Malad is a suburb located in North Mumbai, it consisted of a number of villages including Orlem (also known as Valnai), Kharodi, Rathodi, Malwani, Marve, Aksa, Madh and Chincholi. The other old settlements in Malad were villages occupied by the local East Indian Community, Bhandaris, Kolis, People who are recognized as the original native inhabitants of Mumbai
Ahead of Aksa Beach, is the hidden and relatively lesser known vital landmark, which is the Malad Fort a.k.a. Madh Fort. The fort overlooks the Arabian Sea and was captured by the Maratha Empire, from the Portuguese in 1739 INS Hamla, a logistics and training establishment of the Indian navy is situated in Malad