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City Guide - Mumbai - Key Attractions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Key Attractions Gateway of India Built by the British to commemorate the visit to India in 1911 of King George V and Queen Mary, the Gateway of India stands as a monument to the importance of Mumbai as a port when the steamship was king. Designed by George Wittet, it replaced the temporary structure that the architect had erected for the Imperial visit itself and was completed in 1917. The archway is built from honey-coloured basalt in a style derived from Gujarati architecture of the sixteenth century. For many in the age of steam the Gateway and the nearby Taj Hotel were their first and their last sight of India. Nowadays it attracts a colourful crowd of tourists, hawkers and beggars. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST; formerly Victoria Terminus) Now the headquarters of the Central Railway, this magnificent terminus building, commonly known as CST, was completed in 1888 for the Great Indian Peninsular Railway to designs by the architect FW Stevens. It is one of the world's grandest railway stations, quite the equal of New York's Grand Central Station or London's St Pancras Station. Built in the Italian Gothic style, it looks more like a cathedral than a railway station, an impression strengthened by the tall dome crowned with a statue representing 'Progress'. In the public parts of the station, the Victorian arches soar splendidly above the hurrying throng but its real glory is the main staircase. Sadly, this is in a part of the building to which the public is generally denied access but a polite request to the station master on the main concourse may result in permission being granted to visit the restricted areas. It is certainly worth the effort. Dr D Navroji Road, Fort Tel: (022) 265 9512. Opening hours: Daily early am-late eve. Admission: Free. St Thomas's Cathedral St Thomas's is the Anglican cathedral of Mumbai and, having been founded in 1676, bears witness to almost the entire history of the British in Bombay. The main structure was not completed - due to lack of funds - until 1718; the tower and clock were added in 1838 and the chancel was built in 1863. The main interest for the visitor is in the splendid array of marble monuments that line the aisles of the cathedral, which give an immediate, anecdotal flavour of life and death in British Bombay. Many of them catch the eye but look out for the memorial to Captain George Hardinge RN who was killed in a naval engagement in 1808. Hardinge, in naval uniform, is being borne away on a huge seashell pulled by two fiery seahorses, while below is a relief of the action in which he was killed. 3 Veer Nariman, Fort Opening hours: Daily 0730-1800. Admission: Free; donations appreciated. Town Hall An impressive neo-classical structure overlooking Horniman Circle, the Town Hall was built between 1821 and 1833 to designs by Colonel Thomas Cowper. It originally stood on Bombay Green, which was the centre of the Fort area, and is one of the few remnants - along with the Mint Building - of pre-Victorian Bombay. It is now used as a public library. Horniman Circle, Fort Tel: (022) 266 0956. Opening hours: Mon-Sat 1030-1815. Admission: Free. Jehangir Art Gallery The premier exhibition space in Mumbai for contemporary Indian art, the Jehangir Art Gallery was founded in 1953 by Sir Cowasji Jehangir in memory of his son. It boasts two large galleries, which stage frequently changing (often weekly) exhibitions. Mahatma Gandhi Road, Fort Tel: (022) 284 3989. Opening hours: Daily 1100-1900. Admission: Free; some exhibitions may charge. Shrine of Haji Ali Commemorating a Muslim saint who died while on pilgrimage to Mecca, the Shrine of Haji Ali rises out of the sea off Mumbai, sparkling in the bright sunshine like an priceless jewel. The shrine, which is topped by an elegant tower, is connected to the mainland by a causeway - thronging with beggars - and is only accessible at low tide. Off Lala Lajpa Trai Murg Opening hours: Daily 0500-2200, subject to tides. Admission: Free. Balbulnath Temple Perched on the northeastern end of Malabar Hill overlooking Chowpatty Beach, a visit to Balbulnath Temple necessitates a steep climb. But the effort is amply rewarded by the elaborate terrace and by the splendid carving, picked out in blue, which adorns the pillared hall. Near junction of Walkeshwar and Marine Drive Opening hours: Daily dawn-dusk. Admission: Free; donations welcome. Mumbadevi Temple The shady and ornate first-floor balcony overlooking the noisy, chaotic square in the middle of the Bhuleshwar Market is part of the Mumbadevi Temple. The interior of the temple - in complete contrast to the bustle outside - is serenely calm, cool and dark. The temple is on three floors set around a central atrium ascending to a dome. The carving that decorates the interior is ornate but never descends to fussiness. Next door are two other Hindu temples similarly worth visiting. Bhuleshwar Market Opening hours: Daily 0630-2130. Admission: Free. Prince of Wales Museum Set in beautiful lush gardens, the Prince of Wales Museum is one of the landmarks of southern Mumbai. The museum is housed in a grand somewhat exotic building, designed by George Wittet in 1909 in the Indo-Saracenic style. The collections include ancient and medieval sculpture, Indian decorative arts and large number of beautiful miniatures. 159-161 Mahatma Gandhi Road, Fort Tel: (022) 284 4484. Fax: (22) 204 5430. E-mail: powm@vsnl.com Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1015-1745. Admission: Rs150 (concessions available). Free for students and children on Tues. Victoria and Albert Museum Housed in a purpose-built nineteenth-century Palladian villa, the Victoria and Albert Museum's collections are of mixed interest and quality and are generally badly displayed and poorly lit. There are some fine carvings in both wood and ivory, some interesting antique Indian weapons and a fascinating display of photographs of old Bombay. The real reason for visiting the museum is to walk in the extensive formal gardens surrounding the villa, which also accommodate a zoo. Other highlights of the gardens are the elaborate Italian Renaissance-style gateway and the equestrian statue of Edward VII as Prince of Wales. Dr. B Ambedkar Road, Byculla Tel: (022) 372 5799. Fax: (022) 375 9821. Opening hours: Thurs-Tues 0900-1800 (July-Jan); Thurs-Tues 0900-1830 (Feb-Jun). Admission: Rs2 (museum); Rs4 (gardens and zoo). Horniman Circle Laid out in 1869 on the site of the old Bombay Green - and originally called Elphinstone Circle - Horniman Circle is the epicentre of the Fort area of the city. The Circle consists of James Scott's elegantly curved, arcaded terraces with a garden in the middle, and was the first significant pieces of the redevelopment of the city, which began under the Governorship of Sir Bartle Frere in the 1860s. The gardens in the middle of the Circle - open to the public - are a lush and shady retreat from the glare and bustle of the streets, a good place to break a morning's sightseeing. The Circle was renamed Horniman Circle following Independence after an English journalist, Benjamin Horniman, who was an ardent proponent of the cause of Indian self-determination. Horniman Circle, Fort Opening hours: Sun-Fri 1000-2030, Sat 1600-2030. Admission: Free. |
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