A city of contrasting unequals: Bollywood against traditional culture, mega-rich against slum; Victorian architectures against Hindu buildings - Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) 945; Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai 1480; Yoga 01163
What and Why
As in the subtitle, Mumbai (Hindi: मुम्बई) is really a city of contrasting paradoxes: It is the epicentre of Bollywood movies featuring all sorts of fantasies, while the city celebrates every traditional holy festivals in fervour. It is the Indian financial centre and houses more billionaires than many Asian cities, while there are close to 10 million slum-dwellers in some of the poorest and most unhygienic areas in the world. It is a city rich in Indian tradition and culture, while the prevalent architecture is Victorian and Art-Deco mostly built during the colonial times, often infused with Indian decor, flair and craftsmanship. This anti-blend of culture gives Mumbai a special place amongst the cities of cultures.
Most of these stylish and exuberant Indian colonial buildings are concentrated in the South Mumbai area, showing the cultural influence of colonialisation.
Toponymy
The name Mumbai is derived from माहे-अंबे (Marathi: mahā-ambā), the name of the patron goddess Mumbadevi (मुंबा देवी) of the native Koli community, with the stem -ā'ī meaning mother in Marathi.
See
All of these historic buildings are concentrated in South Mumbai. We follow our guide map.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (छत्रपति शिवाजी टर्मिनस)
The marvellously ornate Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (छत्रपति शिवाजी टर्मिनस), or formerly the Victoria Station, is simply the landmark of Mumbai. It was built in the late 19th century CE to replace a former train station when Mumbai, then Bombay, became a major port city requiring a bigger station to meet its demands. Hence it was named Victoria Terminus, as it coincided with the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria's (née Victoria Hanover) rule of the British Empire. It was renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in 1996 CE after Shivaji (né Shivaji Bhonsale), the 17th-century CE chieftain who found the Maratha Empire (Marathi: मराठा साम्राज्य, Marātha Sāmrājy). The title Chhatrapati (छत्रपति) is a Sanskrit compound of छत्र (chhatra) meaning, parasol and पति (pati) meaning ruler which is considered as a symbolic representation of the protector of people in the then South-India.
The terminus is huge and it is almost impossible to take a full-sized photo of the building across the street as Mumbai is very congested nowadays. The station was built by Frederick Stevens, in an exuberant Italian Gothic style, in an attempt to resemble Saint Pancras in London, but ultimately overtaking its in importance, grandeur and heritage.
The columns of the entrance gates are crowned by figures of a lion (representing the British Empire) and a tiger (representing India), although the statue of Queen Victoria has since been removed. Apparently while the building is largely Victorian in style, the station is considered an outstanding example of the fusion of two cultures, as British architects worked with Indian craftsmen to include Indian architectural tradition forging a new hybrid but unique style for Mumbai.
Inside the station it exhumes the normal Indian chaos and noises and look every inch a typical Indian train station. One can easily recall the final dancing scenes from the award-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire featured in one of the platforms.
Rajabai Clock Tower (राजाबाई क्लॉक टॉवर)
The Rajabai Clock Tower (राजाबाई क्लॉक टॉवर) was designed and built by George Scott in the 1870s CE and was trying to model after Big Ben, although Scott never visited Mumbai. The tower was named after its sponsor Premchand Roychand's (Tamil: பிரேம்சந்த் ராய்சந்த்) mother Rajabai, who founded the Bombay Stock Exchange. The current tower now falls under the precinct of the University of Mumbai (मुंबई विश्वविद्यालय).
The tower was built in a fusion of Venetian and Gothic styles and is famous for its stained glass windows. The tower was closed to the public after it became too popular for committing suicide.
Oval Maidan (अंडाकार मैदान)
A recreational ground which is oval in shape, the ground is very popular for cricket lovers, and one will see thousands of cricket balls being thrown around in all directions inside the park. The High Court of Bombay and clock tower oversee the oval. Maidan comes from the Persian word میدان word (maidān) for a town square.
University of Mumbai (मुंबई विश्वविद्यालय)
The Cowasji Jehangir Convocation Hall (काउवासजी जहांगीर दीक्षांत समारोह हॉल) at the University of Mumbai (मुंबई विश्वविद्यालय, Mumbai vishvavidyaalay) is a Victorian building built during the 1870s CE. It was built like a classic Victorian cathedral and was named after its community leader and sponsor Cowasji Jehangir Readymoney (कावासजी जहांगीर रेडीमनी) and is now serving the main hall of the university.
