Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount (Mount Mary Church)
Rising above Bandra on a hillock 80 metres above the Arabian Sea, this centuries-old Roman Catholic basilica is one of Mumbai's most spiritually charged and architecturally beautiful spaces. Whether you are a pilgrim or a curious traveller, the climb to its doors rewards you with silence, history and a sweeping coastal panorama.
A Church Built for the Sea and the Sky
The Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is considered one of the oldest churches in Mumbai, drawing hundreds of thousands of devotees and pilgrims every year from every faith and background.
The church has been designed so that the first rays of the rising sun fall directly over the sanctuary arch at 7 AM — a deliberate architectural alignment that gives the interior a luminous, golden quality in the early morning that no photograph quite captures.
Its hilltop position on Sunderban Hill in Bandra West means the forecourt offers a sweeping view of the Arabian Sea below, making it simultaneously a place of worship and one of the neighbourhood's finest natural viewpoints.
The Bandra Fair & Living Neighbourhood
Each September the church hosts the famous Bandra Fair (also called the Mount Mary Fair or Feast of Our Lady of the Mount), a week-long celebration that draws pilgrims and market stalls from across Maharashtra — the streets around the basilica fill with wax votives, street food and devotional music.
The lanes immediately surrounding the church are lined with old Portuguese-era bungalows, small shrines and hole-in-the-wall bakeries selling Goan-style bread and sweets, making the walk up to the basilica as rewarding as the destination itself.
Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount (Mount Mary Church) on video
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