30 kms North East of Mumbai in the western coast of India, is this small industrial town of Thane. The city has nearly 23 lakes and is surrounded by hills and small jungles. Thane is the beginning of Konkan lowlands and comprises the wide amphitheater like basin of the Ulhas River and the hilly Vaitarna valley together with plateaus skirting the Sahyadri Mountain scarp.
Thane is a large industrial complex of chemicals, engineering products, and textiles. Proximity to the capital of the state and a big metropolis of Mumbai has changed Thane from a small agricultural town with few villages, to a big industrial city and a nearly a suburb for the people of Mumbai. Thane has a long history proofs of which are the several historical buildings, including a fort and several churches. Thane appears in the works of the Greek geographer, Ptolemy, who, in his writings (l35 - 150 AD) refers to a place called "Chersonesus", which, according to researchers is the area around Thane creek. The great world trotter Marco Polo too had been here in 1290 A.D. Slabs and copper plates dating back to 11th century have been excavated in Thane.
The present name Thane, which means a station or a post, has been derived from its original name Shristhanak. This means a place where Ganapati resides. The word Sthanak has been converted to thane.
