Every year, many lakhs of devotees come to visit Bandra Fair to pray and indulge in the festivities that started many hundreds of years ago. Photos Courtesy: Nascimento Pinto
The Bandra Fair is supposed to have started around 300 years ago, according to a popular legend. It states that the statue of Mother Mary was found floating somewhere between 1700 and 1760 in the Arabian Sea by a Koli Christian fisherman, after he already had a dream about it earlier.
Believed to be a miracle by the locals, it led to the start of the Bandra Fair to celebrate the event. It is said that in 1761, the original statue was renovated with a child in her arms and returned to the church.
Ever since then, there have been many devotees that have been visiting Mount Mary, and were known to come in bullock carts till the foot of the hill. It was not only the bullock carts but also others who came by boat across the Mahim Creek to pay their respects.
Every year, many people put up stalls to not only sell religious offerings but also different kinds of sweets like kadio bodios, petha and even halwa of different kinds and colours.
Unfortunately, the festival wasn't held in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic but has continued in the following years, as many devotees continue to come to the festival and this year won't be any different.
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