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I think you will notice Québec is far more of an inheritor of the Kingdom than the Republic, but that does not mean there is nothing from the Republic.Old traits from the Kingdom of FranceThe law. Indeed, Québec started with the Custom of Paris, one of France’s regional customary laws (this one was for the Viscounty and Provostship of Paris). Despite Québec had its own distinct codes since 1866, one of their sources still was the Custom of Paris, and a lot of legal concepts were directly transfered to the Civil Code of Lower Canada of 1866.Feudality. If you visit the website of the Registre du domaine de l’État (you need to create an account but it’s all free), you can take a look at the most official map of Québec. If you stay close to the water, you are going to see all sorts of lordships (but it does not show the fiefdoms of the vassals). Some roads in Québec are named « Grande Ligne » (great line) and it means the great line that separated two lordships, that had to be surveyed. Most lordships were converted in alleux (another French tenure, lord-free, as opposed to the fiefdom) in 1854, 1859 for the lordship of Montréal and 1860 for the vassal fiefdoms. The population’s old manorial rents were converted into « constituted quit-rents » (rentes constituées à prix d’argent), another French medieval type of rents that could be extinguished trough a final payment, unlike the manorial one. Those were paid directly at the house of the lord until 1940. Even in the 1960’s, the lords of Montréal were still asking to be paid by the Société Radio-Canada that was building its tower a medieval tax, the lods et ventes (their right to ask them was probably extinct but I guess they forgot about the legal prescription). Currently, the near totality of the lordship of Beaupré is still held by its old lord, the Seminary of Québec City, at least for their domanial lands. I think that all the lands in Québec are still officially and legally considered to be « francs alleux roturiers », one of the old medieval French tenures. In fact, the Constitution of Canada still says that federal senators from Québec must possess “allods” of a certain value to be nominated.(Official survey map of Québec on the Registre du domaine de l’État)(The modern lordship of Beaupré, which is really the domain of the lordship that remained in the hands of the Seminary of Québec City)The surveyors still sometimes have to use old French Ancien Régime units to measure distances and areas. These units are : the linear arpent, the King’s rod (perche du Roi), the King’s foot (pied-de-roi, French foot), the French league (lieue), the arpent (area), and so on. In Québec, areas of land are both measured in arpents and hectares.Some quirks in the language. The sonority of Québec French can have several diphtongs that would feel archaic in France… yet when you dig enough, you can find the same sounds in Poitevin and Norman French, and sometimes even in other cousin oïl languages like Norman and Picard. Some commonly used words, like astheure (à cette heure) or the use of an enclitic particle / postposition for questions would be archaic in France. In Québec, all four nasals of French are clearly distinct from each other and are not in a process of reduction to three nasals. In Québec, the two A of French (patte vs pâte) are still clearly distinct and are not in a process of merging. So I advise French teachers of the world to stop not teaching these notions because they may matter outside of France, like in Belgium or Québec. Québec French retains the full palette of sounds of the language.The old medieval custom of the charivari has pretty much died in Québec, but it remained alive for a long time at least until the mid 19th century. It was revived in 2012 in the student protests. For the Acadians however it’s still very alive in the descendant of that custom, the tintamarre.(Acadian tintamarre)The Christmas Quebecer tradition of the guignolée is extremely old and is thought to have roots in the old druidic Celtic religion. The traditional song that goes with it also exists in France’s folklore.(Ringing at people’s door for the Guignolée)French traditional songs in general. Anything like lullabies sung to children in France are likely to be famous in Québec as well.The Christmas tradition of the Réveillon, which apparently is exotic to anglos.Like all the catholic places of the world, celebrating the Saint John the Baptist Day (24th of June, associated to the Summer solstice). In Québec however it has a particular importance since it’s the national day. It’s also an important celebration in South America among several indigenous catholics, and in Catalonia (with the flame of the Canigó and the bonfires), and several other. Like in most other catholic places, a bonfire is expected in Québec for this celebration.Like all the catholic places of the world, celebrating the Kings’ Day (or Epiphany) in January. Like in the north of France, it’s celebrated in Québec with the galette des rois, which differs from the south of France and Louisiana that use the gâteau des rois, and the Iberian world that uses the southern cake as well, but with its Spanish name (roscón de reyes). The Mexican variant uses nopal (a local cactus).(A bakery in Québec City selling galettes des rois, with the typical crown)Like all the catholic places in the world, having a carnival to mark the beginning of Lent. In Québec, the modern manifestation of this is the Winter Carnival of Québec City.(Parade of the Carnival of Québec City)Like all the catholic places, celebrating Fat Tuesday (mardi gras) also to celebrate the beginning of Lent. In modern Québec, it can be manifested with the Promenade du Bœuf gras in Montréal. You find the same custom in all important French cities. The carnival of mardi gras in Louisiana is also famous.(Promenade du Bœuf gras in Montréal)Like all the catholic places, the celebration of Mid-Lent (la Mi-Carême). In Québec, it’s only associated to the regions with a lot of Acadians, so it’s uncommon in Montréal but common in the East and in the Magdalen islands. It’s a bit like the “Halloween before it was cool”.(Mi-Carême at the Île-aux-Grues)The old medieval custom of the planting of the may tree, that also has very ancient pagan origins and was widespread all over Europe. It generally has disappeared now in Québec, despite it was still practiced recently in Montmagny. It was alive and well in Québec at least until the end of the 19th century. Initially, it was only done for the lords, but it was expanded to include the militia captain and also the Anglo-Scottish « bourgeois » in the 19th century fur trade. Voyageurs would plant mays at various places close to the rivers they frequented in canoe to honor their bourgeois when he was on the boat with them and the bourgeois would give them alcohol.(Plantation du mai in Montmagny)The use of buckwheat (sarrasin) in cuisine, which is typical of the north of France. In Québec, you can still find a few fields of buckwheat. It’s used to make the typical Breton galettes de sarrasin, and its derivative of Madawaska, the Acadian ploye. In Québec, it’s highlighted in some celebrations like the Festival de la galette et des saveurs du terroir of Saint-Eustache and the Festival de la galette de sarrasin of Louiseville.