Bombay is one of the famous tourists spots of India. Adorned
by historical monuments, Bombay is a scenic splendor to explore.
Viewing the city from Bird's eye view, one can easily observe
that the city is dotted with number of architectural extravaganza.
Bombay.net have listed the famous monuments of Mumbai which
are quite popular amongst tourists. Some of the famous places
in Bombay are Gateway of India, Film City, Flora Fountain.
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Gateway of India
It is only extra-ordinary things that excite human beings
but Gateway of India not only excites but also astounds the
most discerning eye. The most famous monument, it is an architectural
marvel that scores over other buldings in Mumbai. Having advantages
of both location and archtitectural construction, it shines
every morning with morning sun of Mumbai. There is somethig
magial about Gateway of India that attracts tourists in hordes.
Words fail to describe and picture postcards fail to capture
the exact beauty of the monument.
Pride of Mumbai, the Gateway of India occupies a special
place in the hearts of Mumbaikars. It is to them what Red
Fort is to Delhiites. Locale of many hindi movies, people
flock to the place especially in the evening to watch bashful
play of waves and feed pigeons. Besides being one of the important
landmarks in the city, it is also base camp from where people
start towards Elephanta island in motorboats.
Origin
Gateway of India was built to welcome King George V and Queen
Marry in a style. The foundation stone was laid on March 31,
1911 and it took over 13 years to complete the ambitious project.
To be precise, the construction was completed in December
4, 1924.
Architecture
Reflecting Indo-sarcenic style, the Gateway was built George
witte, who was inspired from the architecture in Gujarat.
The Gateway is built from yellow Kharodi basalt and reinforced
concrete. The central dome is 48 feet in diameter and 83 feet
above ground at its highest point. The cost of the construction
was borne mainly by the Government. .
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Rajabai Clock Tower
Next to the High Court, the Venetian -Gothic University has
a Gothic clock tower 260 feet high that is curiously adorned
with oriental figures. In the old days it used to play Rule
Britannia, God Save the King and a Handel Symphony among sixteen
tunes that changed four times a day; now the repertoire is
limited to the wafting chimes of the Big Ben on the quarter
hour.
The Rajabai Clock Tower is named after the mother of a 19th
century stockbroker, who contributed towards its construction;
it has a spiral staircase , which is unfortunately closed
to the visitors after several unhappy citizens hurled themselves
from the top.
Under the clock tower is the magnificent University Library,
with what are undoubtedly some of the most exquisite stained
glass windows in Asia. These have recently been treated by
British conservationists and restored to their pristine glory.
Well worth a look. .
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University Building
Next to the High Court on Bhaurao Patil Road, the Venetian
Gothic Bombay University has a Gothic clock tower 260 feet
high, that is curiously adorned with oriental figures. In
the old days it used to play Rule Britannia, God Save the
king, Auld Lang Syne and a Handel symphony among 16 tunes
that changed four times a day; now the repertoire is restricted
to wafting chimes of the big Ben on the quarter hour.
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Flora Fountain
This is the very heart of Mumbai, circumscribed by stately
colonial buildings that stand like proud old sentinels of
a bygone era. Flora is the Roman Goddess of Flowers, her pretty
alabaster face continually assaulted by grime and pollution.
Next to her are a pair of torch bearing stone patriots that
rise from the Martyrs Memorial nearby. Flora Fountain is now
called Hutatma Chowk or Martyr's Square to honour those who
died in the tumultuous birth of Maharashtra State. All around
the square sit Mumbai's infamous vendors selling just about
everything under the blazing tropical sun -- from cheap nylon
saris and ballpoint pens to herbal remedies and sexshop gewgaws.
Tooting horns and traffic complete the chaotic picture, but
through it all Flora manages to retain her serene composure.
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Worli Fort
Worli Fort is an ancient British fort perched on a hilltop
at the place of Worli in Mumbai. The fort has been often mis-interpreted
as being built by Portuguese. The fort was built by British
to overlook the enemy and pirate ships in the nearby sea.
The fort was built around 1675 A.D. and at the time when Mumbai
city was a small agglomerate of seven islands. The islands
were connected over years and the region stands as an integral
part of Mumbai today.
Worli lies to the north of Mumbai. Reaching Worli Fort is
quite arduous due to poor condition of the road leading to
the fort. The fort is located on the peninsular landmass of
the Worli area and close to the sea. The condition of fort
is miserable. The historical monument that carries with it
memories of the past has been abandoned. The cry for help
by Worli Fort has been suppressed for years, the bell of the
fort has not ringed and a good time has passed now.
The Worli region, compared to Worli Fort is a quite developed
place and an important city hub. The other attractions in
the vicinity include the mosque named Haji Ali Dargah and
an old fishing community.
The bus station at Prabhadevi is nearest to Worli Fort. The
place is linked to the central landmass via roads.
The nearest railway station is the Parel Railway Station
which lies east of Worli Fort.
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Elephanta Caves
A pleasant half an hour motor-boat ride from the hustle and
bustle of city life brings one to the vicinities of the famous
Elephanta caves located in the quiet island by the same name.
This island is home to a series of seven magnificient rock
cut caves which dates from the 4th-9th centuries A.D. These
caves are situated at a height of about 76metres above sea-level.
The most impressive of these caves has a 40 metre square main
hall with two wide columnades. At the western end of the hall,
there is a lingam shrine which stands guarded by stone doorkeepers
leaning on dwarfs. The lingam symbolic of lord Siva is still
worshipped by devotees during festivals. One of the most striking
features of this cave is the 6m high Maheshmurti, the three
headed bust of lord Siva depicting his three facets-creator,
destroyer and protector. Besides, the cave contains a series
of nine massive sculptured panels which show various incidents
in the life of lord Siva and other dramatic moments from Hindu
mythology. These are chiselled with immense artistic finesse.
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