Official Language:
Hindi
Secondary Language:
Marathi & Gujarati
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Currency:
Indian Rupee
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Population:
Mumbai is home to more than 15 million people
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Weather:
Climate and current weather information for Bombay Mumbai: Tropical and hot with much rain during the summer months. Temperatures in the 80°F-90°F and (27°C-32°C) year round. Best time to visit October through May.
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Mumbai, or Bombay as it is more commonly known, is India’s business capital. In the 500 years since its “discovery” by the Portuguese, Mumbai has been transformed from an aboriginal fishing village into a sprawling metropolis of some 14 million people. It is the money capital of India, a magnet for entrepreneurs, the home of India’s stock exchange, and headquarters for many national and international companies. This city alone generates 38 percent of India’s GNP. Its port handles half the country’s foreign trade and its movie industry is the largest in the world. Many of India’s film stars make their home on fashionable Malabar Hill, which is often referred to as the Beverly Hills of Mumbai.
Mumbai is a seething mass of humanity and unrelenting traffic. It is far more westernized than Delhi, boasting a heavily used suburban train network and good bus service. Only in the suburbs are the auto-rickshaws more common. Ornate Victorian-Gothic buildings provide a backdrop for noisy street vendors and office-wallahs rushing to work. Wide, shady boulevards are lined with monumental structures. But not all the grand architecture was courtesy of the Raj – wealthy Jain and Parsi residents have also left their mark. Among the most noteworthy attractions are the Victoria Terminus, Bombay University, Prince of Wales Museum and, near the port, the Gateway of India and the majestic Taj Mahal Hotel. Not to be missed are the Elephanta Caves, located six miles off the Mumbai coast.
Mumbai, which was previously known as Bombay, is a major city of India and a port on the Arabian Sea. Today it is India's most populated city with over 20 million people. It is the financial centre and home to "Bollywood", its own film industry. Also making it one of the main engines of Indian wealth is trade and manufacturing. Beautiful victorian buildings from the colonial age mix with modern high-rise apartments. On the east harbour, is a district known as the Fort, which contains the main public buildings of Mumbai, Victoria Gardens & Zoo, and Hajiali Park, with a racecourse and a stadium, to the north on Salsette Island are industrial districts, & suburbs. Several nice sandy beaches are situated on the west coast along the Arabian Sea. Seized from the Portuguese by the British in the 17th century, Bombay was leased to the East India company. It became an important trading port and for the next two centuries, the British were awarded with great prosperity. When the Suez Canal opened in 1870, Bombay was the leading port in trade in the Arabian Sea. Cruise Ships dock at the Ballard Pier. It is about a 10-minute drive to the town center. Taxis are generally available at the port entrance. Be sure to agree on the fare before starting out.
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Mumbai is hot and sticky year-round but if you fancy a swim and are not staying at a luxury hotel, your choice is limited. Maidan cricket is a Mumbai institution, and you'll be welcome to join any informal games in progress. International cricket matches are played at Wankhede and Brabourne stadiums, just off Marine Drive. Mumbai's horse racing season runs from November to April. Races are held on Sunday at Mahalaxmi Race Course, optimistically named after the Hindu goddess of wealth. The big races are major social occasions.
Rajabai Clock :
TowerModeled on Giotto's campanile in Florence, the sculpted figures decorating the exterior walls were designed to represent the castes of India. Originally, the chimes even played Rule Britannia. The clock tower stands in front of the Victoria Museum.
Victoria Terminus:
Mumbai’s railway station is probably the most exuberant Gothic building in the city. Its lavishly decorated exterior makes the structure look more like a cathedral or palace than a transportation depot. Carvings of peacocks, gargoyles, monkeys and elephants are mixed in between buttresses, turrets, spires and stained-glass windows.
Fort:
The magnificent Gothic Victorian buildings in the Fort area highlight the power and wealth of the British Empire at its might and are reminiscent of many of the great public buildings in London or Glasgow. The Victoria Terminus (known as CST), was opened in 1888 and is one of the world's grandest railway stations, on a par with New York's Grand Central Station or London's St Pancras. Built in the Italian Gothic style, it looks more like a lavishly decorated cathedral than a railway station; massive arches soar splendidly above the scurrying crowd and carved into the pillars and buttresses are images of monkeys, peacocks, elephants and lions. The station is topped by a tall dome crowned with a statue representing 'Progress'. Nearby, St Thomas' Cathedral was built between 1672 and 1718 and is witness to almost the entire history of the British in Bombay. Its whitewashed interior contains poignant colonial memorials, including one to Henry Robertson Bower, Lieutenant of the Royal Indian Marine, who lost his life returning from the South Pole with Scott. The epicentre of the Fort area is the Horniman Circle, surrounded by curved, arcaded terraces, the lush and leafy garden in the centre offers a welcome retreat from the hussle and bussle of the surrounding city.