(A buckwheat field in Québec)(Festival de la galette in Saint-Eustache, featuring galettes de sarrasin)Feudality left several old banal mills (from ban, the authority of the lord, a very old Frankish word) all over Québec.(Banal watermill of Les Éboulements)(Pointe Claire’s banal windmill)The same can be said for the lords’ manors (logis seigneuriaux, manoirs seigneuriaux). You can find several across Québec.(The manor of l’île aux Grues.)The old 18th century architecture, incluenced by Normandy and Brittany.(Place Royale in Québec City)(Pierre du Calvet’s house in Montréal)(Gagnon House, Sainte-Famille)(Georges de Gannes House, Trois-Rivières)(Towers of the fort of the Sulpicians, Montréal)(Redoute Dauphine, Québec City)(Château Ramezay, residence of the governor of Montréal Claude de Ramezay and headquarter of “Bostonian” Richard Montgomery when he took the city in 1775)(Old Saint-Pierre Church, Saint-Pierre-de-l’île-d’Orléans)(Reconstructed Fort Chambly, Chambly)The flag of Québec would be derived from an old religious banner, the Carillon flag, which had Argent fleurs de lys to honor the Virgin Mary. The design of the flag of Québec is also reminiscent of the medieval white cross of Saint Michel, that was used on the merchant jacks of the Kingdom of France. For this reason, it’s not surprising to find the same cross in Québec and on the old 18th century flag of Martinique and Saint-Lucy.(Saint Michel cross, merchant jack of the Kingdom of France)(Flag of Québec)(Flag of Martinique and Saint-Lucy)It’s common in Québec to nickname any currency in dollars « piastres ». It’s because at the time of the Kingdom of France, any Bohemian thaler, and its derivatives like the Spanish piece of 8 and the Anglo-Saxon dollar were called « piastres » in French. I noticed that in Louisiana too, in the old texts of the 19th century, that Spanish coins and US dollars were called « piastres ».It’s common in Québec to nickname the 25 cents coin a « trente sous ». It’s because 25 shillings (or chelins, in French) were worth 30 French sols/sous tournois (tournois = from the city of Tours).The people in Ancien Régime France actually believed that werewolves (loups-garous) existed. Murderers in France could be accused to be werewolves (like for example a murderer from Franche-Comté in the 16th century that was accused by his village to be one) and the same belief crossed the sea, where it merged with the indigenous Wendigo. During the 19th century, voyageurs leaving from Montréal would sometimes believed the Wendigo possessed a man named Laframboise and turned him into a werewolf, a syncretic phenomenon documented by the historian Carolyn Podruchny. During the 18th century, France was terrified by the “beast of Gévaudan”, and roughly at the same time, a similar beast was sighted in Kamouraska in Québec (so I call it the “beast of Kamouraska”).« L’on apprend de Saint-Roch, près de Cap Mouraska [Kamouraska] qu’il y a un loup-garou qui court les côtes sous la forme d’un mendiant, qui, avec le talent de persuader ce qu’il ignore, et en promettant ce qu’il ne peut tenir, a celui d’obtenir ce qu’il demande. On dit que cet animal, avec le secours de ses deux pieds de derrière, arriva à Québec le 17 dernier et qu’il en repartit le 18 suivant, dans le dessein de suivre sa mission jusques à Montréal. Cette bête est dit-on, dans son espèce aussi dangereuse que celle qui parut l’année dernière dans le Gévauclan [Gévaudan] ; c’est pourquoi l’on exhorte le public de s’en méfier comme d’un loup ravissant. »(Gazette de Québec, 21 juillet 1766)“We learn from Saint-Roch, near Cape Mouraska [Kamouraska] there is a werewolf that runs across the coast under the shape of a beggar that, with the talent to persuade what he ignores, and promising what he cannot honor, has the one to obtain what he asks. People say this animal, with the support of its two back feet, arrived in Québec city last 17 and that it left the following 18, with the intent to follow its mission up to Montréal. This beast is, as people say, in its kind as dangerous as the one that appeared last year in the Gévauclan [Gévaudan, in France]; this is why we exhort the public to be wary of it like an abducting* wolf.”*The original word in French was ravissant, from the verb ravir. This meaning of the word would now be very unusual.(Gazette of Québec, 21st of July 1766)The parish as unit of social life. While the religious practice in Québec died down, the parrochial organizations still kept some traction. Typical parrochial organizations would be the Cercle des Fermières or the Chevaliers de Colomb (Knights of Columbus).(Two members of the Cercle des Fermières showing their crafts)More recent traits from the French RepublicThe law again. Indeed, in 1866, the law of Québec was modernized into the Civil Code of Lower Canada, and the Napoléon Code was one of the inspirations to achieve this work of codification of all the laws of Lower Canada. Now it’s called the Civil Code of Québec. Nowadays it would be difficult to find anything left of the Ancien Régime in the Code, but the influence was still visible in 1866. Therefore I suppose now the Civil Code would be more similar to the French Republic.Like in France, the modern Civil Code of Québec is a red book.The language, again. Québec French is not a museum language either, and has been kept up to date with what was happening in France. Therefore, Quebecers learn the same grammar and the same spelling than in France. During most of the XXth century, journalists would have diction classes to be able to mimic perfectly Europeans. Neologisms from France for concepts that did not exist inthe 18th century were imported to avoid anglicisms.The flag of the Patriotes of 1832, the Quebecer typical independentist flag, equivalent in some ways to the Catalan estelada. It’s obviously inspired by the various striped republican flags, a trend set by the French Republic.The Riellist Marseillaise, written to protest the hanging of the Métis leader Louis Riel in 1885.The current name of the Parliament : the Assemblée nationale. It’s directly taken from 1789, when the three assemblies of the États généraux were merged into a single one. In Québec, the two Houses of the Parliament (Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council) were merged into a single one.The Polytechnique of Montréal. Calling a school « polytechnique » was a neologism invented by the French Republic in 1795 to qualify engineering schools. Also, the founder of the Polytechnique of Montréal was a French immigrant, Charles Pfister, a chemist from Alsace, at the time of the Second French Empire.The Hautes études commerciales (HEC) of Montréal was founded in 1907 and was inspired by the Parisian HEC founded in 1881 during the Third Republic.The École nationale d’administration publique (ENAP), founded in 1969, and inspired by the famous École nationale d’administration (ENA) founded by Charles de Gaulle in 1945.Haussmannian architecture. Example with the old Banque d’épargne of Montréal.Second Empire architecture. Example with the City Hall of Montréal.There are probably more items to add but I’m out of ideas.

