THE GATEWAY OF INDIA

Apollo Pier is called the Gateway of India. It was

built in the memory of the late King George V and

Queen Mary to commensurate their visit in

December 1911. It is one of the favorite evening

resorts. Statues of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and

Swami Vivekanand have been installed just opposite

the Gateway of India. George Wittet, consulting

architect to the city of Bombay, was the designer of

the last great building of the British rule in

Bombay, the Gateway of India. It was intended as a

triumphal arch to commemorate the visit of George

V and Queen Mary in 1911, en route to the Delhi

Durbar. The arch of the Gateway was actually a part

of a much wider scheme which Wittet intended for

the area, but it never came to fruition. As a result,

it today looks a little isolated and unaligned with

the axis of the former Yacht Club. These

architectural imperfections are lost on the casual

visitor and are visible only to the discerning eye.

Historically, the Gateway of India remains the spot

where almost 300 years of colonialism ended and

where the last British troops departed from, a slow

setting of the sun over the British Empire.

Gateway of India in Mumbai was built in the Indo-

saracenic style to commemorate the visit of King

George V and Queen Mary to Bombay in 1911. The

design of George Wittet was sanctioned by the

Indian Government in 1914. The foundations of the

project that cost Rs 21 lakh, was complete in 1920.

The Viceroy, Earl of Reading inaugurated the

gateway in Mumbai on December 4, 1924. However,

the approach road to the gateway built from yellow

Kharodi basalt and concrete, could not be laid due

to alleged lack of funds and thus it stands in an

angle on the road that leads to it.

Features of Gateway of India in Mumbai

 

-   Though built in the Indo-saracenic style, the

gateway imbibes local style of architecture as well

as that of the Muslims of Gujarat.

-The central dome of Gateway of India in Mumbai,

is 48 feet in diameter and 83 feet high at the

highest point.

-The whole harbour front was relaid so that it would

sweep down to the centre of the town.

-The gateway has four turrets and is designed with

intricate latticework.

THE PRINCE OF WALES MUSEUM:-

Amid the hustle and bustle of Mumbai stand some

stately buildings, remnants of the British Raj.

Among them is that of the Prince of Wales Museum,

named after Prince George (Later George V) who

visited India in 1905 and laid the foundation stone

of the building. Not far from the museum, its

architect George Wittet also built the famous

Gateway of India on the seafront, near the Taj

Mahal Hotel. Through the arch the Prince made his

royal entrance to India as King George V for the

Delhi Darbar in 1911.

HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM

Designed by George Wittet, the foundation stone

was laid in 1905 by the visiting Prince of Wales. The

building was completed in 1914, converted to a

military hospital during the World War I, and

Finally opened in 1923 by Lady Lloyd, the wife of Sir

George Lloyd, the then governor.

The Exquisite Indo-Saracenic Architectural Style

Built in the Indo-Saracenic style, the facing is done

in yellow and blue stones quarried from the

Mumbai region. The dome is modeled after the Gol

Gumbaz in Bijapur, Karnataka.

It incorporates a variety of details from different

Indian styles, small bulbous cupolas on towers,

Saracenic arches with Muslim ‘Jalis’ as fillers, semi-

open verandahs and Rajput ‘Jharokhas’.

The structure forms a long rectangle of three

storeys, raised in the Centre to accommodate the

entrance porch. Above the central arched entrance

rises a huge dome, tiled in white and blue flecks,

supported on a lotus- petal base. Around the dome

is an array of pinnacles, each topped by a miniature

dome. Indian motifs such as brackets and

protruding eaves are combined with so-called

Islamic arches and tiny domes.

The plan of the Museum is simple, with a central

hall from which the staircase leads to the two upper

floors with galleries branching out on the right and

left. An extension on the right-hand side of the

main building (as you stand facing its front

entrance) houses the natural history section. The

second floor houses the Indian miniature painting

gallery, the pride of the museum, and next to it are

the galleries of decorative art and, to the left of the

central well of the staircase, the gallery of Tibetan

and Nepali art.

EUROPEAN PAINTING, ARMOURY AND

TEXTILE GALLERIES.

Galleries in the Museum. There’s a lot to see in the

Prince of Wales Museum and one will be doing

oneself a disservice if one rushes to see it all in one

go. To walk around the key gallery is like

experiencing 5,000 years of Indian art in a capsule.

