Mumbai Travel Guide

Mumbai, Maharashtra’s capital city India’s financial powerhouse is well known as ‘Amchi Mumbai’ or ‘Our Mumbai’- a statement a passion. It brings in a feeling of oneness that binds all residents of this great megalopolis uniting them together in a port-pourri that’s perhaps unique in the whole of India. A city that often sets the pace for the rest of the country to follow.

Mumbai is India’s outward looking commercial face. Now India’s largest city sprawling across seven islands joined into an artificial isthmus its problems are only matched by the enormous drive which makes it unique as the centre of business fashion and film making in modern India. It is India’s finance centre, the economic powerhouse of the nation, heart of the Hindi film industry and the industrial hub of everything from textiles to petrochemicals. It’s these new migrants who continually reshape the city in their own image making sure Mumbai keeps one foot in its hinterland and the other in the global marketplace.

Mumbai is the glamour of Bollywood cinema cricket on the maidans and bhelpuri on the beach at Chowpatty outstanding colonial architecture and red double-decker buses. It is also the infamous red-light districts of Kamathipura Asia’s largest slums.

The widely publicized decision of the incoming State government in 1995 to change Bombay’s name to Mumbai-a Koli goddess a form of Shiva’s wife Parvati-was widely followed in official circles and the media and now most people talk of the city as Mumbai. This is a city that dictates trends. It is a magnet to the rural poor and other aspirants who dream to find their fortunes and often are disappointed in its wide crowded streets. It is the glamour of cricket on maidans bhelpuri (a spicy sweet Mumbai snack) on the beach at Chowpatty red double-decker buses Victorian townscape reminiscent of a prosperous 19th century English industrial city that makes it a place that’s truly unforgettable.

Mumbai has the energy innovation and functioning that is the hallmark of a new economy and generation. It is fuelled by a unique combination of entrepreneurial energy dazzling dreams and dogged determination. Availability of intellect trained dedicated white-collar workface a professional work ethic and a cosmopolitan outlook are Mumbai’s unique advantages. At the same time it is a heartless place so similar to New York with incredible energy levels and a survival of the fittest kind of environment.

Ultimately Mumbai is going to be exactly what you make of it. It is a journey impossible to define rather best when experienced. The opulent penthouses sky-kissing skyscrapers designer bungalows crowded streets sprawling slums.. It’s all here waiting to be explored. Come discover Mumbai an experience you’ll never forget.

Places of attraction

Mumbai is charismatic with a buzzing street life a rocking night life slices of history sweeping vistas of sparkling lights lively bazaars you can find it all in Mumbai.

Gateway of India : Gateway of India is the most sought after of the many sights in Mumbai. The Indo-Saracenic style Gateway of India (1927) designed by George Witter to commemorate the visit of George V and Queen Mary in 1911 is modelled in honey –coloured basalt on 16th century Gujarati work faces out to Mumbai Harbour at the tip of Apollo Bunder in Colaba. Officially opened in 1924 it was redundant just 24 years later when the last British regiment ceremoniously departed India through its archway. The gateway has become a popular emblem of the city and is a favourite gathering spot for locals in the evening and on weekends. Boats depart from the gateways wharfs for Elephanta Island and touts balloon sellers photographers and snake charmers give the area the hubbub of a bazaar. The area around is popular among Mumbaiites for evening strolls and is a pleasant place to visit at sundown. Plenty of launches depart from here to Elephants caves.

The great gateway comprises an archway with halls on each side capable of seating 600 at important receptions. The arch placed an earlier lighter building. It was the point from which the last British regiment serving in India signaled the end of the empire when it left on 28 February 1948. Nearby the statues of the religious reformer Swami Vivekananda and of the Maratha leader Shivaji astride his horse erected in 1960.

The Taj Mahal Hotel: The relevance of Gateway of India is incomplete without mentioning the majestic Taj Mahal Hotel. The original red-domed hotel has been adjoined by a modern skyscraper (The Taj Mahal Inter-Continental).