Thank you for this question. I was probably a few weeks old in February or March of 1955 (*), when my mother Adelaida baptized me with my name Alexey.My father, also named Alexey, was probably present. His father, — my grandfather, Alexander, was not likely to be present as a secular Jew, nor his father, and my great grandfather Iosiph.My mother’s aunt, Anna, the only religious person in the family, would surely be present; she lived with my mother and me till her death. My mother’s father, German (that is his name), a school teacher and a Kolchak volunteer in his youth, was most likely in Yekaterinburg (then named differently), where he lived most of his life.My Godmother, Inessa Boiler, was likely to be present, even though she lived in Kharkiv. Her husband may have been present as well, but for some reason it is her name that my memory retains.None of my grandmothers were alive at the time.It was not uncommon for the Russians of that time to baptize their children, despite the official Atheism. A member of the Communist party might hesitate, afraid for his career, but none of my family was anywhere near that organization.The Orthodox Church calls for babies to be baptized soon after their birth, same as the Catholic Church in the West. The idea that the person baptized should already have a well-formed faith, and not therefore be a baby, is foreign to the Orthodox, since the Sacrament works by the power of Christ who will mark the baby’s soul.I am extremely grateful to my parents for the decision to bring me to God in so timely a fashion.The place was a summer cottage township, Udel’naya, a half-hour on electric train from Moscow. My family, my parents then were already divorced, had no connection to the town; my mother was able to rent a room for me, Granma Anna, and myself in a quiet suburban town (or, more precisely, “township, посёлокъ”), where, for some bureaucratic reason, she did not need to have, or could obtain, the address registration. She would have preferred, I am sure, to reside in Moscow where she had a studio in a dank basement (one of my first memories were empty green pea cans catching the water drippings from pipes lining the ceiling), but the address registration rules made that impossible. Prior to the move, she and I lived in St. Petersburg, which back then went by another name, where my mother had studied art.This is the Church of the Holy Trinity as it stands today:The Holy Trinity Temple of the Udel’naya Township, Ramensky Region of Moscow Oblast (Новости прихода)It is about this church (the Russians just as often say “temple”, the two words are interchangeable) that I want to talk about.I spent a good part of my day today translating the history page (История храма) of their site. I omitted more recent history, and some pre-revolutionary detail. I am not always sure how to translate the Russian clergy titles; if the dear reader is able, please correct me. Likewise, I am not aware of any rule transliterating Church Slavonic names (Seraphim? Serafim? Alexey? Alexiy?) and chose what sounded best to an American ear.Trinity Church in Udel’naya townshipThe Trinity Church in the Udel’naya township is situated in one of the most picturesque corners of Moscow suburbs with such rich history. The township emerged in late XIX – early XX Centuries, taking its name from the Allotment (udel’noe) Administration, which supervised the leasing of the land for summer cottages. In 1797 Emperor Pavel I promulgated “Charter about Emperor’s family” according to which the sources, sizes and funds were established for the welfare of the members of the Imperial Family. According to the Charter, real estate was allotted, the parcels became known as “allotted”, (udel’nye).Between XIX-XX Centuries, parts of modern townships Udel’naya and Bykovo belonged to the allotted land in the Ramenskoe region of the Moscow Oblast. After, in 1862, traffic was opened on Moscow-Ryazan’ (since 1891 – Moscow-Kazan’)railroad, the adjacent land was made available for rent to all interested parties. In 1893, a passenger station “Udel’naya” and a railroad crossing were built.[…]Between 1892 and 1896, the township was built up intensively; toward the end of XIX Century, it became a fully-formed summer cottage township, where more than two hundred leaseholders lived with their families, domestic help and gardeners. The land of the Allotment Administration was leased by people of different estates: nobility, merchants, farmers, salaried men, and artistic intelligentsia. The summer cottages were numerous. Some leaseholders counted up to ten or more.The cottages were built after projects of prominent architects: K. A. Ton, F.O. Schechtel, I.V.Zholtovsky; they were true works of art.Udel’naya township became a beloved place of rest and recreation for the artistic intelligentsia. From Moscow, celebrated cultural elite would come for a visit: Fyodor Shalyapin, Nadezhda Obukhova, Olga Knipper-Chekhov, Lydia Koreneva, sisters Anastasia and Maria Tzvetaeva, and many others.Near the station, there was a theater, where the artists of Moscow Artistic Theater came for tours. The L.A. Tamburer cottage was visited by renowned theater director V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, artist Michael Chekhov, opera singer Leonid Vitalievich Sobinov. As he made friends with the residents, Leonid Vassilievich compared Udel’naya with the German vacation towns.“Aromatic Paradise”, “Little Paris” was Udel’naya called in the beginning of XX Century.As, in 1895, the population of the township exceeded a thousand people, and the closest church was three miles away in the town of Bykovo, the cottage owners decided to build their own temple.The establishment of the Trinity Church is commemorated with the plaque behind the altar table on the altar of the Trinity apex: “To the glory of the life-giving and one-in-being Trinity erected is this temple in the reign of the most honorable Lord Emperor Nicholas II and with the blessing the Most Holy Metropolitan of Moscow Sergius, by the labors of the local cottage-owners on the year of the Nativity of Our Lord 1897”.Among the elected representatives for the purpose of building the church, in archive documents we see the names of Konstantine Nikolaevich Korchagin, Nikolay Fyodorovich Golovanov, Fyodeor Konstantinovich Klepikov, Nikolay Vasilievich Pnashin, Ivan Fyodorovich Gerasimov.The church was built in 1897 on the design of Semyon Semyonovich Eybushitz, architect, only in 4 months. Initially, it had only the central cross-shaped sanctuary with peaked crown (without the Nicholsky and Seraphimsky apexes and the bell-tower).The consecration of the temple was described in Moscow Church Notes (No.25, 1897)”[…]Due to increased number of parishioners, it was decided to enlarge the church. In 1902-03, the Trinity Temple was expanded with the St. Nicholas the Miracle Worker Apex and with a bell tower.