Friday, October 28, 2011

Sightseeing in Mumbai

Gateway Of India in Mumbai
The imposing Gateway of India is the most sought after tourist destination in the city of Mumbai. It is the pride of the city. Placed in south Mumbai at Apollo Bunder, it is visited by all the tourists including the locals. The British architect George Wittet is the creative mind behind the construction of this wonderful structure. A person visiting the city for the first time is bound to take a halt at the Gateway.

King George and Queen Mary visited the city in 1911. To commemorate this special occasion, the Gateway of India was built, in 1924 It is a sign of remembrance of this royal visit, and has a distinctive colonial flavour to it. It has a huge archway which stands about 26 metres tall, and represents the best of Indo-Saracenic architecture. The elaborate and detailed design on the structure is marvellous. The Gateway is made up of yellow basalt stone and the construction is based on four towers. The expenses incurred while building this structure were a princely sum of 21 lakhs! Though it sounds laughable now, but we should remember that in those days it was a sum enough to build a palace.

 The Gateway of India has witnessed a glorious history. At the time of the end of the British rule in the country, the Gateway was thought of as a sign of the British rule. The only British regiment that was left in the country was the First Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry. On the 28th of February in the year 1948, this regiment too left the country. As the regiment took its last steps through the Gateway of India, the ceremonious monument was forever etched in the pages of history.

Elephanta Caves in Mumbai

The Great Cave at Elephanta is one of the great monuments near Bombay. It is one in a complex of Hindu caves on Gharapuri (Elephanta is the name given to the island by the Portuguese), dating to the sixth century AD.

Mumbai coast at a distance of 10 kms from the Gateway of India. It is regarded as a major world heritage site due its cultural and historical importance. The existence of the Elephanta dates back to the Silhara Kingdom from the 9 th to 13 th century BC. The prehistoric cave forms a great tourist attraction in the vicinity of the large metropolis of Mumbai. The Elephanta caves houses numerous rock cut temples that are dedicated to the Hindu Lord Mahadeva also known as Shiva and are indeed a rich sculptural content. The Island was named Elephanta by the Portuguese after the statue of the Elephant near the landing area of the island.

The magnificent image of Sadasiva, a manifestation of Shiva, is carved in relief at the end of the north south axis. The stupendous 20 feet high image of the three headed Shiva, known as Trimurthy is a magnificent one. It is regarded as a masterpiece of Indian art. This huge image represents Panchamukha Shiva, whose only three faces are carved into the wall. It attracts your attention just as you enter the temple through the northern entrance.

The rock cut temples of the Elephanta caves were created by carving out huge boulders of rocks and then creating columns and internal spaces and images within them. The entire temple of the Elephanta caves is very much similar to the structure of a huge sculpture with internal corridors and chambers through which one can walk. It is a perfect example of rock removal process. The entire Elephanta cave spreads out through an area of 60000 square feets that comprises of a main chamber and two lateral ones along with courtyards and several subsidiary shrines. The temple has three main entrances and the ones on the eastern western part marks the axis of the temple. There is a hall of 20 pillars that lines the axis and on the western side is the cella that is enshrined with a Shiva lingam. The pillars depict a rich work of art and architecture consisting of fluted columns standing on square bases and are crowned with fluted cushion capitals.

How to Reach
Mumbai is easily reached by ferry from the gateway of India.
Air - The nearest airport is Mumbai International Airport
Rail - Nearest railheads are Church gate, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.
Road - One can reach Mumbai by road from the neighboring states as regular bus services are available. One has to take a ferry from Appollo Bunder near the Gateway of India to reach the cave temples.


