A Guide To Some Of The Most Historic Buildings In Mumbai
Mumbai is home to many historic buildings, each one a reminder of the city’s rich and complicated history. We have rounded up a list of six iconic Mumbai buildings for you to get a taste of the city’s cosmopolitan past.
1. The Town Hall
Building, Library
2. Mount Mary’s Basilica
Church
3. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus
Building
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus is not just a UNESCO World Heritage site, but also the country’s most famous railway station and Mumbai’s most iconic landmark. Designed by British architect Frederick William Stevens, construction on this grand structure began in 1878 and was completed ten years later. The impressive building is a display of striking High Victorian Gothic and Indian architectural styles, featuring turrets, pointed arches and a high central dome, atop which stands a gigantic female figure, holding a torch pointing upwards in her right hand and a spoked wheel in the other.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Area, Fort, Mumbai, India
5. Mumba Devi Temple
Mumba Devi Temple
Dedicated to the goddess Mumba, from whom the city derives its own name, the Mumba Devi Temple is estimated to date back to the 17th century. While the structure has been rebuilt several times, the temple houses a historic idol of the Devi (goddess) adorned with a silver crown, as well as a golden necklace and nose stud.
Mumba Devi Marg, Zaveri Bazar, Mumbai, India
6. Bombay Castle
Building
Bombay Castle
One of the oldest defensive structures to be built in Mumbai, the Bombay Castle has been gracing the city’s Fort neighborhood for about five centuries. The original structure on the site, the Manor House, was built by Portuguese nobleman Garcia de Orta in the 16th century, hence the building is also known as Casa de Orta. When the British took control of the islands of Bombay (present-day Mumbai) in the 17th century, they built a defense structure around and over the manor. The structure today houses the offices of the Flag Officer Commander-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command.
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