’s Circle was renamed MaheshwariUdyan in 1962.

This family-run shop has been around since 1939 and there are coffee lovers all over India who swear by it. There are no fillers, no artificial taste enhancers or preservatives. Mysore Concerns does not add chicory to their coffee. You can just stand near the shop and savour the aroma

It is hard to compress into this tour what Café Madras, or Madras Café, as it is known, tells us about Mumbai’s unique character. Café Madras opened in 1940, and was transferred to its present ownership in 1950. It is now managed by the third generation of descendants of GopalKamath. Like we said about UdupiShri Krishna, they take their duty of feeding you very seriously. From the time you approach the entrance, gingerly snaking your way past the waiting crowd, there’s just one word to describe your experience as a diner: clockwork. As the crowd buzzes around impatiently, a no-nonsense man at the counter takes your name down in an old diary. About once every minute he will impatiently call out a name, a maximum of three times. If he doesn’t get an answer, he moves on to the next name. When it’s your turn, you squeeze yourself into one of the tiny benches at the table. Tables are always shared in Café Madras, as they are in all the south Indian restaurants here. Across the street from Madras Café you will spot the rear end of the Sheetal Book Depot. From this bookstall there extends another arc of the circle. There you will find two more iconic south Indian restaurants, Café Mysoreand Café AnandBhavan.Café Mysore has a reputation to match Café Madras, as it was the favourite haunt of actor Raj Kapoor and industrialist MukeshAmbani.

Now that you’re across the road, welcome to the DadarParsi colony! This is not exactly the Parsi Colony itself, but your entry point to it. And our very first glimpse of it begins with an Irani café – an enduring symbol of the Iraniinflux to India. The café opened in 1932, and today it is run by the sons of the original founder. The brothers – Amir and Ali Koolar, are loud, jolly, stylish and flamboyant. If you can bear owner's constant yelling and cursing his waiters, you may go in and relish some very, very tasty Irani snacks and lunch items. You can try the Irani café staple snack – Bun Maska with Chai. If you’re a little hungrier, try the eggs - the Iranis and Parsis just love their eggs. Koolar offers a massive 5-egg Omelette called the Wrestler Omelette and actual bodybuilders and fitness freaks swear by it! My favourite, though, is the Chilli Garlic Potato Bhurji. Then there’s the heavenly KheemaPao, minced mutton stir fried with spices like Bay leaf, Pepper corns, cloves and cinnamon.

Walking down towards Lane 34 Crossing, you might notice a number of small snack shops on both sides, and if you’re here in the daytime you’ll probably see bunches of youngsters milling about in that generally aimless manner that kids have. You might spot young couples, sitting in small cafes, sharing greasy starters and making googly eyes at one another. They’re mostly students of the Khalsa college that will appear at the end of the street to your right. But more about that later. As you walk up to the end of the lane, a large cream-coloured sandstone structure will appear before you. This is the Don Bosco church. Look up at the dome of the church as you walk, and soon a tall, golden statue will be visible ahead. You can stop for a second if you like, and observe the statue. Do you see her? That is Mary, Help of Christians. She is twelve feet tall, and plated in gold. In the days when Matunga was a small, marshy suburb, she was visible for miles around, and was a major landmark of the area. The church that stands tall in front of you is one of the most imposing and delightful structures you will see on this tour. If you’re here in the daytime, you might hear the noisy classrooms on either side of the church. If you’re here in the evening or on a Sunday, you might see glimpses of Mass inside. The church is officially known as the Shrine of Don Bosco’s Madonna, and it sits at the head of the Don Bosco High School Campus. The construction of the church began in 1955, and was completed in 1957,. The exterior was made using granite quarried from a district called Malad, which used to be jungle and is now the most crowded suburb of Mumbai. The interior was laid with imported Italian marble. The statue of Mary was cast in the Italian city of Turin. The mosaic on the façade depicts Don Bosco with the Madonna.

The campus of the Khalsa College, run by a Sikh religious trust. Remember what we said about Matunga being a melting pot of multiple communities? The Khalsa College was founded here in 1937, 10 years before India’s independence. While the Khalsa college is not one of the top collegesin Bombay, some of its students have gone on to become great sports players. The most famous student to have come out of here, though, is the great actor Dilip Kumar of Bollywood. The college also hosts a number of Punjabi cultural events to promote their culture, and in particular they organize an elaborate celebration of Baisakhi, the Punjabi spring festival.