Banganga in Mumbai 

A sacred tank surrounded by four hundred-year-old temples and modern skyscrapers. Nowhere are Mumbai's paradoxes more evident than at Banganga. Part of an ancient temple complex, the water in this tank is believed to come from the Holy Ganges. It sprung forth when Rama, the exiled hero of the epic Ramayana stopped at the spot five thousand years ago, in search of his kidnapped wife Sita. Overcome with fatigue and thirst, he asked his brother Laxman to bring him some water. Laxman instantly shot an arrow into the ground, and water gushed forth from the Ganga, over a thousand miles away. Although the story is the stuff of legend, the tank has always been sacred. On pious occasions, thousands turn up to take a ritual dip in its mossy waters, and offer flowers at the ancient Banganga Temples

n more recent history, a group of resident have been organizing the 'Banganga Festival' – a cultural festival of Indian classical music. By all accounts it is a great experience to listen to live music out in the open, with the lights reflecting on the water. But many in Mumbai come to Banganga just to observe a gentle, traditional way of life and enjoy the quiet. A supreme luxury in Mumbai!

Banganga, Mumbai is part of the Walkeshwar Temple Complex. It was built during the 12 th century by the Silhara dynasty. Rama Kamath gave a donation for rebuilding the tank in 1715. The main temple is at present a structure of reinforced concrete. The Banganga tank is fed by a spring and during each February it is cleaned and spruced up for the yearly Banganga Hindustani classical music festival. This is a major cultural event in the city. Although it is placed only a few dozen meters from the sea, still it has fresh water. The tank is a rectangular pool structure, encircled by steps on all four sides. Near the entrance are two pillars in which oil lamps called diyas were lit in ancient times. On the western side of the tank is a very old temple built by the Silhara kings. As per a legend, the Hindu god Rama was overcome with fatigue and thirst and asked his brother Laxman to bring water. Laxman shot an arrow into the ground and water appeared from a tributary of the Ganges.

How to reach:
City like Mumbai there is no dearth of transport facilities. Local trains, Buses,
Taxis and Auto rickshaws are easily available and they can be used to reach the selected destination.

Flora Fountain, Mumbai

Flora fountain is beautifully adorned stone fountain which is located in the Fort area in South Mumbai. The fountain was built in 1864.It was constructed by the Agri-Horticultural society of Western India and was carefully designed by R. Norman Shaw. Crafted out of imported Portland stone, Flora Fountain was erected at a total sum of Rs. 47,000 by the Agri-Horticultural Society of Western India. Cursetjee Fardoonjee donated Rs. 20,000.
Inspired from Flora - the Roman Goddess of Flowers, Flora Fountain is a stone fountain in South Mumbai. Located in the Fort business district.

Flora Fountain, Mumbai is located in Mumbai's Fort district at M.G. Road at Veer Nariman Road. The square in which it exists is called the Hutatma Chowk. It exists exactly at the same position at which the original Church Gate of Bombay Fort was present. It is a beautiful white marble statue that is also a fountain. It was built in Portland stone, but was later defaced with white oil paint.  the Governor of Mumbai, Sir Bartle Frere

Offices, banks, colleges and shops encircle the area around Flora Fountain, Mumbai . It is a business center of Mumbai. It is must visit spot for the tourists. The area around the Flora Fountain is called the Fountain area or Fort area. In this area there are many Victorian buildings that ought to be visited. They are the University of Mumbai building with its magnificent Rajahbai tower, The Mumbai High Court , the Old Secretariat and the Institute of Science. The St. Thomas Cathedral, the Asiatic Society of Bombay or Town Hall, the Office of the Director General of Police, the General Post Office and the Thomas Cook Building exist in nearby locales. All these spots are beautiful illustrations of the Gothic and Indo-Saracenic style. Many of these are illuminated during the night

Shopping near Flora Fountain:
Flora Fountain, Mumbai is in the heart of South Mumbai and at a walking distance from V.T.and Church gate Railway Stations.Fashion Street, a new summer wardrobe can be purchased. For glamorous products, the optimum place is Kemps Corner, Warden Road, Breach Candy and Napean Sea Road.
 

Rajabai Clock Tower in Mumbai
The Rajabai Clock Tower, Mumbai has a spiral staircase. However, it is closed for visitors as many unhappy visitors jumped from the top. The clock tower is overall 260 feet high and is decorated with many oriental figures. Below the clock tower is the elaborate University Library.

