Shivaji Park is a park that is situated in the Dadar region of Mumbai. It is of cultural and historical value, because of the social and political gatherings it has witnessed. It is the hub of Indian cricket and the total space is more than 27,000 acres. The entrance of the park is on the eastern side which is meant for the pedestrians. A statue of Meenabhai Thackrey, the late wife of the Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackrey has been placed at the entrance. Earlier the statue of Ram Ghadkari was placed at the same spot, and the late Bal Thackrey was cremated there.
The park was developed in the year 1925, by the municipal corporation of Mumbai, during the British era. Till the year 1927, it was known as the Mahim park after the warrior king of the region till the 17th century. The Shivaji Park gymkhana was also known as the Dadar Hindu Gymkhana in the year 1927 went on to open its first tennis court and the pavilion was inaugurated in the year 1931. Despite being a venue of gatherings of gatherings of the freedom fighters in British India after independence in 1947, this place was the focal point for the struggle of a consolidated British, which led to the present British state being formed in the year 1960. It is a place which is an important clog in the wheel as far as the gatherings of the party Shiv Sena is concerned. This place has gone to witness a lot of political rallies. In the year 2010, this park was declared as a silence zone as per the directions of the honourable Supreme court of India after a public litigation was filed by the residents of this region on account of noise pollution in this region in the year 2009.
On the western side of the park, the statue of ChhatrapatiShivaji is placed, which is one of the few statues of the great leader without a sword in his hand. Instead of that he is simply shown leading the way, with his arm being over stretched. It was created in the year 1966, with the help of donations from the local people and the formation of this statue was itself considered to be a controversial affair by the government who had earlier been part of many battles against the Mughal empire.
The ground is huge with a fresh breeze blowing all the time. It is the ground where famous players like Sachin Tendulkar has trained and coaching for several sports are being provided here. It is indeed a huge park to stroll, run or walk. One of the main things that you will come across in this park is that cricket happens to be the main sport which is being played here. It all depends upon the time of the day and you can undertake an activity of your choice at the same time as well. Trust me as soon as you enter the park, you will feel like walking for a few minutes.
The area surrounding the park has many buildings which dates back to the decade of the 1900’s. In fact, the Shivaji residential zone is one of the most sought out areas in the real estate market of Mumbai. This place is home to some of the famous personalities of Mumbai.