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GATEWAY OF INDIA:
Built to commemorate the royal visit of King George V in 1911,
Gateway of India arch is made from honey-coloured basalt rock.
As a monument, it is both touching and slightly out-of-place.
The architecture is that of the 16th century Gujarati style, but
it neither succeeds as a convincinglyIndian monument nor as a
British relic. Ironically, the Gateway of India later served as
the exit for theBritish Raj. It was at this point that the British
regiment signalled before they left India on the 28th of February
1948.
ELEPHANTA CAVES:
Ten kms. north east of the Gateway are the four
rock-cut temples on the island of Elephanta. It is said that the cutting of these temples commenced in 450 AD and
lasted till 750 AD. It was originally called Gharapuri, but the Portuguese later changed the tongue-twisting name
to Elephanta due to the presence of a large stone elephant at the entrance. In 1814, the elephant statue collapsed
and was reconstructed in 1912 at the Victoria Gardens on the mainland. The caves are accessible by boat.
The main cave has a number of large sculptured panels and a Shivalingam. Some of the panels include those of the
Trimurti (the Hindu trilogy), the Ardhnarishwar (the half male-half female representation of Shiva),
Lord Shiva doing the tandav, Parvati and her son Ganesha.
PRINCE OF WALES MUSEUM: :
Built to commemorate the first visit of the Prince of Wales (later King George V) to India in 1905, this museum is located near Wellington Circle. Designed in the Indo-Saracenic style, it has sections for art, paintings, history and archaeology and a fine collection of miniature paintings, armoury, jade and porcelain.
MANI BHAVAN:
Mani Bhavan is a building where Mahatma Gandhi resided while on his trips to Bombay. Today it exhibits a permanent collection of pictures from his lifetime. It also houses the world's largest library on the Mahatma, with around 20,000 volumes of literature on the father of the nation.
UNIVERSITY AND HIGH COURT :
Sir George Gilbert Scott designed the Bombay University in the French style. The university overlooks the Cross Maidan, one of the three open spaces or maidans which keep the center of Mumbai green - or atleast tawny. The high court is another impressive Victorian building with octagonal towers and Gothic turrets.
HORNIMAN CIRCLE :
A number of interesting old buildings encircle the Horniman Circle. The Mint, built in 1824 on reclaimed land, has an old-world charm about it. The Town Hall houses a library of the Royal Asiatic Society. Columns for this neo-classical building were shipped from England. The Custom House is another old building here.
JEHANGIR ART GALLERY :
This prestigious art gallery is situated within the walls of the Prince of Wales museum has a long history of being the center of the art movement in Mumbai. Its cosy Samovar café, though little more than a narrow passageway, has long been the meeting place of creative artists.
MARINE DRIVE:
Once again, Marine Drive has been renamed as Netaji Subhash Chandra
Marg, but don't be fooled. Taxi drivers and ordinary citizens
still respond better to the old name. Marine Drive is a long boulevard
skirting the ocean, beginning from Nariman point and ending at
Malabar Hill. When viewed at night, the streetlights along the
beautiful curve of the Marine Drive resemble a 'Queen'sNecklace'.
FLORA FOUNTAIN:
Erected in 1869 in honour of the governor, Sir Bartle Frere,
Flora Fountain is now at the center of the business district of
Mumbai, surrounded by business offices and major banks. It has
also been renamed Hutatma Chowk.
MALABAR
HILL:
This posh
residential area is home to many Hindi film stars like Shammi
Kapoor, Simi Garewal and Prem Nath living in the locality.At
the end of Malabar Hill is the Raj Bhavan - the Governor's residence.
Close by is the Walkeshwar temple, the oldest temple in Mumbai
dedicated to the goddess of wealth. It is said that the idols
of the goddess were found in the sea.
HAJI ALI:
Haji Ali is an intriguing mosque situated in the middle
of the ocean, joining the mainland with the help of a causeway.
The causeway is often covered with water, yet thousands of pilgrims
of all religions make their way there to offer prayers. It is
named after the Sufi saint who drowned there.
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