My Visual Travel Experience: Mumbai

I've never lived in Mumbai but I feel like I've almost lived there, because since 1995, I have visited Mumbai almost every year. I've spent a cumulative of over 4 months in the city, and in some years I've spent 2 or even 3 weeks there. My trips have largely been on work, but I've also gone to visit family and friends. It's a city that has grown on me over the years, and I find it to be one of India's most dynamic and vibrant cities.

Mumbai, called Bombay till 1995, has a population of 12.4 million (2011 census) and is India’s most populated city. It is India’s commercial capital, as well as being the capital of the state of Maharashtra. Today Mumbai is a large financial, commercial and entertainment centre. It has important financial institutions like the Bombay Stock Exchange, the National Stock Exchange and SEBI. It houses the corporate headquarters of numerous large companies. It is also home to the popular Hindi film industry, widely known as Bollywood.

Mumbai consists of a set of 7 islands. It came under the control of the Portugese in 1534. In 1661, Charles II of England married Catherine of Braganza, and the 7 islands were a part of the dowry. That’s how they came under the British East India Company. Bombay gradually became a major seaport and with it, a big economic hub. By 1845, a major civil engineering project was completed that merged the 7 islands into a single landmass through land reclamation. After India’s independence from the British in 1947, the city became a part of Bombay State. In 1960, the state of Maharashtra was formed and Bombay became its capital.

Mumbai offers a lot to visitors. The city has a popular seafront; vibrant beaches; interesting museums; beautiful Victorian English architecture that reminds one of London; popular malls, markets and shopping streets; great places for entertainment; world class hotels and restaurants; delicious street food; large parks; and well known temples, churches and mosques.

Mumbai isn’t without its share of problems. Traffic jams are a part of life, but the train system acts as the city’s life line. In recent years, infrastructure development has been good, and highways and flyovers have come up. The Mumbai Metro and the Mumbai Monorail have also come up, helping in decongesting the city. In Mumbai, one can see wealth and poverty coexist like nowhere else. The city has many of the country’s wealthiest businessmen and actors, but it also has sprawling slums. The city has also had its unfortunate share of terror attacks, most notably in 1993 after the Babri Masjid demolition, and then in 2008 when there were attacks in various parts of the city, including the iconic Taj Mahal Hotel. However, Mumbai has always managed to bounce back and despite everything, it is perhaps India’s most vibrant city!

Gateway of India was built to commemorate the visit to India by King George V and Queen Mary in 1911. The foundation stone was laid in 1911 but the gateway was completed in 1924. It overlooks the Arabian Sea, and lies adjacent to Taj Mahal Hotel.

Gateway of India, and Taj Mahal Hotel

Taj Mahal Hotel is situated in Colaba near Gateway of India. The hotel opened in 1903, and was set up by Jamsetji Tata.  It is one of Mumbai’s best known landmarks. The hotel has over 500 rooms. Many heads of state and other well known personalities have stayed at the luxury hotel. In 2008, the hotel was damaged in the Mumbai terror strike and 31 people were killed in the hotel. The hotel was quickly renovated after the attack.

Taj Mahal Hotel

Marine Drive is a 3.6 km long boulevard in South Mumbai. The C shaped road is also referred to as the Queen’s Necklace. It connects Nariman Point to Malabar Hill. The boulevard has landmarks like the Air India Building, The Oberoi and The Trident. It also passes through the popular Chowpatty Beach. The boulevard also has many art deco buildings from the 1920’s and 1930’s.

Air India Building, Marine Drive

The Trident and The Oberoi, Marine Drive

Rocks, Marine Drive

Chowpatty Beach is a popular beach along Marine Drive. The beach is famous for its street-food like bhel-puri. During the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi, the beach is Mumbai’s most popular one for the immersion of the Ganesha idols into the Arabian Sea.

Chowpatty Beach

Rajabai Clock Tower is a part of the University of Mumbai. It lies at Oval Maidan, between Bombay High Court and City Civil and Sessions Court. The clock tower is 85 meters tall and is designed along the lines of London’s Big Ben. Premchand Roychand, a prosperous broker, was one of the donors for the construction. His mother was blind, and the tower’s evening bell helped her keep track of the time.

Rajabai Tower

Bombay High Court lies at Oval Maidan in Churchgate. The Gothic building was completed in 1878.

Bombay High Court

The City Civil and Sessions Court lies at Oval Maidan. It is one of three Gothic buildings along Oval Maidan along with Bombay High Court and Rajabai Tower.

City Civil and Sessions Court

Victoria Terminus, renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in 2004 and then Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in 2017, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the headquarters of the Central Railways. The station was built in 1887 to commemorate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria’s rule. The building is designed in Victorian Gothic architectural style.  

Victoria Terminus

Lion Sculpture, Victoria Terminus

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Building lies opposite Chhatrapai Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. The Gothic building houses the civic body that governs the city. The Bombay Municipal Corporation was set up in 1865 with Arthur Crawford as its first commissioner. The building was completed in 1893.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Building

David Sassoon Library was completed in 1870 by the Jewish philanthropist, David Sassoon. It was opened as a library and reading room for the European employees working for the Government Mint and the Dockyard.  Above the entrance, there is a marble bust of David Sassoon.

David Sassoon Library

Elphinstone College  is affiliated to the University of Mumbai. It was established in 1856 and is one of the oldest colleges in Mumbai.

Elphinstone College

Flora Fountain at Hutatma Chowk was built in 1864 in Mumbai’s Fort area.  It is dedicated to the Roman goddess Flora.

