GATEWAY OF INDIA, Mumbai

The Gateway to India is worth a quick look but it'll only take a minute to see all there is there. There are crowds of people, mostly visiting the site and lots selling random 'rubbish'. Worth a walk to it if you are in the Colabab area but nothing mind blowing here.

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Gateway of India is a big basalt arch standing on the waterfront in Colaba district. It is a busy place, busy with people strolling around taking their photo in front of the monument, people wanting to sell big balloons, photographs or tours to Elephanta Island. The boats to Elephanta Island leaves from here and it is better to buy the ticket directly by the boat then from one of the hawkers.

The Gateway of India was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911, but it was not completed until 1924. The arch is built in yellow basalt and reinforced concrete and is 26 metres high. It was built to commemorate a British king and when the last British troops left India in 1948 they did it through the Gateway.

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The Gateway of India on the waterfront in Mumbai is a 26 metres high arch, just like India Gate in New Dehli and Arc de Triomphe in Paris. In earlier times visitors arrived by boat here. The arch was built in the period from 1911 to 1924. It is located close to Taj Mahal Palace and in the Apollo Bunder area in South Mumbai.

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In 1911 King George V visited India and to commemorate this event the Gateway of India was built. Construction was completed in 1924.
The area around the gateway is busy, busy, busy! People will try to sell you giagantic balloons, ice creams, boat trips (to the Elephanta Caves), postcards, photographs, jewellery etc... the upside of so many people and so much activity is that once you have said "no thank you" you will not be badgered... there are enough people to keep even the fiercest hawkers and touts run off their feet!

This is where you must come to get a boat to Elephanta. You can also take a gilded horse-drawn carriage for you can pop across and nose around the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower Hotel There is little else to do once you have taken your shots of the gateway... unless you enjoy people watching in which case - eat your heart out!

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Gateway of India is the most famous landmark of Mumbai.. This beautiful monument was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911, en route to Delhi. The King and Queen were received with a cardboard and pastiche replica of the present day structure. The actual Triumphal Arch, built in honey coloured basalt was completed in 1924, 13 years after the visit of the royal couple. This monumental structure with two large reception halls, arches and minarets was designed by the Scottish architect George Wittet. He adopted a design based on medieval Gujarati architecture. Standing in front of this monument, you can enjoy a spectacular view of the sea and a cool breeze. The Gateway looks gorgeous at night when it is illuminated.
This monument is a major tourist attraction and attracts huge crowds during late evenings. The new year event is celebrated at this place with lot of fanfare. Huge crowd gathers here on the night of December 31 to celebrate the arrival of New Year. You can see lot of people dancing, hugging and greeting each other on the eve of New Year. Ships anchored at this harbour shall be beaming their search light on this monument which further enhances the beauty of this building.

Gateway of India is the starting point for most tourists who wants to explore Mumbai my place of birth. It was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary and thus was constructed with four turrets and intricate latticework carved into the yellow basalt stone. This triumphal arch was also the place from where the last British ships set sail for England and today it has become a place that draws great local and tourist populations. Located on the waterfront in Southern Mumbai this place provides the most picturesque view of the wide ocean ahead.

Behind the Gateway of India there are few steps that lead down to the waterfront, where one can enjoy an exhilarating motor launch ride for a short and speedy cruise through Mumbai’s magnificent natural harbor. Gateway of India is one of the most famous picnic place where I spend very many evenings with my friends just relaxing and enjoying the nice breeze coming from the ocean. At Gateway you can also watch a lot of life apart from visitors this place is full of photographers, toy sellers and more. The tourists however should avoid purchasing items from here, as they may charge you much more than the actual price.

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Bombay's primary landmark, the Gateway of India, was built in 1924 to commemorate the visit by King George V and Queen Mary to India in 1911. The grand gateway with pointed arches and four small minarets was designed by the Scottish architect, George Wittet, in a stunning mix of Neoclassical-style triumphal arch and Islamic architecture from the Indian region of Gujarat. It is located at Apollo Bunder, by the Bombay Harbour, in an area that is animated with locals as well as Indian and Western tourists, and right by the landmark Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. When I visited in Feb 2009, the Gateway of India was getting ready to be covered up in scaffolding for a restoration project. I caught it just in time before it wore its veil.

Taj Mahal Hotel, the name evokes waves of nostalgia in me.

I have visited the Gateway Of India several times since 1955 when I was a mere child. My dad would splurge on us and take us for a cup of tea at the famous Taj Mahal hotel. I have always loved lounging in one of those informal sitting rooms with HUGE glass windows overlooking the harbor, watching the ships. We would order tea and appetizers and spend couple of hours here. The bustle , the oppressive humidity of a summer afternoon, the crowds would vanish and we would be transported into another, enchanted land.

If you want a taste of true Indian hospitality, this is one such place, though the same is also found in the hearts of Indians. You dont have to spend much at all.

I always have bneen appreciative of the staff at the Taj. This time, I am saying a big THANK YOU guys.