- 11 September, 2026
Mumbai , September 11, 2026: Every September, Mumbai’s Bandra neighbourhood undergoes a remarkable transformation as pilgrims, families and visitors gather around the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount, popularly known as Mount St. Mary Church.
The Bandra Fair 2026 will be held from September 13 to 20, following the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on September 8. The fair traditionally begins on the Sunday following the feast. The annual celebration, believed to have roots stretching back around 300 years, combines religious devotion with food, culture and community celebration.
But behind the colourful stalls and bustling crowds lies an intriguing story involving a damaged statue, a Koli fisherman's dream and a Marian statue said to have been recovered from the sea.
The history of the shrine itself reaches much further back. Jesuit missionaries associated with the Portuguese presence in Bandra established an early Marian shrine on Mount Bandra in the 16th century.
One of the most enduring traditions surrounding the shrine concerns a Koli Christian fisherman who reportedly dreamt that a statue of the Virgin Mary would be found in the sea.
There is an early historical record that adds an intriguing dimension to the tale. A Jesuit account from 1669 describes Koli fishermen recovering a statue of the Virgin from the sea. Over time, the story became associated with devotion to Our Lady of the Mount.
Yet the precise identity of the statue remains uncertain. Historical accounts have suggested that the statue mentioned in the 1669 record may have been associated with Our Lady of the Navigators at nearby St. Andrew’s Church, rather than the statue later venerated at Mount Mary.
The story therefore sits somewhere between documented history and local tradition. The recovery of a Marian statue from the sea appears in an early written account, while the connection between that discovery, the fisherman's dream and the present Mount Mary statue belongs to the tradition that developed around the shrine.
The shrine itself has a dramatic documented history.
The statue at Mount Mary was reportedly damaged during an attack by pirates in the early 18th century. A statue of Our Lady of Navigators from nearby St. Andrew’s Church was subsequently brought to the Mount for veneration, while the original Mount Mary statue was later restored.
These episodes became part of the long history of the shrine, which continued to draw devotees despite periods of upheaval and change.
Over the centuries, Mount Mary grew into one of Mumbai’s best-known centres of Marian devotion.
In earlier times, reaching Mount Mary was itself an adventure. Pilgrims travelled by bullock cart or crossed Mahim Creek by ferry before walking up the hill to the shrine.
After praying at the church, visitors would descend the hill and encounter stalls selling food, religious articles and other goods. What began primarily as a religious gathering gradually developed into the lively public celebration now known as the Bandra Fair.
The fair grew alongside the surrounding neighbourhood, bringing together religious devotion and the social life of Bandra.
Today, the event attracts thousands of visitors, while the Basilica remains its spiritual centre.
One of the fair’s most distinctive traditions is the sale of wax offerings shaped like hands, feet and other parts of the human body.
Devotees may offer these symbolic objects while praying for healing or giving thanks for a favour received. The practice reflects a longstanding tradition of making votive offerings as expressions of faith, hope and gratitude.
The steps leading down from Mount Mary also become a colourful marketplace during the fair.
Visitors can find religious articles, candles, toys, souvenirs and traditional sweets. Among the popular treats are kadio bodio, chikki and various Goan, East Indian and regional delicacies.
Families can also enjoy games and amusement rides, giving the religious celebration a distinctly festive atmosphere.
The enduring appeal of the Bandra Fair lies in its ability to bring together devotion and Mumbai’s distinctive cultural diversity.
People travel from different parts of the city and beyond to pray at Mount Mary, attend Mass and experience the traditions surrounding the fair.
For some, it is a pilgrimage. For others, a family tradition. For many, it is simply an annual reminder of Bandra’s remarkable history.
Perhaps the most fascinating part of the Bandra Fair is that its history cannot be reduced entirely to either fact or folklore.
There is a centuries-old written account describing a Marian statue being recovered from the sea. There are also longstanding local traditions about a Koli fisherman's dream and the miraculous arrival of the statue at Mount Mary.
Exactly how these strands became intertwined is less certain.
That uncertainty, however, is part of what makes the story so compelling. Over generations, historical events, religious devotion and oral tradition have become woven together around the shrine.
The Bandra Fair is therefore much more than an annual celebration.
It is a living tradition shaped by faith, migration, memory and Mumbai’s changing history. Its stalls, sweets, wax offerings and crowds may give the neighbourhood a festive character, but at its heart remains the devotion centred on Mount Mary.
And perhaps the most curious chapter of that history remains the old sea story: a Koli fisherman’s dream, a Marian statue said to have been recovered from the Arabian Sea, and a shrine whose connection to that mysterious discovery has endured for generations.
More than three centuries later, the precise story may remain uncertain — but the tradition lives on.
And every September, so does the fair.
By Catholic Connect Reporter
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