THE MINIATURE PAINTINGS

An excellent collection of Indian miniature

paintings occupies much of the second floor, but

they are poorly presented apart from those display

in helpful thematic groups. This floor also has fine

examples of Nepalese and Tibetan art, including a

beautiful 12th century Maitreya, with his head

surrounded by a halo, slightly inclined. The gentle,

sensuous curves of the torso are draped in

garments and jeweled chains to suggest texture and

movement. The Tata family, a large industrial house

with interests in the sciences and the arts, donated

the collection displayed in the Nepal and Tibet

gallery. The Buddhist and Hindu images in metal

are gilded, and studded with gems. Statuettes of

Tara, the Buddhist goddess of compassion,

Vajradhara, Lord of the Thunderbolt, and of

Lakshmi Narayana are studded with turquoise, ruby

and diamond. Most beautiful of all is tiny

Avalokitesvara from Nepal, of the 17th centuries.

SHOWCASING INDIAN PRE-HISTORY

On the mezzanine level, there’s a small gallery

devoted to Indian prehistory and pro to history. It

consists largely of primitive tools and ornaments

excavated by Sir John Marshall in Mohenjodaro in

1922.

THE GROUND FLOOR GALLERY

In the ground floor gallery are impressive local

sculptures from Elephanta Island, Parel, Thane and

Jogeshwari. The Elephonta sculptures include a

composed four-headed Brahma, a dramatic portion

of the Buffalo Demon being killed by Devi, and a

fragment of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati

accompanied by a splendid dwarf.

THE NATURAL HISTORY SECTION

The Natural History Section was added to the

museum from the collection of the Bombay Natural

History Society. This section on the ground floor

has a large selection of Indian birds, a low-tech but

educational exhibit on snakes, and stuffed examples

of the usual suspects ranging from rhinos to

monkeys and lions to deer. The highlight is

definitely the freakish 20-foot-long Saw Fish that

must have shocked fishermen when they hauled it

up in their nets in the waters off Government House

in 1938. All the exhibits are well labeled.

CHHATRAPATI SHAVAJI TERMINUS –

VICTORIA TERMINUS

Popularly known as Bori Bunder, and previously

also called as a Victoria Terminus (VT), a new

terminus for the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, at

the time the largest and most extensive

architectural work in India. This massive Italian

Gothic style building was built in 1888. It is one of

the biggest railway terminus of the East. It is the

terminus or last stop or the starting of the Central

Railway (CR) trains. Nearby this you will find a

buildings of Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation,

General Post Office (GPO), Times of India etc. The

Victoria Terminus station is the finest example of

Victorian Gothic architecture in India. It was

inspired by Sir George Gilbert Scott St. Pancras

Station in London, and was erected between 1878

and 1887. It is highly original though rooted firmly

in the tradition of Scott, Ruskin, and Burges. The

building epitomises the spirit of the age and it

stands as a pane of praise to the railway, which

more than any other factor was a catalyst in the rise

of Mumbai. The Terminus is a symmetrical building

and is surmounted by a colossal masonry dome.

Beneath the dome, the stairs rise in solemn sweeps

to each floor.

The booking hall is spanned by pointed arches with

wooden vaulted ceilings, decorated with stars on an

azure background. The lower part of the wall is clad

in glazed tiles of rich foliated designs. The windows

are filled with stained glass or ornamental wrought

iron grille-work, to reduce the sun’s glare. The

whole Terminus cost a wondrous 250,000 pounds.

In the corridor at the entrance leading to the main

hall, the vaulting has richly carved animals. The

enormous 14-foot high statue of Progress crowning

the dome is the work of Thomas Earp, as are the

richly carved stone medallions which adorn the

front elevation. Victoria Terminus, now called

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, is a sensation in

architecture, both in perspective and in detail.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus formerly Victoria

Terminus with its cathedral like facade is located at

Dr.D.Naoroji Road, Nagar Chowk on the eastern

shoreline of Mumbai. Declared as a World Heritage

Site by the UNESCO on July 2, 2004, the train

station  is Mumbai's historical landmark and also a

symbol of the city's Gothic buildings. The Terminus

is the 2nd 'World Heritage Site' of the Indian

Railways after the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways

which was inscribed in 1988, and the first

functional administrative building to be put on the

World Heritage list.

