Part of the Taj Hotels and Palaces group, this hotel is considered the flagship property of the group and contains 560 rooms and 44 suites. There are some 1,600 staff including 35 butlers. In 2017 it was the first building in the country to get intellectual property protection based on its architectural design.
When it opened in 1903, the hotel was the first in India to have: electricity, American fans, German elevators, Turkish baths and English butlers. Later it also had the city’s first licensed bar, India’s first all-day restaurant, and the India’s first discothèque.
We did make it past security to get a peek inside the lobby, it is quite fancy...
Taj Mahal Palace Hotel was specifically chosen by an Islamic militant organization for an attack in 2008 so that it will be "striking a blow against a symbol of Indian wealth and progress". There were 167 people killed during the siege with many of them foreigners. This hotel is a famous Mumbai landmark for many reasons.
Nearby there is another symbol of Mumbai which is the Gateway of India monument, the top tourist attraction in the city as could be seen by the crowds of people there...
The Gateway of India was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Mumbai, in December 1911...
Since India was controlled by Britain this archway became very much the symbol of their ownership as it was considered the ceremonial entry and exit to India through which all the British leaders landed and entered.
It is 85 feet high and is located in South Mumbai overlooking the Arabian Sea...
Another interesting fact that is also quite symbolic was the scene of the last British troops to leave India following the country’s independence passing through the Gateway on their way out in a ceremony on February 28,1948 signalling the end of British rule of India.
A popular activity is to take a short boat ride from the Gateway out into Mumbai Harbour which is a natural deep water port. We decided to take the rickety boat ride and were the only non Indians on the boat..
Family waiting to get on the boat...
An Indian family enjoying the ride
The boat was crowded...
Some of the views...
Very expensive ocean side neighbourhoods...
The skyline view from the water...
We also passed a naval yard and it is interesting to note that India has one of the largest naval fleets in the world...
One of the first things that we noticed in Mumbai was the heat, much hotter than the north and it took some adjustment. I was out of commission for a couple of days while there with maybe the combination of heat and a bug I picked up on the plane. I was so happy to have the luxury of a nice, air conditioned hotel room!
And cold beverages...
One of the first things we noticed about Mumbai was the cleanliness compared to other parts of India, the streets were clean and organized...
Lots of roundabouts...
Seeking shade...
Also lots of interesting architecture though somewhat crumbling in places...
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (translation: 'king Shivaji museum'), and formerly named the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, is the main museum in Mumbai. It was founded in the early years of the 20th century by prominent citizens of Mumbai,with the help of the government, to commemorate the visit of Edward VIII who was Prince of Wales at the time. It is located in the heart of South Mumbai near the Gateway of India. The museum was renamed in the 1990s after Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire.
It is set in very beautiful, well kept gardens...
There were many exhibits inside the building...
Soaring entry hall...
Ancient sculptures...
Many of them of gods and goddesses which are numerous in India...
India also has a long history creating exquisite objects in ivory...
A ceremonial necklace...
And in silver, a wine flask...
It was an interesting visit, again another look of the splendor of this country’s art and history.
Another day we took a tour of the city with our first visit to the early morning fishmarket. Mumbai being on the ocean has a large fishing fleet...
The market was quite lively with sellars and buyers moving the fish...
Sellars from the neighbourhoods of Mumbai come looking for the freshest fish at the best prices then return to their fish stands around the city to sell their product during the day.
One of the most popular products here are the prawns which are cleaned by the women before they are sold...
This guy was an expert at cleaning the stingray...
We then stopped at a traditional laundry, one of the oldest in the city...
People living in this neighbourhood are the cleaners who wash and dry tons of clothes everyday as most people do not own washing machines...
It is all done by hand...
Piles of clothes...
A huge open cricket field in the middle of the city...
I remember playing cricket as a child with a stick, ball and can but these guys are serious players, it is a very popular sport in India...
There are many buildings in Mumbai that are reminiscent of Britain. The Rajabai Clock Tower was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott,an English architect who modeled it on Big Ben in London.The foundation stone was laid on 1 March 1869 and construction was completed in November 1878. The total cost of construction came to 550,000, a princely sum in those days. A portion of the total cost of construction was donated by a prosperous broker who founded the Bombya Stock Exchange on the condition that the tower be named after his mother Rajabai.
Premchand Roychand's mother was blind and as a staunch follower of Jain religion she was supposed to consume her dinner before evening. Legend says that the evening bell of the tower helped her to know the time without anyone's help.
The tower was closed to the public after it became a frequent spot for those attempting to commit suicide.
The main railway station was the former palace of Queen Victoria, another beautiful building...
Mumbai also has a long pedestrian walkway called Marine Drive...
Enjoying the morning...
At the end of the walkway there is an upscale neighbourhood called Malabar Hill where we stopped at a lovely garden...
Don and our guide, Sunny...
One of the expensive properties nearby had a beautiful rooftop garden...
A colorful temple with an interesting story...
This Hindu sect does not cremate its’ dead, rather there is a nearby concrete tower which is open at the top where they hang the dead bodies and they are picked clean by the birds. Area residents complain that the birds often land on their balconies with parts of the bodies and demanded the practice be stopped. They were unsuccessful because it is a religious ritual.
And finally a stop at Ghandi’s house...
His library...
He was a well read man...
Some of his sayings...
His reception room...
On January 31, Ghandi was cremated and from the pyre came this message...
Lead me from the Unreal to the Real, From Darkness to Light, from Death to Immortality...
Another great visit to understand a little more about Ghandi and his life’s work...
We enjoyed our visit to Mumbai as it gave us a view of a city so different from Delhi, much history of the British rule and today a very modern and prosperous city. Now on to Goa and the beach...