Flora Fountain

Hutatma Chowk is a square that houses Flora Fountain. It also has a statue of a martyr with a flame, to commemorate 105 members of the Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti, who lost their lives in 1960 in police firing while demonstrating peacefully for the creation of the state of Maharashtra.

Hutatma Chowk

Haji Ali Dargah is a mosque and tomb in Worli. The Dargah was built in 1431 in memory of a wealthy merchant Sayyed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, who hailed from modern day Uzbekistan and eventually settled in Mumbai. The Dargah lies in the sea, and is connected to the mainland by a narrow strip of land.  

Haji Ali Dargah

Interior, Haji Ali Dargah

Prince of Wales Museum, now called the Chhatrapati Shivaji Museum, was established in 1922, and was set up to commemorate the visit by Edward VII, then the Prince of Wales. The grand building is in the Indo-Saracenic architectural style. The museum has three broad sections – art, archaeology and natural history – and its extensive collections include stone sculptures, metal sculptures, coins, textiles, prehistoric finds, a natural history section, European paintings, a Chinese and Japanese gallery and miniature paintings.

Prince of Wales Museum

Pots in the Prehistorical Section, 
Prince of Wales Museum

Ganesha in the Sculpture Gallery,
Prince of Wales Museum

Tigers in the Natural History Section, 
Prince of Wales Museum

Ceramic Plate in the Chinese and Japanese Gallery, 
Prince of Wales Museum

Sculpture of Sir Ratan Tata in the European Paintings Section, 
Prince of Wales Museum

Ivory Rooster, 
Prince of Wales Museum

Sculpture of Krishna, 
Prince of Wales Museum

Bhau Daji Lad Museum was originally established in 1855 and moved to its present location in 1872. It is Mumbai’s oldest museum. It was formerly called the Victoria and Albert Museum. The museum’s collections include archaeological finds, maps of Mumbai, metal ware and costumes.

Bhau Daji Lad Museum

Interior, 
Bhau Daji Lad Museum

Clock Tower, 
Bhau Daji Lad Museum

Bust of David Sassoon, 
Bhau Daji Lad Museum

Elephant Sculpture from Elephanta Island,
Bhau Daji Lad Museum

Woman with Diya,Bhau Daji Lad Museum 

Siddhivinayak Temple is located in Prabhadevi. It was originally built in 1801 and is Mumbai's richest temple. The temple is dedicated to Lord Ganesha. The inner roof is plated with gold.

Siddhivinayak Temple

Basilica of our Lady of the Mount, also called Mount Mary Church, is located in Bandra.  The original church was destroyed and the current structure dates back to 1904. During the annual Bandra fair, the area is full of buntings and stalls selling religious articles and snacks. The church’s statue of Our Lady dates back to the 16th century AD, when Jesuit priests from Portugal brought it to its current location.

Mount Mary Church

High Altar, Mount Mary Church

St Andrew’s Church was built by the Jesuits in 1575. It is located in Bandra and is one of Mumbai’s oldest churches. 

St Andrew's Church

High Altar, St Andrew's Church

Vidhan Bhavan, situated in Nariman Point, houses the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

Vidhan Bhavan

Hanging Gardens are located in Malabar Hill opposite Kamla Nehru Park. The gardens have hedges in the shape of animals. One gets a good view of the Arabian Sea from there.

Hanging Gardens

Kamla Nehru Park lies opposite Hanging Gardens. The park is popular with children, and the shoe structure is one of its more popular attractions.

Kamla Nehru Park

Joggers Park is a seaside jogging track in Bandra.  The park opened in 1990 and the jogging track is 400 meters long.

Joggers Park

High Street Phoenix is a large mall located in Lower Parel. In 1905, Phoenix Mills was opened to manufacture cotton textiles. In 1977, the mill was destroyed in a fire. The mall came up in 1996. The mall complex also includes a residential tower, a five star hotel, Palladium with its high end fashion stores, and India’s first Big Bazaar and Hamleys outlets.

High Street Phoenix

Parel used to house many of Mumbai’s cloth mills, which have been demolished, and swanky apartment buildings like Vivarea and Planet Godrej have come up in their place.

Vivarea, Parel

Mumbai has many world class hotels, including Taj Mahal Hotel in Colaba, Taj Land End Hotel in Bandra, The Oberoi along Marine Drive, The Trident along Marine Drive, The Leela in Juhu, ITC Grand Maratha in Andheri, and ITC Grand Central in Parel. ITC Grand Central is particularly interesting, with its interesting architecture and its towers. 

ITC Grand Central

Mumbai is a great place for foodies. Popular eating places include Wasabi at Taj Palace Hotel (Mumbai's top Japanese restaurant), Peshawari at ITC Grand Maratha (with its North West Frontier Province food), The Peshwa Pavilion at ITC Grand Maratha (with its Indian and Asian cuisines), Goa Portugesa in Mahim (with its Goan cuisines), Celini at Grand Hyatt (a great place for Italian food), Pizzeria by the Bay along Marine Drive (with its delicious pizzas, overlooking Marine Drive and the Arabian Sea ahead), Trishna (Mumbai's most popular sea food restaurant) and Chowpatty Beach and Juhu Beach (which have their popular local street food, like bhel-puri).

Elephanta Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated on Elephanta Island, 10 km to the east of Mumbai. The caves have rock cut cave temples dating back to the 5th to the 9th centuries. The best known idol at Elephants Caves is the 6.1 meter tall Shiva Trimurti statue.  

Elephanta Caves

So Mumbai certainly has a lot to offer to visitors. It doesn't have the kind of history that Delhi has, but it still has enough sites to keep visitors busy for days on end.