[…]In 1917, a Parish Soviet was created. The book of the Parish Soviet narrates how on the feast of Transfiguration of the Lord [celebrated in August], at the conclusion of the holy Liturgy, the Chief Priest proto-ierarch Sergius Konstantinovich Khavsky announced the statute of the Orthodox Parish, after which elections into the Parish soviet were held. Khavsky was elected Chairman and Elder Pavel Nikolaevich Vassiliev was elected the Treasurer.In 1922 the clergyman of the Temple priest Sergius Alexeevich L’vov was elected to replace Sergius Khavsky, who passed on.Records in the Book of the Parish Soviet testify to the cares that were decided collectively by the members of the elected Soviet at the tine: preparation of firewood, repairs of the temple, difficult economic condition of the parishioners because of “horrifically high prices of food”, the guarding of the temple necessary due to increase in property crime.As a consequence of the Decree of Separation of Church and State in 1918, the activities of the Soviet became questioned. In order to conduct each Parish meeting the Soviet was mandated to seek official permit from the local Soviet of Farmer Deputies. In 1918-22 on the shoulders of the Parish Soviet lay resolving such difficult problems as help to those stricken by famine, expropriation of church valuables, the threats to close the church.On April 8, 1920, late at night, the following directive of the Bykovo District Soviet of Farmer Deputies was received:“The Executive Committee of the Bykovo District Soviet of Farmer Deputies commands you (the Parish Soviet) upon receipt and in 3-day deadline furnish the data on the form at the reverse side of the page”. The data requested was the number of parishioners registered with the church, the factual attendance, is there a need to use the temple for common goals, and, finally, “what in general is the attitude of the population about the possibility to utilize the church for common needs”.On April 12, the chief proto-ierarch Sergius Khavsky convened extraordinary meeting of the Parish Assembly, which unanimously approved the following response, sent to the Executive Committee: “The number of parishioners registered with the Temple is 1859; the attendance of the Temple is steady, at times the Temple is not large enough for the people who come to pray; the attitude toward ‘utilization of the church’ is negative”.Analogous assembly was conducted on the same day in Peter and Paul temple near the Ilyinskaya station [the one 3 miles away]. Fourteen pages of signatures, collected to defend the temple, are evidence of spiritual and civic feat of the clergy and the parishioners, that managed to save the Udelnaya temple from destruction in these distant, terrible years.From the early 20’s and till 1938, the priest of Trinity Church in Udel’naya was Fr. Aleksey Nikitsky and Deacon Simeon Kulyamin. In 1929, Father Aleksey’s house was taken away because he did not have a right to vote. The persecution of the servants of the church by the Soviet power at that time were, among other things, in impossibly high taxation levies both on them personally and on the communities, that had to pay a tax for the use of the church building. The taxes were so high, that the cost of paying it was exorbitant in labor and self-sacrifice. Both the ranking clergy and regular pastors wrote complaints protesting the practical robbery of the believers. The members of the Trinity parish in Udel’naya township wrote such complaints as well. They wrote such complaint in 1937, when the district finance department increased the tax on the revenue of the parish several times compared with the previous year. The agents of the NKVD [secret police, later known as KGB and now FSB] conducted a clandestine investigation of the clergy of the Trinity temple, in the result of which they arrested priest Alexey and deacon Simeon on January 26, 1938.From the protocol of the questioning of the Holy Martyr Simeon:Give us detailed account of the mutual connection of the clergy of Udel’naya township?The shared obligation of service in the Udel’noe church brought me closer to priest Sergey Alexeevich L’vov, Alexey Michaelovich Nikitsky, the Leningrad Metropolitan Seraphim (Chichagov), and with the active church members. The mutual connection was that we, as believers and most convicted in our faith, applied every effort to preserve the Udel’naya church, do not allow it to close, and to spread religious conviction in the population, so that the Christian confession should not die out…All the time of the short investigation the arrested clergy spent in Taganskaya prison in Moscow. On February 16, 1938 the Troika [three-member jury] of the NKVD sentenced them to death by firing squad. Priest Alexey Nikitsky and Deacon Simeon Kulyamin were executed on 28 of February 1938 and buried in common unmarked grave.On March 13, 2002, with the Directive of the Holy Sinod of the Russian Orthodox Church the names of the Holy Martyrs Alexey Nikitsky and Deacon Simeon Kulyamin were inducted into the Communion of the new martyrs and confessors of Russia in XX Century.The memory of the Holy Martyrs Alexey and Simeon is celebrated on the day of their martyrdom on 15 (28) of February, as well as on the Celebration of the Communion of the new martyrs and confessors of Russia on 25 of January (7 of February), if that day falls on a Sunday, and if that day does not fall on a Sunday, then the closest Sunday following that.The icon of new martyrs of Udel’naya is in the temple and was written and donated to the church by P. Gavrichenkov, iconographer.In 1934, not long before his martyrdom, the recently retired Metropolitan Seraphim (Chichagov, holy martyr, memory November 28 (December 11) came to live in Udel’naya. He rented two small rooms in one of the summer cottages. Even though the Metropolitan had retired from the management of the Church, he did not stay away from the life in the Church. In Udel’naya, relatives and his spiritual children came to see him, as well as the clergy of the Trinity Temple. He was also visited by hierarchs of the Church – metropolitan Alexey (Simansky, future Patriarch), and Arseny (Stadnitsky), who visited Moscow to attend the sessions of the Synod. In November 1937 Metropolitan Seraphim was arrested. The bed-ridden 82-year old prelate was carried out of the house on stretchers and in an ambulance brought to Taganskay prison. On December 11, metropolitan Seraphim was fire-squadded on Butovo firing range near Moscow.On the photo on left, Prelate Seraphim with relatives at the summer cottage in Udel’naya. On the right, the photos made before the execution (Taganskaya prison, 1937).On December 10, 1937, the nuns reporting to Prelate Seraphim, sister Vera (Vtyurina) and Sevastiana (Ageeva-Zueva), who lived in Udel’nya with Prelate Seraphim, were arrested. Their destiny was remarkable: the arrest warrant was only given for sister Vera, but matushka Sevastiana voluntarily followed her sister in Christ. In the camp, she died in 1938, but matushka Vera served the prison term of 5 years, was released and died in 1961. Nun Sevastiana was canonized in the multitude of new martyrs and confessors of Russia (memory celebrated June 28, 11 July new style)Soon following the execution of Prelate Seraphim, the holy martyrs Alexey (Nikitsky) and Simeon (Kulyamin). As the records of the investigation shows, they were accused, among other things, of close acquaintance with Metropolitan Seraphim.On June 2007, on the week of All Saints Who Shone In Russian Land, M. Yu. Kessler donated an icon of Holy Martyr Seraphim (Chichagov), written for the consecration of the Temple of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia in Butovo in 2007.Home in Udel’naya where Fr. Seraphim lived and his iconToday in Udel’naya, the holy martyrs Alexey and Simeon, together with holy martyr Seraphim and the venerable martyr Sevastiana are rightly considered the heavenly protectors of the Trinity Temple. Thanks to the feat of