Built in 1888 as the headquarters of the Great

Indian Peninsular Railway Company, Chhatrapati

Shivaji Terminus is also the western most end point

of the Central Railways. Designed by Frederick

William Stevens, a British architect, the building is

a wonderful example of the Indo-Victorian Gothic

Revival architectural style. The railway station was

opened to the public on New Year's Day, 1882.

Today, at least 1250 trains leave the station every

day from its 14 platforms, carrying some 3.3

million  passengers in and out of the city. It is the

hub of the suburban (local) railways as well as some

of the long distance trains. A major part of the

building houses the administrative section of the

Central Railways.

Construction of the Terminus began in 1878 and

was completed after 10 years in May 1888 at a cost

of Rs. 16.14 lakhs (Rs. 1.614 million). In 1853, it

was from this station that India's very first steam

engine left for its first trip to Thane. Initially named

as 'Victoria Terminus' in honour of the reigning

Queen Victoria, in 1996 it was renamed Chhatrapati

Shivaji Terminus honoring the great 17th century

Maratha King, by the State Government of

Maharastra. It is now commonly known as CST

though the old name VT or Victoria Terminus, is

still commonly used.

Built in local sandstone, with a combination of the

English Venetian Gothic style endorsed with

elements of Indian Architecture, the terminus

interior is very impressive with vaulted roofs,

arches, Gothic spires, neoclassical sculptures, stone

carvings, exquisite friezes etc. The frontage of the

terminus is symmetrical with a massive central

dome and a number of smaller domes and conical

towers on the wings on either side.

The central dome bears a thirteen feet solid statue

of a woman ( 'Progress') with a flaming torch in her

right arm raised towards the sky and a spoked

wheel low in her left hand, by Thomas Earp, an

architectural carver who also carved the Imperial

lion and the Indian tiger on the gate piers in the

front. Beneath this dome are the stairs to each

floor. A life-size statue of Queen Victoria is placed

in front of the central facade. The other statues

include one representing 'Agriculture' on the

central gable (triangular upper part of a wall at the

end of a ridged roof) on the south side and on each

of the two gables in the wings of the west facade

representing 'Engineering & Science' and 'Shipping

& Commerce'. A large clock of diameter 3.19

meters on the tower of the terminus is another

attractive feature.

There are bas relief's of the 10 directors of the

Great Indian Peninsular Railway Company on the

facade. Ornamented panels displaying peacocks,

monkeys, elephants and British lions are mixed up

among the buttresses, domes, turrets, spires and

stained glass windows that are rich in primary

colours. There are four gateways to the main

entrance and the rectangular yard in front,

maintains an ornamental garden on one side.The

wood carving, tiles, ornamental iron and brass

railings, grills for the ticket offices, the balustrades

for the grand staircases and other ornaments etc

were the work of students at the Bombay School of

Art. The cantilevered staircase that leads to the

dome, the large spacious booking hall with its

pointed arcades, glazed tiles, stained glass and

wooden vaulted ceilings inspired by London's St.

Pancras station, the Star Chamber (the ticketing

office for the local service) are fine examples of art

and engineering.

The increased traffic and pollution have damaged

this historic building's former glory, but the Central

Railway has earmarked a substantial amount for its

restoration and conservation process. Some

additions and changes were made to the building as

part of the expansion and reorganisation of the

Indian Railways in the 1960s and 1970s by the

Central Railways, mainly to accommodate an

increasing staff strength. But in 1980, as part of

the conservation process the number of staff

occupying the building has been reduced. 

DAVID SASSOON LIBRARY

The David Sassoon Library houses one of the oldest

living Library and Reading rooms in use in Mumbai.

Members of all age groups visit it as it is

conveniently located in the Fort Area in an old

business district in the city of Mumbai. The Library

has been listed as a Grade heritage structure within

the Fort precinct and the Museum sub-precinct as

per the Heritage Regulations of the Mumbai

Municipal Corporation (1995).

A group of young mechanics and foremen of the

Royal Mint and Government Dockyard established a

museum and library for mechanical models and

architectural design, in 1847, which led to the

creation of the Sassoon Library. In 1863, Sir David

Sassoon, a leading banker of Mumbai, contributed

Rs.60,000/- to the government to build a

Mechanic's Institute, now called the David Sassoon

Library. This Venetian Gothic styled structure,

completed in 1870, forms part of an important

ensemble of buildings, that are crucial for the

image of the Fort Area.

