India GO
Bandra Fair: a week on the hill at Mount Mary Basilica
Wax hands, hearts and eyes sold on a hill road, carried up to the Mother on the Mount
The Bandra Fair, or Mount Mary Fair, is the week-long feast and fair of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount on the hill at Bandra in Mumbai. It begins on the first Sunday on or after 8 September, the feast of the Nativity of Mary, and lasts eight days. Pilgrims of every faith climb to the basilica with candles, many of them shaped like hands, eyes or hearts, and the road and steps below fill with stalls. Dates: 12–19 September 2027 (expected).
The dates follow the church calendar; the basilica publishes the novena and fair timetable in August.
The legend
In the 16th century Portuguese Jesuits brought a statue of the Virgin Mary to Bandra and built a chapel on the hill above the sea.
In 1700 raiding pirates, after the gilded object in her hand, cut off the statue's right hand.
In legend, a Koli fisherman dreamt he would find a statue in the sea, and the next day it was found afloat. The miracle was celebrated, and so the fair began.
The fishers call her Mot Maoli, Mother of the Mount. In 1954 her statue was solemnly crowned.
Now every September, from the Sunday after the 8th, the Nativity of Mary, people of every faith climb the hill for a week, candles in hand.
Meaning
Mangalore
For Mangalorean Catholics the same day, Monti Fest, is a harvest feast: new crops are blessed and a vegetarian meal, novem jevan, is shared.
Goa
In Goa the feast of the Lady of the Mount is also called the feast of flowers: flowers and garlands are at its heart.
Customs
Wax offerings
Stalls sell candles shaped like hands, feet, eyes and hearts. People choose the one for their ailment or wish and light it in the basilica.
Every faith
Not only Catholics come to Mot Maoli: Hindus and Muslims pray to her too, in thanks or with a request.
Down the steps
After praying, pilgrims go down the eastern steps, lined on both sides with sweet stalls.
Fair to the garden
Stalls run from the foot of the steps to the September Garden by Mount Carmel Church, where the fair ends.
What people eat
Mawa peda
a sweet of slow-reduced milk
Guava cheese
a firm guava paste cut into diamonds
Kadio bodio
Goan sticks of flour dough glazed in sugar syrup
Chikki
a Maharashtrian bar of peanuts and jaggery
Words of the festival
Mot Maoli
"Mother of the Mount", the Koli fishers' name for the Lady of Bandra
Monti Saibinichem Fest
"feast of the Lady of the Mount" in Konkani, its name among Konkan Catholics
कोळी
Koli
the fishing community of the Mumbai coast; legend says a Koli fisherman found the statue
True or myth
❌ Myth. The shrine draws every faith in Mumbai: Hindus and Muslims also come to ask and to give thanks.
✅ True. The statue arrived in the 16th century and the church was rebuilt several times; the present building dates from British Bombay.
✅ True. Indian Catholics abroad hold their own Bandra Feast, for instance in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.
What happens during the fair
The religious feast comes first. Nine days of prayer, the novena, lead up to the feast of the Nativity of Mary. The fair is the week that follows, on Mount Mary Road and the lanes below the hill.
The most distinctive thing on sale is wax. Stalls sell candles and wax figures shaped like hands, feet, eyes, hearts and other parts of the body. People choose the one that matches their illness or their wish, carry it up and light it in the basilica with their prayer. Others come to give thanks for a request granted. The shrine draws people of all faiths: Hindus and Muslims pray here alongside Catholics.
After praying, pilgrims leave by the steps on the eastern side of the hill; during the fair these steps are used only as an exit. Stalls line the way down and continue along the street to the September Garden in the compound of Mount Carmel Church, where the fair ends. Look for guava cheese, kadio bodio (Goan sugar-glazed sticks of dough), mawa peda and chikki. Stalls inside the basilica's boundary are run by the church; everything outside it is managed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
Four centuries of a statue
The wooden statue of Mary was brought from Portugal by Jesuits in the 16th century and placed in a small chapel on the hill at Land's End, when Bandra was part of the Portuguese territories on this coast. In 1700 raiders cut off the statue's right hand, after the gilded object it held. The church was destroyed in 1738 during the Maratha campaign against Bassein and rebuilt in 1760, when a statue of Our Lady of Navigators from nearby St Andrew's Church took the place of the damaged one.
That second statue has its own legend. A Koli fisherman dreamt that he would find a statue in the sea, and the next day it was found floating in the water. The Kolis, Mumbai's fishing community, still call her Mot Maoli, the Mother of the Mount. The fair is believed to have begun as a celebration of that miracle and is estimated to be about 300 years old.
The original statue was later restored, with a child in her arms, and returned to the church. The present building, a neo-Gothic church in stone, dates from 1904. The statue was solemnly crowned in 1954, and Pope John Paul II visited the basilica in 1986.
How to get there
The basilica is in Bandra West, on a hillock about 80 metres above the sea. Roads around it are crowded through the fair, so public transport and a short walk work better than a car.
- Train to Bandra station
The suburban railway station is about 2.5 km from the basilica. From there take an auto-rickshaw or taxi, or a BEST bus.
- BEST bus 211 or 214
Route 211 from Bandra station turns round at Land's End, followed by a short, fairly steep climb up Kane Road. Route 214 stops at Mount Mary Steps, at the foot of the eastern steps, which are exit-only during the fair.
- From the airport
The basilica is about 12 km from the international terminal and about 8 km from the domestic one; prepaid taxis run from both.
Tips for the visit
An evening is enough for the fair. If you are staying in the area, see the guide to Bandra and Mumbai's other churches.
- Busiest days — The opening Sunday and the following weekend draw the largest crowds.
- A working church — Masses are held every day. FCDO advises respecting local dress code and customs at religious sites; inside the basilica, keep quiet during mass.
- Ganesh festival nearby — Ganesh Chaturthi often overlaps with the fair.
- In the crowd — FCDO advises taking care of your possessions in crowds.
FAQ
When is the Bandra Fair?
Next: 12–19 September 2027 (expected). It starts on the first Sunday on or after 8 September, the feast of the Nativity of Mary, and runs for eight days. The basilica publishes the novena and fair timetable in August.
Where is the Bandra Fair held?
Around the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount (Mount Mary) in Bandra West, Mumbai, on Mount Mary Road and the lanes down to Mount Carmel Church.
When did the Bandra Fair start?
It is estimated to be about 300 years old. By legend it began as a celebration of a statue of Mary found floating in the sea after a Koli fisherman dreamt of it.
Why are wax body parts sold at the Bandra Fair?
Pilgrims choose a wax candle shaped like the part of the body that is ill, or like the thing they are praying for, and light it in the basilica with their request.
Can non-Christians visit Mount Mary during the fair?
Yes. People of all faiths visit the shrine, and Hindus and Muslims come to pray and give thanks alongside Catholics.
Sources (5)
Facts checked: 21 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.