their faith and their prayerful intercession, the temple was saved from sacrilege in the soviet years. (See complete hagiography of the Udel’naya new martyrs in the section “New Martyrs”).In the years of persecution, the Udel’naya temple became a center of Orthodoxy for a colossal region, drawing together thousands of people to its liturgical celebrations. Multitudes of churches were closed or destroyed, and those temples that survived and remained in liturgical service, became true archipelago of spiritual life ad true Christian piety.In those days many believers had to leave their native places and attempted to settle down nearby the temple, where liturgy was still served. So, many destinies became inseparably linked to the Udel’naya Trinity Temple. […]Metropolitan of Kaluga and Borovsk Climent reminisces that even on a ordinary Sunday the temple was to filled with people that at the start of the Liturgy one would have no room to enter it; people would pray on the porch and listen to the sound of service coming from the open windows.On the photographs: arrival of Metropolitan Nikolay (Yerushevich) ca. 1960(?), Metropolitan Krutitsky and Kolomensky Juvenaly (1982, the Wednesday of the Holy week), a delegation of the Coptic Church visiting (1958).[…]The Temple provides spiritual nourishment to a residence school, orphanage, the Veterans’ Council and the military detachment situated on the territory of the township. The parish finds it possible to offer charitable help to the needy.[…][More photograph from the modern times at source](*) Later: no, 1955 does not compute. Ordinarily, baptisms do happen as early as a few weeks into the baby’s life, but in my case, the location, Udel’naya, signifies that I was baptized when my mother already was divorced and moved to near Moscow, — I was a year or two old. Perhaps the baptism was solely her idea? There is no way to find out.

Most of the stations are named after the villages that were closest to the station. Some other stations have more eclectic etymologies, which can be interesting. Some of these stories have larger connects with the history of Mumbai and India as a whole, but I'm not listing those here, and limiting myself to only the station names. I'll keep adding them here as and when possible:Acharya Atre Nagar: Named after prominent orator, film maker & newspaper editor Pralhad Keshav Atre, who as an educationist was also known as Acharya Atre (Teacher/Prof. Atre). More Info: Pralhad Keshav AtreAirport Road: The junction where this Metro station is built connects to the Terminal 2 of the Mumbai Airport, and is laconically named Airport Road. More Info: Airport Rd, Chimatpada, Greater Indra Nagar, Andheri East, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400059 - Google MapsAmbarnath: From the Ambarnath/Ambareshwar shrine in the village, present since the 1100s, which also had mango (amba) trees in its courtyard. More Info in [2] below.Ambedkar Nagar: Named after freedom fighter, social reformer, and father of the Indian Constitution Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. More Info: B. R. AmbedkarAndheri: Very difficult to get any decent source information on this. Wikipedia says it is named after a hill called Udayanagari, but I find it hard to digest. [3] below identifies the hill where the Mahakali and Jogeshwari caves are situated as Andhakagiri, from which came Aandheri. Kalpish Ratna's book Once Upon A Hill calls it Andhragiri, which is more palatable. More Info: Once Upon A Hill and in [3] below.Antop Hill: Probably the name of the owner of the hill, one N. Antoba (Antoba, or Antob, is listed as a common Indian surname) was corrupted into Antop by the Portugese. This Antoba was a secretary to the Govt. and owned a lot of properties. More Info in [1] below.Azad Nagar: No pure etymology is available online, but usually, areas named Azad mean either one of two things; Azad = freedom in Urdu, or named after Maulana Azad, freedom fighter and India's first education minister. More Info: Abul Kalam AzadBadlapur: This village was on the trade route between Surat & other parts of Gujarat & the Konkan and other parts of Maharashtra. It was used as a remount depot where warriors would change their plains-experienced horses with those trained for mountain climbing and vice versa. The word in the local language that means 'to change' is 'Badla', which stuck to the village, and hence it was named Badlapur (pur is a suffix denoting a place - village/town etc.). More info: BadlapurBandra & Bandra Terminus: In all probability, this is a corruption of the word Bandar, which means Port in many languages - both Indian & Colonial European. The Portugese had built a seafacing fort here, whose remnants can be seen at Land's End at Bandstand. More Info: BandraBhakti Park: This Monorail Station is close to & services a privately built housing complex named Bhakti Park, which is otherwise quite remotely located on all four sides. More Info: Google MapsBharat Petroleum: This Monorail Station is built opposite the Bharat Petroleum refinery and is hence named after it. More Info: Google MapsBhayandar: Mentioned as Bhayndar in the 1800s, and earlier as Binda circa 100 AD, as a port town. More Info in [2] below.Bhiwandi: Mentioned as Bhiwndi, in the 1800s & early 1900s, present as Bhimdi & Bimbri since the early 1500s. More Info in [2] below.Byculla: N̶o̶ ̶r̶e̶l̶i̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶s̶o̶u̶r̶c̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶e̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶s̶o̶u̶r̶c̶e̶ ̶g̶i̶v̶e̶s̶ ̶t̶w̶o̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶b̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶e̶t̶y̶m̶o̶l̶o̶g̶i̶e̶s̶:̶ ̶E̶i̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶n̶a̶m̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶f̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶K̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶B̶y̶c̶u̶l̶l̶a̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶P̶o̶r̶t̶u̶g̶a̶l̶,After some more research, I found that there is no King Byculla of Portugal. So the etymology comes from the bhaya tree (Amaltas, Cassia Fistula) that used to grow here on a plain (khala), or that this was a threshing ground (khala), that belonged to someone named Bhaya. More Info in [1] below.Chakala (JB Nagar): Chakala is one of the oldest villages that formed the original Andheri suburban area. As Chaquelem, it is listed as one of the early Catholic villages in the area in the 1500s. Prior to that, it was also known as Chachale in the Mahikavati era. The second part of the name, JB Nagar, is named after philanthropist & freedom fighter Jamnalal Bajaj. More info: Holy Family Parish, Jamnalal Bajaj and [3] below.Charni Road: In 1838, the British introduced a tax on herdsmen who wanted to have their cattle graze on public grounds, that most cattle owners couldn't afford. Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy purchased some land near the Thakurdwar area which he then let the herdsmen use for free for grazing. The area started to be known as Charni (Charna in the local languages means to graze). So when a station was constructed here, it was named Charni Road. More Info: Charni Road railway stationChembur: Listed since the first century CE (77 AD!!!) as Perimilla to Symulla/Timulla (2nd - 3rd centuries), Chemula (in the Kanheri Caves inscriptions, 300s - 500s), Sibor (5th century) and Saimur(10th - 12th centuries) which must have gotten corrupted to Chimod in the 1800s and Chembur now. More Info in [2] below.Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus: Originally Bori Bunder station when the Indian Railways started in the 1850s, and the first station ever to be built, it was renamed Victoria Terminus after Queen Victoria. It was renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in 1996 after the great Maratha monarch. More Info: Chhatrapati Shivaji TerminusChinchpokli: Chinch = tamarind. Pokli = valley of trees. There seemed to have been a vale of tamarind trees in this area. Once spelled as Chintz Poglie. More Info in [1] below.Chunabhatti: Chuna = Lime, Bhatti = kiln. There were many lime quarries & kilns in this area, giving rise to this name. More Info: A secular milestone for MumbaiChurchgate: Of the 3 gates of the Fort (now known as the Fort area) the nearest one to the St. Thomas Church (now St. Thomas Cathedral) used to be where Flora Fountain is now. Obviously, it started getting known as the Church Gate. So when the Colaba station was closed and the new station was built, it was built in the Church Gate area and named 'Churchgate'. More Info: ChurchgateCotton Green: From what I am able to make out of online archives & Wikipedia, India's first Cotton Exchange started on a village green (a meadow) in the location where Badhwar Park is now. The exchange was supposedly shifted to near where the Cotton Green station is. It kept the name as the Art Deco building it was housed in was painted in a green colour. I think this is anecdotal enough to actually make sense. More Info: Cotton GreenCurrey Road: B̶u̶i̶l̶t̶ t̶o̶ C̶a̶r̶r̶y̶ h̶o̶r̶s̶e̶s̶ f̶r̶o̶m̶ t̶h̶e̶ R̶a̶c̶e̶ C̶o̶u̶r̶s̶e̶ t̶o̶ P̶u̶n̶e̶'̶s̶ s̶t̶u̶d̶ f̶a̶r̶m̶s̶. I stand corrected: Named after C. Currey, who was the Agent of the BB&CI Railway from 1865 to 1875. More Info in [1] below.Dadar & Dadar East: N̶a̶m̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶f̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶e̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶i̶r̶s̶ ̶(̶*̶d̶a̶d̶a̶r̶*̶)̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶b̶u̶i̶l̶t̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶e̶a̶s̶t̶e̶r̶n̶ ̶e̶d̶g̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶M̶a̶h̶i̶m̶ ̶i̶s̶l̶a̶n̶d̶,̶ ̶n̶e̶a̶r̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶b̶u̶i̶l̶t̶.̶ ̶M̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶I̶n̶f̶o̶:̶ ̶h̶t̶t̶p̶:̶/̶/̶o̶l̶d̶p̶h̶o̶t̶o̶s̶b̶o̶m̶b̶a̶y̶.̶b̶l̶o̶g̶s̶p̶o̶t̶.̶i̶n̶/̶2̶0̶1̶0̶/̶1̶2̶/̶n̶a̶m̶e̶-̶d̶a̶d̶a̶r̶-̶s̶i̶g̶n̶i̶f̶i̶e̶s̶-̶s̶m̶a̶l̶l̶-̶s̶t̶a̶i̶r̶w̶a̶y̶.̶h̶t̶m̶l̶ As per [1] below, Dadar was a village in this area. Dadar does mean steps in Marathi, and as this locality could be regarded as part of a ladder leading to Bombay it was called Dadar. Naming a locality Dadar was common for the Koli fishermen, especially when it was on the outskirts of a village and led into the village.Dahanu Road: Mentioned as Dahanuka, a village and a river, as early as 100 AD, then as Dahanu since the 1500s. More Info in [2] below.Dahisar: From the Sanskrit Dadhicheshwar. This would mean that there would have been a temple in this area, dedicated to the saint Dadhichi, who sacrificed his life so that the gods could fashion weapons out of his bones to defeat the asuras. This word was converted to the Prakrit Dahisar by the locals. More Info in [3] below.DN Nagar: Named after political leader, the first British MP from Asia, and Congress Founder Dadabhai Naoroji. More Info: D.N. NagarDockyard Road: Closest to the shipmaking hub Mazagon Docks Ltd., hence Dockyard. More Info: Dockyard Road railway stationDombivli: In all probability, named after the Domb tribe, who used to live here, and finds mention from the 1100s and later. More Info: DombivliElphinstone Road: Named after John Elphinstone, 13th Lord Elphinstone and 1st Baron Elphinstone, Governor of Bombay from 1853 to 1860. More Info: Elphinstone Road railway stationFertilizer Township: This Monorail Station is built next to the Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd. plant, opposite which a township came up for housing the plant's workers & staff, appropriately named Fertilizer Township. More info: Google MapsGhatkopar: One root traces it to Ghat-kopra (कोपरा) which means corner of the Western Ghats of the Sahyadri range. I̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶d̶ i̶t̶ d̶i̶f̶f̶i̶c̶u̶l̶t̶ t̶o̶ d̶i̶g̶e̶s̶t̶,̶ g̶i̶v̶e̶n̶ t̶h̶a̶t̶ t̶h̶e̶ G̶h̶a̶t̶s̶ e̶n̶d̶ o̶n̶ t̶h̶e̶ o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ s̶i̶d̶e̶ o̶f̶ t̶h̶e̶ c̶r̶e̶e̶k̶,̶ i̶n̶ N̶a̶v̶i̶ M̶u̶m̶b̶a̶i̶. I stand corrected - after Jayesh Jagasia's comment below, I checked a topographic map of the city, and a branch of the Western Ghats does end near Ghatkopar. Ghat (घाट) also means a hilly road, and there are some hills that have to be crossed to reach this area. Hence, both, the dumber explanation of it being a colloquial bastardization of Ghat-ke-oopar (घाट-के-ऊपर), Above-the-ghat, and that of it being a corner of the Western Ghats, make sense. More Info: GhatkoparGoregaon: An urban legend traces it to the family name of freedom fighters and social reformers Keshav & Mrinal Gore (Goregaon = Gore's Village), but the name predates their fame. Another legend traces it to the fairness (gora means fair) of milk, as there are many major dairy farms here, but that is also not true - the dairy farms are pretty recent in history. The third legend traces it to the fairness of foreigners who stayed here, but no sources for that. Truth is, the village existed as Gorgam as early as the 1500s-1600s. Prior to then, it was known as Gorakhgaon in the Mahikavati era. Probably from the founder's name (someone named Gorakh) or if a temple to Gorakhnath was there. More info: Goregaon and in [3] below.Grant Road: Named after Sir Robert Grant, who was Governor of Bombay from 1834 till his death in 1838. More Info: Grant Road railway stationGuru Tegh Bahadur Nagar (GTB Nagar): The area around the station has been occupied since the time the city was still split into seven islands by fisherfolk - who were identified as Koli people (Koli = fisherman). The village was known as Koliwada (Village of the Koli people), so the station when originally constructed was also called Koliwada. During the 1960's, it was renamed Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar after after Guru Tegh Bahadurji, the 9th Sikh Guru, as the local area is now occupied largely by Sikh people, some of whom shifted here when there were fears of war with Pakistan. S̶o̶m̶e̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶s̶a̶i̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶o̶r̶i̶g̶i̶n̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶n̶a̶m̶e̶d̶ ̶K̶o̶l̶i̶w̶a̶d̶a̶ ̶a̶f̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶s̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶v̶i̶l̶l̶a̶g̶e̶ ̶n̶o̶w̶ ̶k̶n̶o̶w̶n̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶S̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶K̶o̶l̶i̶w̶a̶d̶a̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶l̶a̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶r̶e̶n̶a̶m̶e̶d̶.