Watson's Hotel (ওয়াটসন'স হোটেল)
The Watson's Hotel is a derelict cast-iron building and was probably the earliest cast-iron structures in the world, constructed in the late 1860s CE. The entire iron-structure was pre-casted and fabricated in England, and shipped to Mumbai for construction. Unfortunately the building has since been vacated and is left in a dilapidated state. The building was named after its owner John Watson.
David Sassoon Library (डेविड ससून लाइब्रेरी)
The David Sassoon Library is a famous library built right in the smack of the city of Mumbai. The idea for a library to be situated in the centre of the city came from Albert Sassoon, son of the famous British Baghdadi Jewish philanthropist David Sassoon. While Victorian in facade, the little building oozes Jewish decor throughout.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (छत्रपति शिवाजी महाराज वस्तु संग्रहालय)
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya is the main museum in Mumbai. Built in the early years of the 20th century CE in the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture by prominent citizens of Mumbai to commemorate the visit of King George V (né George Windsor), the museum was renamed in 1998 CE after Shivaji.
While the overall architecture brims with Islamic influences, the building incorporates elements of other styles like the Mughal, Maratha and Jain. The museum itself houses 50,000 exhibits of ancient Indian history.
Maharashtra Police Headquarters (महाराष्ट्र पुलिस मुख्यालय)
Maharashtra Police Headquarters (महाराष्ट्र पुलिस मुख्यालय) was built between 1870s CE by Frederick Stevens, in Gothic Revival and Venetian Gothic style.
Wellington Fountain (वेलिंगटन फाउंटेन)
Wellington Fountain (वेलिंगटन फाउंटेन) was erected in 1865 CE to commemorate the visits of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, who came to India in the early 19th century CE. The fountain is built in neoclassical style with basalt. It has two tiers and the lower tier has eight bas reliefs depicting the duke's victories.
Regal Cinema (रीगल सिनेमा)
The Regal Cinema (रीगल सिनेमा) is an Art-deco movie theatre built during the cinema boom and Art-deco wave of the 1930s CE in Mumbai. The Regal was built completely in reinforced concrete cement, fully air conditioned, and had an underground parking lot for patrons. All of which was leading innovation of the time.
As a matter of fact, everyone knows Mumbai is the centre of Bollywood and enjoys a vibrant theatre and cinema scene, especially with the Indian Bollywood dance. By the way, all these dances started with the historic movie Alam Ara (आलमआरा) in 1931 CE, and the Regal Cinema was the epicentre of it all. Definitely not a fan.
Just opposite to the Regal Cinema sits Cafe Mondegar, which is a popular landmark and touristic attraction of Mumbai. It is housed in the Sahakari Bhandar Building which is a Persian Zoroastrianist design.
Taj Mahal Palace Hotel (ताजमहल पैलेस एंड टॉवर)
The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel (ताजमहल पैलेस एंड टॉवर) is a heritage, five-star luxury hotel built in the Saracenic Revival style in the turn of the 20th century CE. The hotel is the notorious target of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
The hotel now is extended with a modern tower just next to it. When it opened in 1903 CE, the hotel was the first in India to have modern facilities: electricity, elevators, Turkish baths and English butlers. It also had the city's first licensed bar, India's first all-day restaurant and discotheque. The hotel is one of the scenes in the recent movie Tenet.
Gateway of India (गेटवे ऑफ़ इन्डिया)
In front of the Taj Hotel stands the harbour jetty and the Gateway of India (गेटवे ऑफ़ इन्डिया) which was erected to commemorate the landing in 1911 CE of King George V and Queen Mary (née Mary Teck), the first British monarch to visit India. The gateway was used as a symbolic ceremonial entrance to British India for important colonial personnel. It had been called a symbol of conquest and colonisation commemorating British colonial legacy. The gateway is also the monument from where the last British troops left India in 1948 CE.
