Skip to main content

Heritage Buildings around Colaba

Afghan Church
 British-built church honoring those who died in the First Afghan War & the 1842 retreat from Kabul.
Hotel Majestic

Regal Cinema (a perfect example of  Art Deco Architecute)

Mumbai Police HQ
 In 1896 the Commissioner's office moved to an Anglo-Gothic revival building, which it still occupies to this day. The Police Headquarters building is a protected heritage site. The Maharashtra Police Headquarters moved into what was known as the Royal Alfred Sailors' Home, in 1896. Construction began on the building in early 1872 and was finished four years later, in 1876. As its name suggests, it was made to accommodate 20 officers and 100 seamen. However, the building was actually conceived to commemorate the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh in 1870. The Duke laid the Foundation stone during his visit.

The Maharashtra government acquired the building in 1928 to house the Bombay Legislative Council. The Police department subsequently moved in after it was vacated.
Metro House which houses the famous Café Mondegar

Hotel Majestic



The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel is a "Heritage Grand" class five-star hotel in the Colaba region of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, next to the Gateway of India. Historically it was known as the "Taj Mahal Hotel" or the "Taj Palace Hotel" or simply "the Taj".

Part of the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, this hotel is considered the flagship property of the group and contains 560 rooms and 44 suites. There are some 1,500 staff including 35 butlers. From a historical and architectural point of view, the two buildings that make up the hotel, the Taj Mahal Palace, and the Tower are two distinct buildings, built at different times and in different architectural designs. In 2017, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel has acquired an image trademark. It is the first building in the country to get intellectual property rights protection for its architectural design.

The hotel has hosted many notable guests, from presidents to captains of industry and stars of show business.
Taj Mahal Palace Hotel

The Gateway of India
The Gateway of India is an arch monument built during the 20th century in Bombay, India. The monument was erected to commemorate the landing of King George V and Queen Mary at Apollo Bunder on their visit to India in 1911.

Built in Indo-Saracenic style, the foundation stone for the Gateway of India was laid on 31 March 1911. The structure is an arch made of basalt, 26 metres (85 feet) high. The final design of George Wittet was sanctioned in 1914 and the construction of the monument was completed in 1924. The Gateway was later used as a symbolic ceremonial entrance to India for Viceroys and the new Governors of Bombay. It served to allow entry and access to India.

The Gateway of India is located on the waterfront at Apollo Bunder area at the end of Chhatrapati Shivaji Marg in South Mumbai and overlooks the Arabian Sea. The monument has also been referred to as the Taj Mahal of Mumbai, and is the city's top tourist attraction.
The Gateway of India (always a picturesque sight with the millions of pigeons around)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The 7 Wonders at Eco Park

Pyramid & Sphinx Our last excursion to Eco Park in Rajarhat dates all the way back to February 2015. Since then, a myriad of transformations has swept through the park. During a recent journey to the airport, we caught sight of the park's latest additions, which had become the talk of the town, visible from Biswa Banga Sarani. That sighting ignited our decision to revisit the park. Naturally, we concurred that visiting on a weekend would be an exercise in chaos, so we opted for a weekday to fully savor the wonders that awaited us. To our surprise, even on a weekday, the park teemed with visitors. Upon entering Eco Park for a nominal fee of Rs. 30, we were immediately struck by the sheer value it offered. Personally, I would have willingly paid more for the privilege of glimpsing these marvelous creations. Rather than expound further, I'll let the images convey the essence of what lies within. That being said, it unquestionably merits an in-person visit to truly appreciate ...

AKIRA: A Tiny Japanese Universe in Kolkata

Since we were already out and dinner was calling, we decided to keep things light and find somewhere nearby. A quick search by my wife produced a promising result—a new Japanese place just 9 minutes away , according to Google. Nine minutes? That sounded dangerously convenient. And so off we went to AKIRA , a cute little Japanese cuisine restaurant that is, by almost every definition of the word, tiny . But what it lacks in size, it makes up for in character. The place is done up in Japanese Pop Culture, with Anime and Manga influences everywhere you look. We arrived and, as expected, had to wait a little before we could get in. Which was perfectly fine by me. Because parked outside were two rather handsome motorcycles—a Honda CB350 and a Honda H'ness CB350 . Now, I have a weakness for motorcycles, and apparently, so did the universe that evening. I was admiring the two bikes when the owner of the CB350 appeared. One thing led to another and within seconds we were engaged in that v...

HAL Heritage Centre and Aerospace Museum

I was in Bangalore and this was the only place I actually wanted visit. So here I am taking the tour of India's first aerospace museum located at the HAL facility (opposite the old Bangalore Airport) spread over 4 acres. The displays of actual aircraft are very cool and so are the galleries showing historical pictures and evolution of HAL and its contribution to the nation in Military Aircraft as well as Aerospace. The disappointing thing at the end of the tour was the Gift shop, where I was hoping to find Scale Models of Aircraft and other Memorabilia from the IAF (Indian Air Force), but instead it was a dreary sight to see a shelf which housed Handicrafts! That just didn't make any sense whatsoever. Anyway for those of you who would like to visit this wonderful Museum, the details are below: HF-24 Marut 1T (D1698) IAF MIG-21 Bison (Trainer Version) HAL HJT-36 Sitara (IJT), Intermediate Jet Trainer Prototype. HAL Tejas mock-up (LCA) Light Weight...