̶ ̶I̶'̶v̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶u̶n̶d̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶s̶o̶u̶r̶c̶e̶s̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶,̶ ̶w̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶u̶p̶d̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶o̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶I̶ ̶d̶o̶.̶ More Info: Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar & Koli- The native fisher folk of mumbaiJacob Circle: Near the current Mahalaxmi station, a traffic circle came up, which has seven roads feeding into it, all leading to major parts of the island city & suburbs. The traffic island that came up at this place was named after a General in the Army, Sir George Le Grand Jacob, whose adopted daughter donated the fountain at the centre of the circle's garden. The circle itself has been renamed Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk, but it is still colloquially known by the seven roads feeding into it, aka Saat Rasta. More Info in [1] below.Jogeshwari: Named after the Goddess Yogeshwari (Goddess of knowledge and enlightenment) whose temple is there in the caves in this area, called the Jogeshwari caves. More Info: Jogeshwari CavesKalyan: Mentioned as a port by the name of Kallinena in the 2nd - 3rd centuries, as Kaliyan & Kalian in the Kanheri inscriptions in the 2nd - 6th centuries, and as a market city named Kalliana in the sixth century. More Info in [2] below.Kandivali: A couple of online sources trace it to Khand, which means stone/rock, as the station was built to service quarries that supplied stones to the Backbay Reclamation project. A better origin, though, is that there was an East Indian Christian village named Condolim since atleast the mid-1600s in the area. Condolim may also be an European corruption of Kandhavali or Kadhevalli Pallika, as it is listed during the Mahikavati era. Both -vali/-valli and Pallika mean villages, and kandha/kadhe is an old name for mangroves, which still grow with abandon on both banks of the Gorai creek nearby. More info: Kandivali and in [3] below.Kanjurmarg: Kanjur village is listed as Kanzure in [3] below. The second part, marg means road in Marathi. So the station could also have been named Kanjur Road for all that matters. More Info in [3] below.Kelve Road: Mentioned as a part of a twin village/town set Kelve-Mahim (not the Mahikavati Mahim, but another one) since the mid-1300s. The two villages are also mentioned as Quelmain, Kielwe-Mahi, Maim in the 1500s-1600s. More Info in [2] below.Khar Road: Named after Khar Danda, the local fishing village nearby. खार (Khaar) colloiqually defines a salty land, which is what the area was, being close to the Arabian sea. More Info: Khar RoadKhopoli: Mentioned as Khopivli in the 1800s, and prior to that as Campoli/Campolee as a village with a temple built by Nana Phadnavis. More Info in [2] below.King's Circle: The road that connects Sion to Crawford Market, currently known as Dr. Ambedkar Road, was once planned to be named King's Way, and the gardens at one end as King's Circle. Now known as Maheshwari Udyan, this is actually a large traffic circle which has been converted into a public garden. More info: Maheshwari Udyan, Mumbai and in [1] below. Edited after reading Zainab Kakal's comment below.Kopar: Named Konpre or Kopar, as it is today, in the 12th - 16th centuries CE. More Info in [3] below.Kurla: From Kurli, crabs, which were present in droves in the vicinity of the original village. More info: KurlaLokmanya Tilak Terminus: Originally named Kurla Terminus, it was renamed after freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak. More Info: Lokmanya Tilak TerminusMahalaxmi: Named after the Mahalaxmi temple nearby. More Info: Mahalaxmi railway stationMahim: One of the original 7 islands that formed the 'Island City', also from 'Mahikavati' as it was called in the 13th Century CE. More Info: MahimMarine Lines: Named after the Marine Battalion Lines that were housed here, later converted into Air Force Residences. More Info: Marine LinesMarol Naka: Naka means corner, junction. These days, also a crossroad. The name Marol comes from Morvol, as it was known during the Mahikavati era. More Info in [3] below.Masjid: The area around this station is known as Masjid Bunder, ie ‘Port with the Mosque’. The 'Masjid' does not mean a mosque as usually mentioned, but a synagogue dating from the times of Tipu Sultan, which was known as the Juni Mashid (Old Mosque). More Info: Masjid railway stationMatunga & Matunga Road: One of the villages on the Mahim island. One source traces it to Matang, elephants, which means that around the time of 'Mahikavati', this was where the king's elephants were housed. More Info in [1] below.Mint Colony: The Indian Government Mint in Mumbai was first established in 1829. Housing was provided to Mint staffers at the Mint Colony, and the road where it was based is known as Mint Road. More Info: India Government Mint, MumbaiMira Road: Originally a village named Mira, this area was converted into a township by amalgamating it and 4 other villages into a Municipal Council to support the growing infrastructure of the Mumbai Metropolitan region, and the station was named after the village. More Info: Mira RoadMulund: As per Wikipedia, the place finds its name listed as Mucchalind during the times of Chandragupta Maurya. However, no clearer source exists - and all other sources online list the Wiki article as the source. [3] below lists it as Mulund only, except pronounced differently. More Info: MulundMumbai Central: Originally Bombay Central, short for Bombay Central Terminus, the terminus station from where long distance trains start/end on Western Railway. More Info: Mumbai Central railway stationMysore Colony: Named after the erstwhile princely kingdom of Mysore, now the city of Mysore (now renamed Mysuru) and whose residents came from this part of the country. More Info: Google MapsNahur: From Naur, or Naoor, during the Mahikavati era. Nau meant barber in Marathi, so probably referred to barbers in that time. More Info in [3] below.Nalasopara: Etymologically traceable to Surparaka, or Supraka, which was the name of the city - a capital city of the Aparanta empire - during Ashokan times. More Info: Nala SoparaNaigaon: In the times of the Mahikavati kingdom, this area used to be the seat of justice for the king's administration. Effectively, where the courts were situated. The judges - all Brahmins, the court administrators, staffers, etc. soon moved nearby and the village was born as Nyayagaon, the Village of Justice. This has been corrupted to Naigaon over the centuries. More Info: The Rise of Bombay: A Retrospect : Stephen Meredyth Edwardes : Free Download & Streaming : Internet ArchiveParel & Lower Parel: Both named after one of the original 7 islands that formed the 'Island City', Parel. The word comes from either the paradi tree, a flowering plant that prospered in this area, or the Parali village, from where many residents originated and a temple was constructed in memory of the Lord resident there. More Info in [1] below.Reay Road: Named after Donald James Mackay, 11th Lord Reay, who was the Governor of Bombay from 1885 until 1890. More Info: Reay Road railway stationSandhurst Road: Named after William Mansfield, 1st Viscount Sandhurst, who was the Governor of