Marine Drive (मैरीन ड्राइव)
The Marine Drive (मैरीन ड्राइव), officially the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose (सुभाष चन्द्र बोस) Road, is a 3.6-km promenade which features the most expensive commercial and residential buildings in Mumbai. Most of these buildings wereerected by wealthy Parsis in Art-deco style, which was popular in the 1920s and 1930s CE during Mumbai's heydays.
Marine Drive is also fondly known as the Queen's Necklace because, when viewed at night from an elevated point anywhere along the drive, the street lights resemble a string of pearls in a necklace.
Buy and Do
There are quite a number of yoga (योग) classes in Mumbai, and there is one institute that claimed itself to be the oldest yoga institute of the world, The Yoga Institute (योग संस्थान, yoga sansthaan). My troop came to do a yoga session in Mumbai. For a more detailed description about yoga, please refer to our earlier blog in Delhi (दिल्ली), when we did our first formal yoga session in India.
Eat and Drink
Thali (थाली)
We had a few good meals as we were well taken care of. One of the best meals was in Thackers (ठक्कर्स) which is a very classy Indian vegetarian fare along Marine Drive, overlooking the beach and the harbour. Their main is the thali (थाली), which literally means a large plate. The idea is that all the six different flavours: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, astringent and spicy on one single meal, served on a big metal tray or plate. This is the common dish in South India and is usually the lunch of choice.
I do have a comment on the dish with my knowledge on fluid mechanics: Metal plates do not go well with oily gravy and curry (Tamil: கறி, kaṟi) due to its contact angle effect with grease, and after a while the gravy will look very messy on the thali, appearing sludgy. I still favour using porcelain or ceramic as an eating plate.
Stay
As this is an academic visit, we were provided a stay in the Executive Enclave (कार्यकारी एन्क्लेव). Basic stay, but the surrounding precinct is really like a dodgy slum.
Getting There and Around
The best way to get around the area and explore these sites is by foot, all of the above sites are walking distance from the train station. Distance-wise all of them are fairly close to each other, but as usual getting around Indian chaotic traffic is the big problem. Mumbai has loads to offer other than these sites and one should stay there for a few days.
UNESCO Inscriptions
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly known as Victoria Terminus Station, in Mumbai, is an outstanding example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture in India, blended with themes deriving from Indian traditional architecture. The building, designed by the British architect F. W. Stevens, became the symbol of Bombay as the ‘Gothic City’ and the major international mercantile port of India. The terminal was built over 10 years, starting in 1878, according to a High Victorian Gothic design based on late medieval Italian models. Its remarkable stone dome, turrets, pointed arches and eccentric ground plan are close to traditional Indian palace architecture. It is an outstanding example of the meeting of two cultures, as British architects worked with Indian craftsmen to include Indian architectural tradition and idioms thus forging a new style unique to Bombay.
Having become a global trading centre, the city of Mumbai implemented an ambitious urban planning project in the second half of the 19th century. It led to the construction of ensembles of public buildings bordering the Oval Maidan open space, first in the Victorian Neo-Gothic style and then, in the early 20th century, in the Art Deco idiom. The Victorian ensemble includes Indian elements suited to the climate, including balconies and verandas. The Art Deco edifices, with their cinemas and residential buildings, blend Indian design with Art Deco imagery, creating a unique style that has been described as Indo-Deco. These two ensembles bear testimony to the phases of modernization that Mumbai has undergone in the course of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The philosophy behind the ancient Indian practice of yoga has influenced various aspects of how society in India functions, whether it be in relation to areas such as health and medicine or education and the arts. Based on unifying the mind with the body and soul to allow for greater mental, spiritual and physical wellbeing, the values of yoga form a major part of the community’s ethos. Yoga consists of a series of poses, meditation, controlled breathing, word chanting and other techniques designed to help individuals build self-realization, ease any suffering they may be experiencing and allow for a state of liberation. It is practised by the young and old without discriminating against gender, class or religion and has also become popular in other parts of the world. Traditionally, yoga was transmitted using the Guru-Shishya model (master-pupil) with yoga gurus as the main custodians of associated knowledge and skills. Nowadays, yoga ashrams or hermitages provide enthusiasts with additional opportunities to learn about the traditional practice, as well as schools, universities, community centres and social media. Ancient manuscripts and scriptures are also used in the teaching and practice of yoga, and a vast range of modern literature on the subject available.
References
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