Colaba:
Every visitor to Mumbai comes to look at the exaggerated colonial marker known as the Gateway of India, a yellow basalt arch of triumph officially 'opened' in 1924. It was redundant just 24 years later when the last British regiment ceremoniously departed India from here, and it has become even more of an anachronism as passenger liner services to Mumbai have dried up. It stands on the wonderfully named Apollo Bunder, like a disused back door, and apart from its obligatory roll in the Mumbai snapshot, it's utilised by a colourful crowd of touts, balloon sellers, postcard vendors and snake charmers who give it the hubbub of a bazaar.
The majestic Taj Mahal Hotel:
Overlooks Apollo Bunder and has great views of the gateway from its top floor Apollo Bar. This Mumbai institution was built in 1903 by JN Tata, one of the city's great Parsi benefactors, supposedly after he was refused entry to one of the city's European hotels on account of being 'a native'. The streets behind the Taj Mahal Hotel are the travellers' centre of Mumbai. The main drag of Colaba Causeway is a melee of street vendors, shops, stalls and cafes that leads south to Sassoon Dock - an area of intense and pungent activity at dawn as fishing boats arrive to unload their catch - and north to the fascinating Indo-Saracenic Prince of Wales Museum. The excellent new National Gallery of Modern Art in the nearby Cowasji Jehangir Public Hall showcases Indian modern art and is the city's most dramatic exhibition space.
Golf:
Bombay Presidency Golf Club The 110 acre Bombay Presidency GolfClub at Chembur is a green haven amidst a concrete jungle. Founded in 1827, the par 70, 18 hole course was redesigned by Peter Thompson to international standards. Presidency's fairways are narrow and tight, but its greens are undoubtedly the best in the country. The real test at Presidency, however, is the variable and shifting sea breeze, which could fox even the most experienced player. It is not a difficult course; it's not too long, not too narrow, and yet not an easy course to break par. The fifth hole is one of the most challenging on this course: a 480 yard, par five, a dog leg to the right, with a fairway trap strategically placed to catch the long hitler trying to cut the corner. The drive on this has to be placed carefully. If too long and pulled, it would end up in deep trouble. With a well placed drivearound the fairway bun-the two overhanging trees on the right, is a comfortable par five. The 416 yard, par four 11th hole is also a test of precision golfing. The player has to steer his drive throughtrees overhanging on either side, a short distance from the tee. The fairly tight fairway has thick scrub and trees on the left, a water hazard and an out-of-bounds on the right - with perhaps the trickiest and fastest green of this course. With the pin placed towards the left edge, the approach would roll off into the thick roughs, and not even a miracle would allow a par. Of the par threes, the 17th hole is the longest at 218 yards. The green is deceptive with deep bunkers on either side, and the rippled fairway can make a loose tee shot veer sharply.
Crawford Market:
The colourful indoor Crawford Market (or Phule Market) is the last outpost of British Bombay before the tumult of the central bazaars begins. It used to be the city's wholesale produce market before this was strategically moved to New Bombay. Today it's where central Mumbai goes shopping for its fruit, vegetables and meat.Bas reliefs by Rudyard Kipling's father, Lockwood Kipling, adorn the Norman-Gothic exterior, and an ornate fountain he designed stands buried beneath old fruit boxes at the market's centre.The animal market at the rear sells everything from sausage dogs to cockatoos, most kept in cruelly small cages. The meat market is for the brave only, though it's one of the few places you can expect to be accosted and asked if you want to buy a bloody goat's head. Just south of the market is the J J School of Art, where Rudyard Kipling was born in 1865.
Fort:
The extravagant Victorian gothic buildings in the Fort area reinforce the European roots of the city, and send shivers of recognition down the spines of visitors from the industrial cities of northern England. This lively area occupies the site of the old British built fort and is the established commercial centre of Mumbai. It's jampacked with commuters, street stalls and the grand facades of 19th century British institutions and trading houses.
Victoria Terminus:
the city's most exuberant Gothic building, looks more like a lavishly decorated cathedral or palace than anything as mundane as a transportation depot. Carvings of peacocks, gargoyles, monkeys, elephants and British lions are mixed up among the buttresses, domes, turrets, spires and stained-glass windows. Topping it all is a 4m (13ft) high image of 'Progress' - though the rest of the building looks more like a celebration of Pandemonium. Don't wait until you have to catch a train to see it.Other gems include Bombay University, the High Court, the BMC building and stately Horniman Circle, laid out around the sole surviving section of Bombay's original Cotton Green. St Thomas' Cathedral near Horniman Circle was begun as early as 1672 but remained unfinished until 1718. Its whitewashed interior contains poignant colonial memorials, including one to Henry Robertson Bower, Lieutenant of the Royal Indian Marine, 'who lost his life returning from the South Pole with Scott' - spare the man a thought when it's a sweltering 38°C (100°F) outside.