Bombay between 1895 and 1900. More Info: Sandhurst RoadSantacruz: Where the current Sacred Heart Church is, there used to be a Holy Cross and church well before the Marathas fought a war with the Portugese, won, and destroyed the church. The words for Holy Cross, Santa Cruz, became the de facto name of the area, and the railways made it one word, Santacruz, when naming the station servicing it. More Info: Santacruz, MumbaiSaphale: Mentioned as Sofale, it has been existing as a port town since 200 BC with the names Sefareh-el-Hind and Sefarah-el-Zing as the Konkan terminus of the trade with the African coast. Sefareh means journey/point of departure in Arabic, which is consistent with the idea that it was a port. More Info in [2] below.Sewri: Probably from Sivadi or Sivavadi, Garden of Shiva. More Info in [1] below.Sion: When the Portugese took the islands of Bombay by force, they gave some part of this island to the Jesuits, who built a church there, dedicated to Mt. Zion. This area formed the boundary between the Porugese held and British held areas, hence the Marathi name, शीव Sheev (Boundary) while the Hindi & English names colloquialize Zion to Sion. More Info: Sion, MumbaiThane: The old name of the city seemed to be Sri Sthanaka, 'Place of Lord Ganesha', which got bastardized to Tanna by the Portugese and Thane by the British. More info: ThaneTilak Nagar: Named after freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak. More info: Bal Gangadhar TilakTitwala: Mentioned as Intwally in the 1600s, (probably because of brick structures, int = brick) and later as Titvala. More Info in [2] below.Ulhasnagar: Originally born as Kalyan Military Transit Camp, this area housed soldiers and war-related workers during World War II. Later, after Partition, those displaced from the Sindh province now in Pakistan were housed here, and it was converted into a full-fledged township. Ulhas means Joy, and the town was named Ulhasnagar by the then Governor-General of India, C Rajagopalachari. However, there is also an Ulhas River, which runs through the town, and some state that was the reason why the city is named so. More info: Ulhasnagar & Ulhas RiverVaitarna: Named after the Vaitarna river that flows nearby, which itself is probably named after the Styx river of Indomythology, the Vaitarni, which acts as a boundary between the current lands of humans and the afterlife of heaven & hell. More Info: VaitarnaVasai Road: Vasa Konkani (The name of the local residents back then) >> Baçaim (The name given by Portugese Settlers who built a fort there) >> Bassein (The British way of saying it) >> Vasai as it is known today. More Info: Bassein FortVashi: Was known as Vasi during the Mahikavati reign. More Info in [3] below.Vasind: The last station on the railway before an incline which took time to build, it was also known as Fulsheher, and Wasinda in the 1800s. More Info in [2] below.Versova: The local language name is Vesave, which mean a place to rest for the weary. This was bastardized to Versova by the Portugese and the British. More Info: Versova, MumbaiVidyavihar: Between the stations of Ghatkopar & Kurla, came up one of the largest college campuses in the city, built by the Somaiya family. They named it Somaiya Vidyavihar, as it was a group of colleges rather than just one. Vidya = Knowledge, Vihar = Residence. Hence Vidyavihar = abode of knowledge. Over time, a need was felt to create a station to service students of these colleges, hence a new station was mooted, named Vidyavihar. More Info: VidyaviharVikhroli: Interesting eytmology here. Comes from Vikharvali or Vikhrauli circa 12th-15th Centuries CE. vali or -auli means a small village or a hamlet. Vikhar comes from विष, poison. So a poisoned hamlet, perhaps? More Info in [3] below.Vile Parle: Unlike the question of who came first, the chicken or the egg, Parle Products, and their first product, Parle G, named itself after the area that was named as per the local temple for the deity named Parleshwar. Another local temple deity, Vileshwar, donated the first half of the station's name. More Info: Vile ParleVirar: The local goddess is Jivdani Mata, a transmission from another goddess, Ekvira. Ekvira = Ek एक (One) + Veera वीरा (Brave), which means Brave Goddess. The Veer part part gave rise to the area, Virar. More Info: Jivdani MataVNP and RC Marg: This monorail station is on the junction of two roads: VNP Road & RC Road. VNP is short for Vitthal Narayan Purav, who according to What is Full Form of V N Purav Marg of Chembur was a philanthropist who funded the construction of the road. RC is short for Ramkrishna Chemburkar, a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶w̶h̶o̶m̶ ̶I̶ ̶a̶m̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶y̶e̶t̶.̶ ̶W̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶I̶ ̶d̶o̶,̶ ̶I̶'̶l̶l̶ ̶u̶p̶d̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶s̶w̶e̶r̶.̶ and Tushar Chemburkar sent me to this wonderful article detailing the history of Ramkrishna Chemburkar: He was a freedom fighter and later a Corporator in the BMC from Chembur, and was responsible for setting up the Chembur High School and the Lokmanya Tilak Library. Sources: Google Maps and the links above.Wadala, Wadala Bridge, Wadala Depot: In all probability, from Vad, Banyan tree, and Ali, village, hence a banyan tree village. The bridge & depot are locations within the suburb where Monorail stations are built. More Info in [1] below.Western Express Highway: This Metro Station is right next to the Western Express Highway, one of the two arteries of the city that then connects to the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway. More Info: Google MapsRajendra B. Aklekar, whose has also answered this question, in his book 'Halt Station India', has given a brilliant explanation why some stations were suffixed with Road (Khar Road, Charni Road, Mira Road) and marg (Kanjurmarg) instead of just the village names (Andheri, Virar, Malad etc.). He explains that railway engineers wanted to keep the alignment straight, and tried to avoid villages known for illnesses and infections. However, to access the station from the village, a road would be built from the station to the village. Hence the station would be known by the name of the village, and if a road connected to it, then that too was appended to the station's name.There are over 150 stations in Mumbai, covering the Western, Central, Harbour, Trans-Harbour etc. Railway lines, the Mumbai Metro & the Mumbai Monorail. I have, as of 3 Feb 2016 (nearly a year since my last edit), covered only 90 of them, just under the century mark. Will keep adding more as I get time, and I do hope to finish all of them.Listed sources as mentioned above:[1] Bombay place-names and street-names; an excursion into the by-ways of the history of Bombay City : Sheppard, Samuel Townsend, 1880- : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive[2] Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Tha'na: places of interest[3] Mahikavatichi Bakhar, an anthology of work relating to the history of the North Konkan area, written between 1449 CE & 1600 CE, listing the history from the 12th Century CE onwards. The paper, Place Names in Mahikavati's Bakhar (registration required to download) lists the names and etymologies of some of the more important places in the area.