The construction was completed in November 1878, nine year after its commencement. Even in those days, the cost of the monument came to somewhere about 2 lakh rupees (Rs 200,000). Premchand Roychand, the broker who founded the Bombay Stock Exchange, bore the entire cost of the Rajabai Clock Tower. In return, the only thing he wanted was that the tower be named after his mother, Rajabai.

This has certainly the most exquisite stained glass windows in Asia. British conservationists to their pristine glory have maintained these. Gilbert Scott has planned the tower. The height of the tower is 85 meters. It was designed using the concept of Big Ben, the clock tower of the UK houses of Parliament in London. The tower is a combination of the Venetian and Gothic styles. The locally available buff colored Kurla Stone was used for its construction. The ground floor has two rooms; each having dimensions 17 X 8.5 meters. The tower is a carriage porch 2.4 square meters. The spiral staircase vestibule has an area of 28 square feet. The tower, above the carriage porch, had a square form up to the gallery at the top of the first level. This is upto a height of 20.7 meters from the ground level. This shape changes from a square to an octagon. The height from the gallery to the top of the tower is 36 meters

The architecture of Rajabai Clock Tower presents a beautiful amalgamation of Venetian and Gothic styles of architecture. The material used in its construction is the buff colored Kurla stone, easily available in Mumbai. One of the most impressive features of the tower comprises of its stained glass windows, believed to be the best in the city. When the Rajabai Tower was constructed, it was the tallest structure in the entire city of Mumbai. 


Nehru Centre in Mumbai
The Nehru Centre was constructed in 1972, not as a mute memorial, but as living testament and monument of faith in Jawaharlal Nehru's vision of human being's development and his compassion for humanity. It has a Mini Planetarium also, which is taken out to remote rural areas to project the astronomical shows. The centre is equipped with Digistar-3 Planetarium equipment and has maintained well furnished library. It offers wide variety of facilities which help in making any event a successful one.

Nehru Centre has installed Digistar-3 Planetarium equipment replacing Carl Zeiss Universal Projector, purchased from Evans & Sutherland, of USA. The Centre has a good library having more than 11000 books. Activities like Science quiz contests, Astro-painting, Science elocution, Astro-poetry and Astro-quiz competitions are held regularly. The marble-paneled auditorium has marvelous acoustic effects which makes it a world class venue. Telescopes are installed outside the Planetarium to enable visitors watch eclipses.

Here is Gateway of India which is considered as an entrance point of Mumbai. There is Juhu Beach which looks very beautiful during evening time. The Haji Ali Mosque is 18th century shrine which consists of Hazrath Haji Ali tomb. There is an Elephant Island which has vivaciously crafted rock-cut Shiva Temple. Some of the other famous tourist spots are Prince of Wales Museum, Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus, Flora Fountain, Marine Drive etc.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus shrt form is CST Mumbai was the first railway station to be built in Mumbai. There are many places in Mumbai that are really worth watching and visiting due to its history or some other specialties. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai is the extreme western point of the Central Railways in India and also the southern most point of the central and harbor lines of Mumbai's rail transport system . The administrative offices of the Central Railways are in this building alone and have taken up most of the area.

First train ran between CST Mumbai & Thane, a distance of 34 kilometers on 16th April 1853. There is no stopping since then. It is estimated that around 3 million people travel everyday via CST Mumbai. It is one of the most busiest railway station in India. The station serves long distance trains as well as two of the suburban lines: the Harbour line and the Central Line.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), a railway station, is a brilliant specimen of the Victorian Gothic style of architecture in India. Once called Victoria Terminus, the station is positioned on the suburban railway tracks of Mumbai. CST also serves as the headquarters of the Central Railways of India. Attributable to its wonderful structural design, CST was acknowledged as a ‘World Heritage Site’ by UNESCO in 2004. Victoria Terminus holds the distinction of being declared a World Heritage Site by the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO, in the year 2004. The terminus has been built as per the Venetian Gothic style of architecture and dates back to the year 1888. Its architectural style also reflects the influence of traditional Indian architecture. One can find the interiors of the terminus adorned with wood carving, tiles, ornamental iron and brass railings, etc. There are also grills for the ticket offices and railing for the grand staircases. 