The library today still boasts of growing

membership. It houses a large collection of very

rare old books. The reading room is frequented

often by working students due to its convenient

location in the heart of the business district.

In 1996, on the occasion of its 150 Anniversary, an

extensive fund-raising exercise was undertaken for

the first major restoration efforts carried out to the

Library. The Restoration process dealt largely with

undoing the damages caused to the building with

all the additions urgent restoration tasks were

attended to. However, it was found that after eight

years many of the unattended areas needed urgent

attention. Hence, rather than the earlier

fragmented approach, there is a need to collect a

sufficient corpus for restoration and work towards a

comprehensive restoration program for the Library.

It would ensure that all the restoration tasks are

attended to and carried out under strict supervision

of the consultants within a structured time frame.

The Phase ll works include restoration of the library

building, and improving its functioning. As this

would be a long-term undertaking, the Library has

decided to proceed initially with the external

restoration works only, and subsequently taken on

other works related to restoration and library

expansion.

Salient Features

One of the oldest libraries in the city. The institute

is rendering dedicated services in the field of

academic, cultural and social development to the

people of Mumbai.

The library's main assets are the rare books. Some

of the books in the library's treasure are published

way back in the year 1798.

The library has recently set up an art gallery near

the entrance of the building to encourage young,

upcoming, talented artists to exhibit their art

materials.

It would not be exaggerating to state that the

library has become a place of tourist attraction

considering the regular visits of many foreign and

Indian tourists.

A unique and most enchanting feature of the library

is a very well maintained garden in its backyard. It

is a 'green lung' amidst the vibrant and crowded

commercial area

The Asiatic library

The aims and objects of the Society as envisaged

when it was set up in 1804 was " to promote useful

knowledge particularly such as is now immediately

connected with India." Thereafter in 1954 and 1995

the aims and objects were revised without prejudice

to the above.

The Asiatic Society of Mumbai forms part of the

network of institutions created by the British to

generate, systematize and disseminate knowledge

of India and Orient: a vast and cumulative body of

information, learning and knowledge which became

constituted into the field of Indology. It was

encyclopaedic in its scope, embracing diverse areas

like numismatics, epigraphy, anthropology, history,

archaeology, linguistics, philology, natural history,

geology, philosophy, literature and theology.

The Asiatic Society of Mumbai was founded by Sir

James Mackintosh, a distinguished lawyer, jurist

and public figure in England who became the

Recorder or the King’s Judge for Bombay. Known

then as the Literary Society of Bombay, it met for

the first time on Nov 26, 1804 and aimed at

“promoting useful knowledge, particularly such as

its now immediately connected with India.” 

Its formally stated objective was the investigation

and encouragement of Oriental Arts, Sciences and

Literature.  In this venture, Mackintosh was

influenced by Sir William Jones who, two decades

earlier, had established the Asiatic Society of

Bengal.  The Literary Society purchased the

collections of the Medical and Literary Library, a

private library founded in 1789, and this formed the

nucleus of the Library.  In 1826, the Literary

Society merged with the recently established Royal

Society of Great Britain and Ireland (RAS) as its

Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society

(BBRAS).  In 1830, it moved into the Town Hall

Building, towards the construction of which it made

a contribution of Rs 10,000/-In 1873, the

Geographical Society of Bombay and in 1896 the

Anthropological Society of Bombay merged with the

BBRAS, bringing in their collections.

In 1841, the Society started publishing a journal

titled Journal of the Bombay Branch of the Royal

Asiatic Society which continues to be published

under the name Journal of the Asiatic Society of

Mumbai.  That was also the year the Society began

admitting Indians as members.  In 1954, it became

separate from RAS and renamed itself as The

Asiatic Society of Bombay and in 200_  "The Asiatic

Society of Mumbai."

The personalities intimately connected with the

Society in its early years included administrators,

jurists, educationists, missionaries many of whom

are scholars as well.  Many were important

contributors to the Indian renaissance.  Many were

active and influential in public life, engaging with

issues of social reform and nationalism.  The

subjects included within its scope, and the

personalities associated with it – both British and

Indian – have rendered it inevitable that in its two

centuries of existence, the Society has been in close

step with nationally significant intellectual

currents.

