Girgaum Chowpatty, Beach in Girgaum, Mumbai, India

Girgaum Chowpatty is a public beach at the eastern end of the Queen's Necklace, adjoining Malabar Hill in Mumbai's Girgaon area. Its wide stretch of tan sand, scattered with faint dark specks and a low ridge of loose sand, meets a thin strip of grey water. Near the waterline stands a rounded reddish-brown earthen pot inscribed "पाणी" and "PANI" on a flat circular concrete base, with the city skyline beyond.

Girgaon Chowpatty lies at the eastern end of the Queen's Necklace, the curve of Marine Drive below Malabar Hill. The beach is the site of the annual Ganesh Visarjan immersions and of the Ramlila performances held each Navaratri, ending with the burning of a Ravana effigy on the sand on Vijayadashami. A bronze bust of policeman Tukaram Omble was erected along the parallel road on 26 November 2009.

Thousands of families come here during the first ten days of autumn to carry Ganesha statues into the sea, marking the end of an important religious festival. The ceremony takes place after sunset, when communities stand together at the water singing and drumming.

Street vendors sell Indian snacks like bhel puri and roasted corn along the promenade in the evening, so visitors can eat while walking or sitting. Access is free and open at all times, though most people come after sunset when temperatures drop.

The earthen pot inscribed "पाणी" and "PANI" on the sand near the water is a drinking-water point, not a ritual object. Its flat concrete base keeps it stable on the beach. The inscription means "water" in Marathi and English, a detail most visitors walk past.