This majestic hotel a Mumbai institution overlooks Apollo Bunder and has good views of the Gateway from its top-floor. The Parsi industrialist JN Tata built it in 1903 supposedly after he was refused entry into one of the European hotels on account of being ‘a native’. It’s a beautiful hotel and it’s worth seeing the grand central stairway in the hotel’s old wing. Nearby is the august Royal Bombay Yacht Club where the clock seems to have stopped in the late 19th century.

Colaba: Occupying the city’s southernmost peninsula is Mumbai’s most vibrant and fashionable suburb Colaba. South of the Gateway of India is the crowded southern section of Shahid Bhagat Sing Marg (Marine St) which leads to Colaba. The southern end of the causeway houses the Afghan church or Church of St.John the Evangelist. Early English in style with a 58 mts. spire it was built to commemorate the soldiers who died in the first Afghan War. Beyond the church near the tip of the Colaba promontory lie the observatory and Old European Cemetery in the naval colony.

The causeway passes close to Sassoon Dock the first wet dock in India the scene of intense and pungent activity at dawn when colourfully clad Koli fisherwomen sort the catch unloaded from fishing boats at the quay. The fish drying in the sun are bombil which are deep fried to make a Bombay duck. The causeway is a thoroughfare which is a shopper’s dream comes true. Most travellers tend to hang around at the northern end of Colaba but the real local activity is farther south on the backstreets of Colaba Market.

Prince of Wales Museum: The Prince for Wales Museum is situated in an area between Colaba and Fort called Kala Ghoda. It was built in 1905 to commemorate the first visit of King George V to India and it was not open to the public until 1923. Designed by George Willet in grand Indo-Saracenic style it boasts of an ornamental garden and an impressive gallery centre hall topped by a huge dome.

Its collection includes impressive sculptures from Elephanta Island, Gujarat, and Karnataka, Terracotta figurines from the Indus Valley, miniature paintings, porcelain, weaponry, natural history and a collection of European paintings.
The Museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10-15 a.m. to 6 p.m.

National Gallery of Modern Art & Jehangir Art Gallery : The spacious and refurbished Sir Cowasji Jehangir Public Hall houses the National Gallery of Modern Art. It is on M.G Road and is a bright modern exhibition space showcasing a range of changing exhibitions. There is a small permanent collection of contemporary India art in the top floor Dome Gallery. The gallery is open daily except on Monday between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is no entry fee.
The nearby Jehangir Art Gallery is the most famous of the many well-known art galleries in Mumbai. This gallery is at 161B M.G Road used to be the city’s principal exhibition space and still hosts exhibitions of modern Indian art and occasional touring exhibitions. The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Its informal café “Samovar” is quite an experience by itself. In the same building is the Gallery Chermould the Terrace Art Gallery and a pleasant café (closed Sunday).

Mumbai University and High Court: Mumbai University the high seat of learning has an architecture that does it proud. Designed by Gilbert Scott of St.Pancras Station London fame, it was built in the 1860’s. It consists of an exquisite University Library and the Convocation Hall. The famous 80mt. tall Rajabhai Tower is also located within its premises. Col. J.A. Fuller designed the Mumbai High Court in early English style. A sprawling complex it has an aura that exudes authority and weightiness of the justice dispensed inside.

Flora Fountain: Standing amidst the established business centre of Mumbai this cherished fountain is named after the Roman goddess of abundance. But it was erected in 1869 in honour of Sir Bartle Frere the governor of Mumbai responsible for dismantling the fort and shaping much of modern Mumbai.
The whitewashed Goddess now shares her diminished area with a monument honouring the martyrs who died fighting for the cause of Maharashtra out of the Bombay Presidency. Hence it is called Hutatma Chowk or Martyrs Square. Heading Northeast from Fountain to VT is the Dr. Dadabhai Naoroji Road or Dr D.N. Road named after the first Indian who become a British M.P Ancient buildings of British architecture line both sides of the road.