The vestibule, and the Durbar Hall of the Asiatic

Society are dotted with statues, busts and portraits

of the outstanding scholars, administrators and

philanthropists who contributed to the Society,

through their research papers, through donating

money and their collections of rare book,

manuscripts and other antiquities.

The Town Hall which houses the Asiatic Society of

Mumbai is heritage building, located deep in the

city’s historic Fort area, shaped by colonial

geography, architecture and sculpture.  Built on the

Bombay Green, it has an axial orientation and west

facing view.  As one stands on the top step of the

main entrance stairway, the magnificent city vista

spread out in front offers, if one looks carefully

enough, a slice of history. 

The circular Elphinstone Garden ( now Horniman

Cirlce) in front, St. Thomas Cathedral and Flora

Fountain ( now Hutatma Chowk) beyond, Mumbai

Samachar building, the area’s oldest Agiary and

other beautiful residential and office buildings

make a walk in the neighbourhood an experience

full of interwoven textures of past and present.  The

dramatic flight of 30 steps up the Town Hall, the

pedimented portico with its eight Doric columns,

the wrought iron divided Regency banister leading

up to the vestibule, the easy chairs in the

Periodicals Room with the matching footstools that

facilitate browsing and the majestic Durbar Hall all

combine to create and impression of the Society as

organically connected through colonial history to

its immediate environs, while yet remaining its

crest jewel.

“The most magnificent structure that taste and

munificence combined have as yet erected in India”,

said Sir John Malcolm, Governor of Mumbai in

1930.

 WHEN THE ASIATIC SOCIETY was established on

15 January 1784, its founder Sir William Jones

(1746-1794) began his work with a dream, that

visualised a centre for Asian studies including

almost everything concerning man and nature

within the geographical limits of the continent.

Most of the mysteries of this vast land, like its old

inscriptions in Brahmi, were still undeciphered, and

Comparative Philology as a discipline or science

was not yet born.

In the early days of the Asiatic Society, William

Jones for all his efforts could not procure even a

slice of land wherein to house his dream. The

Society which in no time was to be regarded as the

first and best of its kind in the whole world had no

permanent address, no fixed place for holding its

meetings and, which was most disconcerting, no

funds.

Sir William Jones, an outstanding scholar from

Oxford, arrived in Calcutta on 25 September 1783

as a Puisne Judge of the Old Supreme Court. While

still on board of the frigate Crococlile carrying him

from England to India, he prepared a memorandum

detailing his plan of study. This included “the laws

of the Hindus and Mahomedans; the history of the

ancient world; proofs and illustrations of scripture;

traditions concerning the deluge; modern politics

and geography of Hindusthan; Arithmatic and

Geometry and mixed sciences of Asiaticks;

Medicine, Chemistry, Surgery and Anatomy of the

Indians; natural products of India; poetry, rhetoric

and morality of Asia; music of the Eastern nations;

the best accounts of Tibet and Kashmir; trade,

manufactures,

agriculture and commerce of India: Mughal

constitution, Marhatta constitution etc." This

memorandum could easily be regarded as an early

draft of the memorandum of the Asiatic Society

itself. The Society which was still in the imagination

of Jones was actually founded within four months of

his arrival in India.

William Jones was, however, not the earliest among

the Orientalists of the East India Company to arrive

in India. About a decade earlier came Charles

Wilkins (1770), Nathaniel Brassey Halhed (1772)

and Jonathan Duncan (1772):Warren Hastings's

"bright young men",who had paved the way for the

two future institutions- The Asiatic Society and the

College at Fort William. All the Orientalists who

became famous in history clustered around either

the Society or the College or both. The Society, of

course, was the pioneer and first in the field.

While others were thinking in terms of individual

study and research, Sir William Jones was the first

man to think in terms of a permanent organisation

for Oriental studies and researches on a grand scale

in this country. He took the initiative and in

January 1784 sent out a circular letter to

selected persons of the elite with a view to

establishing a Society for this purpose. In response

to his letter, thirty European gentlemen of Calcutta

including Mr. Justice John Hyde, John Carnac,

Henry Vansittart, John Shore, Charles Wilkins,

Francis Gladwin, Jonathan Duncan and others

gathered on 15 January 1784 in the Grand Jury

Room of the old Supreme Court of Calcutta. The

Chief Justice Sir Robert Chambers presided at the

first meeting and Jones delivered his first discourse

in which he put forward his plans for the Society.