Tajmahal Hotel in Mumbai
The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower is located near main business center.The Taj Mahal Palace and Tower is located in Mumbai, India. Overlooking the Arabian Sea. Opposite the Gateway of India. Close to popular area attractions.The hotel has a prime position on the waterfront opposite the Gateway of India, in Colaba. It’s very handy to Mumbai’s business and commercial areas, as well as tourist attractions. If you’re looking to stay at a luxury hotel that’s centrally located for sightseeing, this is the one!

Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai is the most luxurious hotel. The very first of this hotel chain was built in New Delhi. All these hotels belong to the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces Company. It has almost properties in India and internationally. These properties sum up to almost the number 90. This chain is the establishment of the Tata group of companies in the other countries. Taj Hotels are the largest and luxurious hotel chains in India and abroad. Even though all the franchise is all owned up by the Tata Group it has a very vast expanse of these estates. Taj Group governs almost 57 hotels. These 57 hotels are well distributed in around 39 locations all across India. Not only in India but, this group runs and administers almost 18 international hotels. These international links are located in the places like the Maldives, Mauritius, Malaysia , and Seychelles . Not only in the vicinity of India but also in the different continents like the United Kingdom, United States of America, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Africa, the Middle East and Australia . The foremost and the original establishment was the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower in the suburb of Mumbai called as Colaba. This Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai was established and started on December 16, 1903. It was opened by Jamshetji Nusserwanji Tata , the founder of the Tata Group himself.
 

Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai
Sanjay Gandhi National Park is acclaimed to be an exclusive and largest park in the world to be located within city limits. Earlier called Borivali National Park, the wildlife haven was initially intended to be a natural retreat outside Mumbai. Over the years, the park got into the periphery of the growing city.
In 1990 the park is renamed as Sanjay Gandhi National park. It has the reputation of being the most visited National Park and also being the World’s largest park within the city limits

This park is also known as the Bird watcher's paradise. Nowadays this park is generally used to conduct school picnics, college picnics and other organized excursions. This park is an ideal place for meditation or for some moments of solitude. With the kind of surroundings that it has it provides a serene atmosphere and is the best place for some quite introspection. The panoramic view of the hills, valleys, lakes and open spaces that is said to have therapeutic effects on the mind, body and soul. This park is just 30 meters above sea level. The most unique feature of this park is that it can be visited in every season of the year. It is suitable to visit this park throughout the year. This park also houses the Kanhari caves, which is also a favorite site for the tourist visiting Mumbai. The recreational are of this park includes the Kanhari Caves, the Tulsi and Vihar lakes, the Lion Safari, the Deer Park, the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi and gardens.

National Park has the distinction of being the only National Park in Mumbai. Notified in 1974, it is set in hill ranges around the suburb of Borivali in Mumbai. It plays host to various wildlife species like the panther, antelope, mouse deer and wild bear. Children particularly enjoy riding the colourful toy train here, as it winds its way through the vast park. In the Lion Safari Park, visitors can view lions as close as six feet away, from the special park vehicles. The park is a paradise for the lovers of avifauna and it is difficult for them not to be attracted by their charm here in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Sanjay Gandhi National Park Wildlife Tours Sanjay Gandhi National Park is located in Borivali, east of the Thane district, at distance of 40 km north from Mumbai
Park is 104 square kilometers (65 miles) in size. Open daily from 7.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Entrance fee is 20 rupees


Bombay University, Mumbai

Aarey Colony, Mumbai
Kanheri Caves, Mumbai
Vasai Fort, Mumbai
Karnala Bird Sanctuary, Mumbai
Mumbai Zoo

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