Horniman Circle : Turn right at the Flora Fountain (1869) now known as Hutatma Chowk along Vir Nairman Road to the Old Custom House Town Hall and Mint on the imposing Horniman Circle. Horniman Circle the stately arcaded circle of buildings around the sole surviving section of Bombay’s original Cotton Green was laid out in the 1860s. The circle is overlooked from the east by the neo classical Town Hall which contains the Asiatic Library and the Mumbai Municipal State Central Library. It houses a collection of old and rare manuscripts. The beautiful park in the centre is like an oasis of quiet amidst chaos. The Banyan tree that served as Mumbai’s first stock exchange is still there and the modern stock exchange is situated in a high-rise building.

The St.Thomas Cathedral nearby is one of Mumbai’s oldest buildings. Gerald Digner laid its foundation stone as far back as 1676 the then Governor of Mumbai. The first service was conducted on Christmas day in 1718. Its walls are lined with colourful murals and elegantly crafted leitmotis which pay a silent tribute to the heroes of the past who have laid down their lives for this land. Its tree-shaded lawns offer spite from the mad rush of the city. The cathedral remains open on all days from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. All are welcome to explore this heritage building and its magnificent monuments. The custom House is believed to incorporate a Portuguese barrack of 1655. Over the entrance is the crest of the East India Company. Parts of the Old Portuguese fort’s walls can be seen; more exist in the Naval Dockyards. Many Malabar teak ‘East Indiamen’ ships were built here. The Mint (1824-9) built on the Fort rubbish dump has Ionic columns and a water tank in front of it. The Town Hall (1820-3) has been widely admired as one of the best neo-classical buildings in India. The Doric columns that give the Town Hall its grandeur were shipped from England.

Horniman Circle is laid out in 1860.On the west edge are the Venetarian Gothic Elphinstone Buildings in brown sandstone. The Cathedral Church of St. Thomas was begun in 1672 opened in 1718 and subject to a number of later additions. Inside are a number of monuments forming a heroic ‘who’s who of India’. Behind Horniman circle on the water’s edge lies the Old Castle.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus: The city’s magnificent Gothic building lavishly decorated with sculptures looks more like a palace or cathedral than anything as mundane as a transport depot. The headquarters of one of the most complex suburban railway systems in India it was designed by William Strevens and was completed in 1887 34 years after the first locomotive made way from V.T to Thane.

Marine Drive: Marine Drive (Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Marg) was built in 1920 on land reclaimed from the Back Bay. A sweeping curve it runs along the shoreline of the Arabian Sea from Nairman Point along Chowpatty to the foot of Malabar Hill. It is one of Mumbai’s most popular and favourite meeting places. Couples sit along the sea wall watching the sun go down and the beautiful city light up to face yet another night.

Chowpatty Beach : For a city built on islands Mumbai has no shortage of beaches. The most popular among them is the Chowpatty Beach. It comes to life as the sun goes down. Masseurs, transvestites, balloon sellers, gamblers, fortune-tellers, magicians, drug-peddlers, ferries-wheels, shooting galleries… You’ll find them all here. Eating at the long line of stalls at the edge of the beach is an interesting experience for the public.

Malabar Hill: The most expensive and stately residential area of Mumbai is the Malabar Hill located at the Northern end of the Backbay. It offers splendid views of the Arabian Sea. It’s most sought after attractions are the Kamala Nehru Park and the Hanging Gardens (Pherozshah Mehta Gardens). Towards the southern end is the temple of Walkeshwar the sand lord.

Mani Bhavan: Quite near the August Kranti Maidan at 19 Laburnum Road is Mani Bhavan. The house where Mahatma Gandhi used to stay during his visits to Mumbai. The place has been turned into a small museum. There’s a photo exhibition consisting of major incidents in Gandhi’s life and a good collection of books by or about Gandhi. It’s open daily from 9.30 a.m to 9 p.m.

Haji Ali: Situated at the end of a long causeway poking into the Arabian Sea is a beautiful mausoleum Haji Ali. It is a whitewashed mosque containing the tombs of the Muslim Saint Haji Ali who was said to have been a wealthy local merchant who renounced the material world after his trip to Mecca. It was built in 19th century by his devotees. Yet another version says that Haji Ali died while on a pilgrimage to Mecca and his casket miraculously floated back to Mumbai and landed at this spot.

The mosque can be reached only during low tides via from the mosque is quite spectacular.

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