Gorai is accessed more usually by a ferry crossing the Manori Creek or otherwise by the overland route through Bhayander. Gorai is bordered by the villages of Manori and Uttan, Pali, Chowk, Dongri, Tarodi, Rai, Morva and Murdhe.[1] Till the 1980s Gorai was known for its clean beaches and palm trees. However with the increase in pollution around Mumbai, the Arabian Sea is unfit for swimming althoug
h Gorai is less polluted than the other beaches in Mumbai. Gorai still enjoys its calm, laid back charm quite in contrast to the fast paced life of the city just on the other side of the creek. Bullock carts are still in use here and the area suffers from a water shortage but with real-estate developers steadily bulldozing their way into this prized suburban tract, the physical and cultural fabric of the villagers of Gorai is now quite endangered.[2]
The Essel World amusement park has been set up in part of Gorai, by expropriating lands from the East Indians without a fair compensation and in the teeth of their protests. Essel World promised to build a school, dispensary and give jobs to the locals of Gorai. None of these have materialized.[1]
Gorai has a large East Indian population. East Indians are Roman Catholics who were baptized by the Portuguese when they arrived here in the 16th century. Gorai has three churches. The oldest one, Reis Magos or the Three Magi, on the banks of the Vairalla Tank in the village of Culvem located on the north border of Gorai, was built by the Franciscan missionaries between 1595 & 1602 [5]. The newer parish church, also named after the Three Magi, was built in 1810 [6], and is located about three-quarters of a mile to the south of the ruined, original parish church. The third is the Infant Jesus Chapel built near the ruins of the old church.