Asia, he said, was the "nurse of sciences" and the

"inventress of delightful and useful arts." He

proposed to found a Society under the name of The

Asiatic Society. All the thirty European gentlemen

who had assembled accepted the membership of

this Society. The name went through a number of

changes like The Asiatic Society (1784-1825), The

Asiatic Society (1825-1832), The Asiatic Society of

Bengal (1832-1935), The Royal Asiatic Society of

Bengal (1936-1951) and The Asiatic Society again

since July 1951.

 

St. Thomas cathedral

St. Thomas' Cathedral is a beautiful structure that

boasts of being the first Anglican Church in

Mumbai. Indeed, the church affirms the moral roots

of the budding British settlement in the Financial

Hub of India. Built in 1718, St Thomas Cathedral is

to be found near Flora Fountain at D.N. Road, in

the Fort area of Bombay. In the year 2004, the

cathedral was selected for the UNESCO Asia-Pacific

heritage conservation award.

The church derived its name from St. Thomas - a

disciple of Christ, who came to establish the faith of

Christianity in the southwestern part of India, all

along the Malabar Coast. The Cathedral of St.

Thomas has been a calm and serene abode for

scores of Britons, who were laid to rest beneath

marble tablets imprinted with poignant elegies. The

cathedral confine has a cemetery, which houses the

tombstones of generals, clerks and young maids.

St. Thomas Cathedral draws a congregation of

devotees from all parts of the country. At the time

of Christmas and similar festivals, the church is

festooned with buntings and decorations.

Devotees as well as tourists visit St. Thomas

Cathedral to spend some moments of peace and

solitude. The marvelous architecture of the church

is worth-seeing and admiring. On your trip to

Mumbai, do pay a visit at this first Anglican church

of Mumbai.

History:

Small and simple St. Thomas' Cathedral, is one of

the oldest English buildings in Mumbai. Mumbai

city's first Anglican Church, it is situated in the

heart of the commercial fort area, in Mumbai. The

foundation stone was laid by Gerald Aungier (then

governor) in 1672.

After his death, the work on project was stopped

and the building lay abandoned for forty year until

new life was infused into the project in the second

decade of the eighteenth century by enthusistic

Richard Cobbe, a chaplain to the East India

Company. The construction was completed and the

chuch was opened to the public on the Chris Ãtmas

Day in 1718.

Architecture:

The building is a nice blend of Classical & Gothic

style of architure. Church's tall steeple is the

cynosure of many eyes.

Though the bulding has undergone subsequent

changes but most of these are additions with no or

less subtractions. In this way the original form of

the building has been preserved.

Interior:

The whitewashed and polished brass-and-wood

interior is the main forte of the Church. It has some

exquisite art adoration. A marble plaque at the

front entrance reads: "Let all who enter this church

remember Richard Cobbe, chaplain to the

Honorable East India Company 1715 to 1719, this

church had risen to 15 feet when the building

ceased and the site lay desolate for 33 years. It was

consecrated in 1816 and became a cathedral in

1837.

Mumbai municipal corporation

Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai is the

largest of all local municipal corporations in South

Asia. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai

is headed by the Mayor of Mumbai. The voting for

the post of mayor takes place every five years. The

municipal commissioner and the additional

municipal commissioners play a vital role in

coordinating the work of the Mumbai Municipal

Corporation.

The city Mumbai is divided into some 227 wards, all

of which have their individual councilors. The

councilors, like the mayor is entitled to their

designation for a period of five years. Apart from

the city proper, the Colaba region, Dahisar and

Mulund too comes under the authority of Municipal

Corporation of Greater Mumbai

Functions of the Municipal Corporation of Greater

Mumbai

Development and repair works of roads and

flyovers in Mumbai city proper and in all other

parts of Greater Mumbai. Also the work of

beautification of public parks, beaches and

lighting of the roads is the responsibility of the

corporation.

Maintenance of health and sanitation related

issues. The public toilets, garbage, sewerage

system, hospitals and health centers are all

inclusive in the responsibility of the corporation.

Supplying clean drinking water is also the

responsibility of the Mumbai Corporation.

Registration of birth, death and other statistical

records related to population.

Implementation of rules for city planning and

construction of buildings.

Foundation History of the Municipal Corporation of

Greater Mumbai

The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai was

founded in 1882 and this body was founded when

the Bombay Municipal Act was passed. Though it is

a government body, it owes its success to the efforts

of many citizens, NGOs and non-political bodies.