Before we reach to VJTI Main Gate we will visit the Lane 32 Crossing towards the VJTI lane. We will visit or stand under a Rain tree and talk about them how they end up here. We have seen a temple and a church, and soon we shall see a Parsi Fire -Temple. We won’t even get around to seeing the Sikh Gurudwara and the Mosque in the nearby areas, for they are not part of our tour. All these places of worship in such close proximity clearly indicate a life of harmony amidst diversity. These communities live cheek -by -jowl next to each other, and yet are stratified along caste and religious lines. Mumbai’s multiculturalism, its cosmopolitan spirit, is marked by a high tolerance for differences, and even friendships and cooperation, without losing sight of one’s own cultural roots. Coming down the lane, we are headed towards our next stop, known as VJTI college. You will also see armored cars date back to the Second World War! They’re known as the Chevrolet Staghounds. They were manufactured by the American company , - and were used by the British against the Japanese in Burma. Stop outside the gate awhile, and We’ll tell you more about the place around.

The city of Mumbai has built itself up like anexpanding blob, an unplanned sprawl. People are starved of greenery and open spaces. So as you walk out into the 5 Gardens area, you are walking into one of Bombay’s few Green Lungs, as they’re called. The city’s thousands come here for their recreation all through the day and night. To your left is the football and cricket ground, which has no grass. You might see children playing here. Coming up on your left at the tip of this park, is an open-air gymnasium.

Before we reach Dadar Parsee Gymkhana we will walk through the Jame Jamshed Road Crossing and will tell you more about Parsi religion - The Parsis follow Zoroastrianism, after their most prominent prophet, Zarathustra, Anglicized as Zoroaster. The Parsis worship a supreme spirit known as Ahura Mazda. This religion flourished in what is Modern-day Iran, once known as Persia, which is related to the term Parsi. After the crossing on your right you can just about make out the large cricket grounds of the DadarParsi Gymkhana. Today, cricket is one of the greatest crazes in India. You’d have to search long and hard to find Parsi cricketers amongst the Sporting gods in India, I think there’s just one Parsi who has played for India in the last 20 years. But would you believe, the Parsis were the first among the Indians to start playing cricket in India? It’s true! You can resume walking down Jam-e-Jamshed Lane now. As you walk on, take a look at the pretty buildings and balconies, and We’ll tell you the story of the first Indian Cricket Team.

Before we reach at Della Towers we will walk through the Parsi Colony towards a Nagchampa tree. The Nag-Champa tree, and its flowers are very fragrant in season. The flower is used to make incense, essential oil and fragrances. Sometimes, when the flowers are in bloom, if you walk under this tree it blesses you with a simply divine fragrance. If you’re here during season by any chance, do stop and take a whiff! To the right of the tree stands yet another building that features those external columns we told you about - i.e buildings have retained their old character, with their stone facades, their expansive balconies with wrought iron grilles, and even some stained glass on the windows, do you see? Now we will walk towards the end of the lane as recommended on the map in our app. Della Towers was built very recently, and became famous almost immediately, and you will soon see why. If you stand outside and look at the façade you will see how the builder has attempted to blend contemporary urban architecture with ancient Iranian cultural icons in order to revive the pride of the Parsis in their cultural heritage. Della Tower was designed by the Parsibuilder Jimmy Mistry, who says he was inspired by the Achaemenian Architecture, the splendid style of ancient Persia, especially as seen in the historic city of Persepolis in Iran. The large columns extending upwards on either side reflect this style very clearly.

Before we reach at Rustom Framna Agiary we will walk through Adenwala Road Crossing. As you walk down Adenwala Road you can see why DadarParsi Colony is a subject of much fascination for newcomers to Bombay. Most of our population lives in densely crowded suburbs, which consist of narrow and dusty lanes, and lined with identical looking buildings with matchbox sized flats inside. So to come to this old-fashioned neighbourhood of an old-fashioned community, to walk down this broad, tree-shaded road with these sweet old houses on either side - all of this becomes a tourist experience for the Mumbaikar within his own city. There’s one thing you might wonder about on this tour – why have we focused so much on Parsis?. We will tell you. The RustomFaramnaAgiary is an ‘AtashAdaran’, or ‘Fire of Fires’, which is the intermediate grade of Fire Temples. The agiary must keep a fire burning at all times. Non- believers are not allowed inside. To put it broadly, the Parsis are worshippers of the Sacred Fire. The fire is a manifestation of Ahura Mazda, the Creator and Lord of the Highest Wisdom. There are different kinds of Fire, and a fire temple is graded based on how sacred is the Fire within. The fire temple itself is usually not very ornate, as it is considered to be simply the abode of the fire, and need not attract attention to itself. We will tell you the story about RustomFaramna, after whom this agiary was named.

Before we reach at JB Vacha we will visit pretty features of the houses like the proud façade of the Dinu Villa and the Greek elegance of Khorshed Villa. The JB Vacha school is a school set up by the community for Parsi girls. Of course, girls from all communities in the area also attend the school. The school itself is nearly a 100 years old! We will tell you more while you look at it. If you have reached the end of the JB Vacha school campus, you will find yourself back at the 5 Gardens block. This ends our exhaustive tour of the cultural heritage of bombay - This endless variety, this rich harmonious existence is what fuels my constant delight in my city, and We are happy to share it with you. We encourage you to continue strolling up Adenwala road, enjoying the scenery.