Haji Ali Mosque:
This whitewashed fairytale mosque contains the tomb of the Muslim saint Haji Ali. The saint is believed to have been a wealthy local businessman who renounced the material world and meditated on a nearby headland following a pilgrimage to Mecca. The mosque and tomb were built by devotees in the early 19th century. Alternative versions say Haji Ali died while on a pilgrimage to Mecca and his casket amazingly floated back to Bombay and landed at this spot. The mosque can only be reached at low tide, when the causeway is lined with beggars suffering every imaginable affliction and deformity. There's nothing sombre about the building's cool courtyard, which is generally full of chattering families and refreshment stalls. The rocks exposed at low tide behind the mosque are a favourite spot to catch sea breezes.
Kalbadevi:
No visit to Mumbai is complete without a foray into the bazaars of Kalbadevi, north of Crawford Market. The narrow lanes of this predominantly Muslim area are hemmed in by laundry-draped chawls, and a seething mass of people bring Mumbai's traffic to a standstill. It's in complete contrast to the relative space, orderliness and modernity of South Mumbai.Entire streets are often devoted to a single product since caste traditions remain stronger than capitalist marketing theories; this can make browsing a strange experience asyou suddenly encounter shop after shop selling bathroom fittings or copper pipes. Some people consider the bazaars a spectacle rather than a place to shop, but it's a lot more fun doing both. The main areas are Zaveri Bazaar (jewellery), Mangaldas Market (cloth), Dhabu St (leather goods) and Chor Bazaar (Mumbai's 'thieves' market'). You can pick up anything at Chor Bazaar from car parts to Victorian porcelain - the traditional joke is that it was probably stolen from you in the first place. Mutton St in Chor Bazaar specialises in antiques, ingenious reproductions and miscellaneous junk. Don't place too much faith in authenticity or the lifespan of objects with mechanical parts. Apart from the shopping opportunities, this area is also home to the Jama Masjid and the Mumbadevi Temple dedicated to the patron goddess of the island's original Koli inhabitants. It's best to venture into the bazaars without a clear destination in mind and just wander aimlessly until you've had enough.
Malabar Hill:
On the northern promontory of Back Bay is the expensive residential area of Malabar Hill, favoured for its cool breezes and fine views over Back Bay. The colonial bungalows that peppered the hillside in the 18th century have now been replaced by the jerry-built apartment blocks of Mumbai's nouveau riche. The formal Hanging Gardens (or Pherozeshah Mehta Gardens) on top of the hill are an interesting spot to study the courting rituals of coy Indian couples nestled among the bestial topiary, and there are superb views of the city from neighbouring Kamala Nehru Park. Beside the Hanging Gardens, but carefully shielded from view, are the Parsi Towers of Silence. Parsis hold fire, earth and water as sacred so do not cremate or bury their dead. Instead the bodies are laid out within the towers to be picked clean by vultures (or crows). Elaborate precautions are taken to keep out ghoulish sightseers.Towards the southern end of the promontory is the temple of Walkeshwar, the Sand Lord. According to the Ramayana, Rama rested here on his way to rescueSita in Lanka and constructed a lingam of sand at the site. The original temple was built about 1000 years ago, though the current structure is much more recent. Just below the temple is the Banganga Tank, which was built on the spot where water spouted when Rama shot a bana (arrow) into the ground. Bathing pilgrims and scores of curious kids make this neighbourhood an oasis from the world of luxury apartment blocks towering above.
Marine Drive:
Built on land reclaimed from Back Bay in 1920, Marine Drive runs along the shoreline of the Arabian Sea from Nariman Point past Chowpatty Beach to the foot of Malabar Hill. It's one of Mumbai's most popular promenades and a favourite sunset-watching spot. You certainly won't be loitering on the sea wall long before you're engaged in conversation, even if it's with someone offering to show you how well their monkey can breakdance. The promenade is lined with decaying Art Deco apartments just begging for a paint manufacturer to prove what their product can do to brighten up an area. Tourist brochures are fond of dubbing it the Queen's Necklace, because of the dramatic curve of its streetlights at night. It's less spectacular during the day, though there are plans afoot to beautify the area.