The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai

operates under the Brihanmumbai Municipal

Corporation.

elphinstone college

By 19th century Bombay was a prosperous centre

for maritime trade and commerce. In 1824 an

English School was setup by the Bombay Native

Education Society, for Indian students when the

opinion in Britain was against educating the

'natives'. And in the year 1827 a resolution was

passed that an Institution for promotion of

education should be established under Bombay

Native Education Society and be designated as

"Elphinstone College". This is after Hon.

Mountstaurt Elphinstone, the departing Governor

of Bombay who was responsible for beginning

higher education in the city. Money (amounting to

Rs.2,29,636.00) was collected by public

subscription to fund teaching professorships in the

English Language and the Arts, Science and

Literature of Europe. The professorships were in

honour of Mountstaurt Elphinstone. The College

was formally constituted in 1835. The Classes

commenced in 1836, at Town Hall, with the first two

professors Arthur Bedford Orlebar, Professor of

Natural Philosophy and John Harkness, Professor of

General Literature.

Elphinstone College, as a distinct institution,

separated from the High School, in April 1856. It is

this year that is officially considered to be the year

of establishment of Elphinstone College.

The College was affiliated to University of Bombay

in 1860

Photograph of Elphinstone College in Bombay

(Mumbai), Maharashtra, taken by Bourne and

Shepherd in 1870, part of an album of 40 prints by

various photographers mostly dating from the

1860s. Bombay, the capital of Maharashtra and one

of India's major industrial centres and a busy port,

was originally the site of seven islands on the west

coast, sparsely populated by Koli fisherfolk. Bombay

was by the 14th century controlled by the Gujarat

Sultanate who ceded it to the Portuguese in the

16th century. In 1661 it passed to the English

as part of the dowry brought to Charles II by the

Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza. By the

19th century Bombay was a prosperous centre for

maritime trade and the British began a phase of

developing and expanding it. It became a centre for

education for Bombay Presidency. The famous

Elphinstone College is named after the scholarly

Mountstuart Elphinstone (1779-1859) who started

his career as a civil servant with the East India

Company, rising to Commissioner of the Deccan in

1818 and subsequently Governor of Bombay, 1819-

1827. He was reponsible for the beginning of higher

education in the city. In 1824, an English school

was set up by the Bombay Native Education Society,

for Indian students at a time when the opinion in

Britain was against educating the 'natives'.

Money was collected by public subscription to fund

teaching professorships in the English Language

and the Arts, Science and Literature of Europe. The

professorships were in honour of the Honourable

Mountstuart Elphinstone, the retiring Governor of

Bombay. In 1835, two Elphinstone professors

opened classes distinct from the school. In 1840,

the professors' classes were amalgamated with the

Society's School to form the Elphinstone Native

Education Institution. In 1945, the name was

shortened to Elphinstone Institution. On 1st of

April, 1856, the Institution was divided into the

Elphinstone College and the Elphinstone High

School. In 1860, the Elphinstone College was

recognised by the University of Bombay. The

imposing building of the college was designed by

James Trubshawe (flourished 1860-75) in the

'Romanesque Transitional' style and completed by

an engineer, John Adams. The generosity of a

leading citizen of Bombay, Sir Cowasji Jehangir,

helped fund its construction.

Elphinstone College occupies a unique position in

the annals of education in the country. It is one of

the rarest institutions, born even before the

University of Mumbai, to which it was later on

affiliated.

Recently the Elphinstone College has been

accredited ‘A’ grade by NAAC (National Assessment

& Accreditation Council).  The report submitted by

the Peer Team appreciates the efforts taken by its

teachers to maintain a student friendly atmosphere

& brilliant results.

The institution is known for its open access to

students from all strata of the society. This includes

various communities, income groups and interests.

It is one of the few colleges in Mumbai with an

extensive hostel facility for both boys and girls.

Located within a walking range from the College

and overlooking the Marine Drive, the hostel is

certainly among the unique strengths of the

College.

The College has an enviable location, which is also

historically significant. The building of the College,

with its gothic architecture, has been classified as a

grade I Heritage structure. It has recently been

restored by the Kala Ghoda Association and the

college has regained its luminous look. It stands

out like a pearl as night falls. The Elphinstone

College was awarded Asia-Pacific Heritage Award

for Culture Heritage Conservation, in 2004 by

UNESCO for the one of the best Heritage buildings

restored.

