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| {{short description|Open air commercial laundry in Mumbai; a generic term for the same throughout India}}
| | '''Dhobi Ghat''' or '''Dhoby Ghaut''' is a word used in various parts of [[South Asia]]. It means a place where the traditional ''dhobi'' caste of washermen and women go to wash clothes. The word usually means a place near a river or stream, in [[India]], [[Pakistan]] and [[Bangladesh]], but a ''Dhobi Ghat'' doesn't necessarily have to be near a source of natural water. |
| {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
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| {{Use Indian English|date=June 2018}}
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| {{about|the place in Mumbai|the general use of "dhobi ghat"|Dhobi ghat|other uses|}}
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| {{coord|18|58|58.52|N|72|49|31.47|E|type:landmark|display=title}}
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| [[File:Mumbai Dhobi Ghat Laundry District.JPG|thumb|Mumbai Dhobi Ghat Laundry District]] | |
| [[File:Dhobi ghat Mumbai.jpg|thumb|Individual wash pens at Dhobi Ghat]] | |
| [[File:Dhobi Ghat in Mumbai.jpg|thumb|Mumbaikar dhobis at work in the [[Mahalaxmi, Mumbai|Mahalaxmi]] area]] | |
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| '''Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat''' is an open air laundry place in [[Mumbai]], India.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/mumbai-boasts-the-worlds-largest-open-air-laundry/article637392/ | title=Mumbai boasts the world's largest open air laundry | newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]] | date=8 November 2010 | accessdate=28 August 2014}}</ref> It is located at Mahalaxmi railway station in southern Mumbai, it is also accessible from the [[Jacob Circle monorail station]]. The washers, known as ''[[dhobi]]s'', work in the open to clean clothes and [[linens]] from Mumbai's hotels and hospitals. It was constructed in 1890.<ref name=TI1 /> | | The world's largest ''Dhobi Ghat'' is said to be in [[Mumbai]], India. It figured in the famous ''[[Dhobi Ghat (movie)|Dhobi Ghat]]'' (2010). |
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| The phrase ''[[dhobi ghat]]'' is used all over India to refer to any place where many washers are present. Inspired by the Mumbai Dhobi Ghat (then Bombay), the British built Dhobi Ghat in Kolkata (then Calcutta) in 1902<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/en/NewsDetail/index/9/17579/In-Pictures-South-Dhobikhana-Calcutta-Established-1902 }}</ref> and there are other dhobi ghat places all over southern Asia.
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| ==Overview==
| | [[Category:India]] |
| There are rows of open-air concrete wash pens, each fitted with its own flogging stone. Claimed to be the world's largest outdoor laundry, Dhobi Ghat is a very popular attraction among foreign tourists.
| | [[Category:Pakistani culture]] |
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| It is located next to [[Mahalaxmi railway station]] on the [[Western Railway Zone (India)|Western Railway]]'s Saat Rasta roundabout. It can be easily seen from the flyover bridge of Mahalaxmi station.<ref>[http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/asia/india/mumbai/21960/dhobi-ghat/attraction-detail.html NYTimes article] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927050713/http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/asia/india/mumbai/21960/dhobi-ghat/attraction-detail.html |date=2012-09-27 }}</ref>
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| The Dhobi Kalyan & Audhyogik Vikas Cooperative Society, the apex body that represents washermen, estimates the annual turnover of the Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat at around Rs 100 crore. For 18 to 20 hours each day, over 7,000 people flog, scrub, dye and bleach clothes on concrete wash pens, dry them on ropes, neatly press them and transport the garments to different parts of the city. Over one [[lakh]] (100,000) clothes are washed each day. Some of the wealthier dhobis have given up on manual cleaning and have now installed large mechanical washing and drying machines.
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| The dhobis collect clothes from all corners of the city, from Colaba to Virar. Their biggest clients are neighbourhood laundries, garment dealers, wedding decorators and caterers, and mid-sized hotels and clubs.<ref name=TI1>{{cite news | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/did-you-know-dhobi-ghat-still-makes-rs-100cr-a-year/articleshow/57352659.cms | title=Did you know Mumbai's Dhobi Ghat still makes Rs 100 crore a year? | first=Nauzer | last=Bharucha | date=26 February 2017 | newspaper=The Times of India | accessdate=15 June 2018 }}</ref>
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| Dhobi Ghat garnered a Guinness Book of World Records entry under ‘most people hand-washing clothes at a single location’ in 2011. In 2013, World Records India and World Amazing Records honoured World Record Certificate to Dhobi Kalyan & Audhyogik Vikas Co – op. Society Ltd<ref>[http://www.worldrecordsindia.com/2013/04/worlds-largest-outdoor-laundry-dhobi-ghat World Records India].</ref>
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| The Saat Rasta Project is a proposed Public Space Project along the Bapurao Jagtap Road, connecting Jacob Circle to the Mahalaxmi Railway Station. This public space will connect to Dhobi Ghat, which is also a major tourist attraction.
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| Home to the dhobis and their families (around 200 families), the Dhobi Ghat has seen this occupation passed down from one generation to the next. Also known as the Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat, it can be viewed easily from the Mahalaxmi Railway station. The best time to visit Dhobi Ghat is early morning and early afternoon. While the dhobis are in action in the morning to take care of the washing load, the early afternoons are an ideal time to see the clothes dry.<ref name=TI1 />
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| ==See also==
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| * [[Dhoby Ghaut]], Singapore
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| * [[Dhoby Ghaut, Penang]], Malaysia
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| ==References==
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| {{commons category|Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai)}}
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| {{reflist}}
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| {{Laundry navbox}}
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| [[Category:Buildings and structures in Mumbai]]
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| [[Category:Tourist attractions in Mumbai]]
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| [[Category:Laundry places]]
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| [[Category:Economy of Mumbai]]
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| [[Category:1890 establishments in India]] | |
Dhobi Ghat or Dhoby Ghaut is a word used in various parts of South Asia. It means a place where the traditional dhobi caste of washermen and women go to wash clothes. The word usually means a place near a river or stream, in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, but a Dhobi Ghat doesn't necessarily have to be near a source of natural water.
The world's largest Dhobi Ghat is said to be in Mumbai, India. It figured in the famous Dhobi Ghat (2010).