Elephanta Island:
Mumbai's major tourist attractions are the rock-cut temples on peaceful Elephanta Island. Thought to have been carved between 450 and 750 AD, the temples survived Portuguese vandalism (one cave was reputedly used by a Portuguese battalion as a shooting gallery) and remain equal in size, beauty and power to the caves at Ajanta and Ellora.The main cave contains large sculpted panels relating to Siva, including the astonishing 6m/20ft-high triple-headed Trimurti - in which Siva embodies the roles of creator, preserver and destroyer.
Matheran:
Matheran ('jungle topped') is the nearest hill station to Mumbai and a refreshing break from the heat and noise of the capital. It's an undulating hilltop located about 50km (30mi) east of the city that is cloaked in shady trees and ringed by walking tracks which lead to lookouts that drop sheer to the plains. On a clear day the views are fantastic and it's possible to see (and supposedly even hear) Mumbai from Hart Point. Louisa Point is a great place to watch the sunset, especially during the week when you might have the bluff entirely to yourself.Hugh Malet, climbing the path known as Shivaji's Ladder, is credited with the 'discovery' of Matheran in 1850. It soon became a popular hill station during the days of the Raj, as the abundant shade and altitude (800m/2624ft) made is slightly cooler than the plains below. Matheran owes its tranquility to a complete ban on motor vehicles (and bicycles), but on weekends, the town is overrun by day-trippers from Mumbai and the pleasant trails are wall to wall with people. Pleasant diversions include little Charlotte Lake and the Parsi and Hindu cemeteries near Rambaug Point.Getting to Matheran is half the fun; from Neral Junction you take a narrow-gauge toy train up the 21km (15mi) route to the heart of the hill station. It's a two-hour ascent (or 90-minute descent) as the train winds its way around the steep slopes and, at one point, passes through 'one kiss tunnel'.
Sanjay Gandhi National Park:
This large protected area of forested hills on Mumbai's northern outskirts is best known for the 109 Kanheri Caves which line the side of a rocky ravine in the centre of the park. They were used by Buddhist monks between the 2nd and 9th centuries as viharas (monasteries) and chaityas (temples). The most impressive is cave 3, the Great Chaitya Cave, which has a long colonnade of pillars and a 5m (15ft) high dagoba (pagoda) at the back of the cave. There's also a Lion Safari Park inside the park.
Chowpatty Beach:
Mumbai's famous beach is no place for a sunbathe or a dip. In fact, there's not much going on at Chowpatty at all during the day, but in the eveninit develops a magical atmosphere as locals come to stroll among the balloon sellers, nut vendors and beach entertainers. Eating bhelpuri at the collection of garishly lit stalls on the edge of the beach at night is an essential part of the Mumbai experience, as is getting a vigorous massage from a malish-wallah. Chowpatty is a great place to witness the annual Ganesh Chaturthi Festival in August/September when large images of the elephant-headed god are immersed in the murky sea.
The Hanging Gardens:
The Hanging Gardens or (Pherozeshah Mehta Gardens) on top of the hill are an interesting spot to study the courting rituals of coy Indian couples nestled among the bestial topiary, and there are superb views of the city from neighbouring
Towers of Silence:
Parsis hold fire, earth and water as sacred so do not cremate or bury their dead. Instead the bodies are laid out within the towers to be picked clean by vultures (or crows). Elaborate precautions are taken to keep out ghoulish sightseers.
Walkeshwar:
Towards the southern end of the promontory is the Walkeshwar, temple of the Sand Lord. According to the Ramayana, Rama rested here on his way to rescue Sita in Lanka and constructed a lingam of sand at the site. The original temple was built about 1000 years ago, though the current structure is much more recent.
Banganga Tank:
Just below the temple is the which was built on the spot where water spouted when Rama shot a bana (arrow) into the ground. Bathing pilgrims and scores of curious kids make this neighbourhood an oasis from the world of luxury apartment blocks towering above.
Chowpatty Beach:
Mumbai's famous beach is no place for a sunbathe or a dip. In fact, there's not much going on at Chowpatty at all during the day, but in the evening it develops a magical atmosphere as locals come to stroll among the balloon sellers, nut vendors and beach entertainers. Eating bhelpuri at the collection of garishly lit stalls on the edge of the beach at night is an essential part of the Mumbai experience, as is getting a vigorous massage from a malish-wallah. Chowpatty is a great place to witness the annual Ganesh Chaturthi Festival in August/September when large images of the elephant-headed god are immersed in the murky sea.
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More Information |
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Useful Links About Bombey Mumbai:
Bombey Mumbai Travel Information
http://www.mumbaiporttrust.com/
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