The rich library of the college has a collection of

over one lakh books, journals and periodicals. Its

range is vast - from some of the oldest and rarest

books in the country to the latest and the

contemporary.

Equally modern and well equipped are the

computer and science laboratories, which

adequately refine the students’ abilities. Besides

teaching and learning, the students can also avail

of the state of the art Fitness Centre, set up in the

Gymkhana. It is only natural that some of the

prominent sports personalities have blossomed

here.

The interest of the students has always been at the

heart of dedicated teachers, many of whom have

been eminent personalities in their areas, be it

academics or otherwise.

The College Building:

This majestic building was designed by Trubshaw

and Khan Bahadur Muncherjee Murzban in the

1880's. Originally meant to house the Government

Central Press, it was completed by John Adams,

Executive Engineer to the Bombay Government at a

total cost of Rs 7,50,000 (Rupees seven and a half

lakhs) which included a substantial sum donated by

Sir Cowasjee Jehangir. The building was used for

academic activities from April 1888.

The Elphinstone College building is amongst the

finest Victorian structures in India. It is a

breathtaking architectural composition of a

dynamic fenestration scheme, ordered by flanking

stone turrets roofed over in tiled pyramid-shaped

roofs. Finely articulated stone balconies, brackets

and balustrades along with intricately designed

surface motifs add to the decorative features of the

building. With an imposing facade and skyline, it is

among the select list of Grade I Heritage buildings

in the city, meriting careful restoration and

preservation of its historic fabric.

The College building has been nominated for

UNESCO's Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture

Heritage Conservation for the year 2004.

History:

The year 1827 : A resolution was passed that an

institution for the promotion of education should

be established under the Bombay Native Education

Society and be designated as “Elphinstone College”.

The enlightened citizens of Mumbai collected a sum

of Rs. 2,29,636.00,  for teaching English Language, 

the Arts and Literature of Europe. This was a

tribute to the departing Governor of Bombay,

Mountstuart Elphinstone (1819-27). The

Elphinstone Institution was formally constituted in

1835.

The classes commenced in 1836 with the first two

Professors Arthur Bedford Orlebar, Professor of

Natural Philosophy and John Harkness, Professor of

General Literature. Elphinstone College, as a

distinct institution, separated from the High

School, in April 1956. It was affiliated to the

University of Bombay in 1860.  On 20th February

1871, the College moved to a building on Parel

Road. In April 1888, the College was shifted to the

present building on Esplande Road (now Mahatma

Gandhi Road).

Mumbai – the city of dreams

Ancient yet modern, fabulously rich yet achingly poor,

Mumbai is India in microcosm. Once a sultry tropical

archipelago of seven islands, and the Raj's brightest

jewel, Mumbai was the dowry of Portuguese Princess

Infanta Catherine de Braganza who married Charles II of

England in 1661. Today it's a teeming metropolis,

commercial hub of an old civilization seeking to find its

place in the New World Order.

Forty percent of India's taxes come from this city alone,

and half of India's international trade passes through its

splendid natural harbour. In fact Mumbai is the very soul

of human enterprise. At the city's Stock Exchange,

millionaires and paupers are made overnight, and the

sidewalks are crowded with vendors hawking everything

from ballpoint pens to second hand mixies. Everyday,

half of Mumbai's population commutes from far-flung

suburbs to downtown offices, banks, factories and mills

for a living.

Nearly thirteen million people live here - wealthy

industrialists, flashy film stars, internationally acclaimed

artists, workers, teachers and clerks - all existing cheek

by jowl in soaring skyscrapers and sprawling slums. They

come from diverse ethnic backgrounds and speak over a

dozen tongues adding colour, flavor and texture to the

Great Mumbai Melting Pot.

The later half of the 19th century was also to see a feverish

construction of buildings in Bombay, many of which such as, the

Victoria Terminus, the General Post Office, Municipal

Corporation, the Prince of Wales Museum, Rajabai Tower and

Bombay University, Elphinstone College and the Cawasji Jehangir

Hall, the Crawford Market, the Old Secretariat (Old Customs

House) and the Public Works Department (PWD) Building, still

stand today as major landmarks. The Gateway of India was built

to commemorate the visit of king George V and Queen Mary for

the Darbar at Delhi in 1911.