Pherozshah Mehta Gardens in Mumbai built on top of huge reservoir is one of the beautiful garden in the city. The park was primarily dedicated to Pherozeshah Mehta, a prominent Parsi political leader, activist and lawyer.
The garden is popularly known as Hanging Garden. It has numerous hedges carved into the shapes of animals in very creative forms.
The garden has well maintained pathways for strolling. It has varieties of plants, flowers that are treat to the eyes.
From here one can capture a sunset view of the Arabian Sea.
The Hanging Gardens in Mumbai is one of the oldest garden in the city. It is a terraced garden perched at the top of Malabar Hill just opposite the Kamala Nehru Park.
For people looking for quite time away from the hustle and bustle of city life this is the right place.
The park was laid out in 1881 by Ulhas Ghapokar over Bombay's main reservoir.
This garden is beautiful place with a variety of flowers and well maintained greens all around.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) formerly known as Victoria Terminus at Mumbai is the 19th century heritage structure. It was built to to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria.
The terminus is one of the first construction that made use of industrial revolution technology merged with the Gothic Revival style based on late medieval Italian models.
This style made use of color and ornamentation that is compatible with the Mughal and Hindu architecture of the subcontinent.
The facades present the appearance of well-proportioned rows of windows and arches.
This is the highlight among the city's historic buildings. From across the street one can admire all its quirky ornaments.
Elephanta island off the Mumbai coast can be reached by ferries. Total travel time by ferry to the island is one hour.
After going around island by exploring the caves we took the last ferry at 5:30 p.m back to Mumbai.
The sunset over the sea was simply gorgeous.
In the backdrop one can see the skyline of Mumbai.
Mahadev Govind Ranade was a founding member of the Indian National Congress. He was a well known public figure as he was Indian scholar, social reformer and author. He published books on Indian economics and on Maratha history. Below
He was a founder of the Social Conference movement and he opposed child marriage, the shaving of widows' heads, the heavy cost of marriages and other social functions. He was a staunch supporter of widow remarriage and female education. While he valued India’s history, he encouraged the acceptance of change, believing traditional social structures, like the caste system, should accommodate change, thereby preserving India’s ancient heritage.
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum in Mumbai near Gateway of India was established in the early years of the 20th century by prominent citizens of the city with the help of the Government.
The museum building is built in the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture. However it also has elements of other styles of architecture like the Mughal, Maratha and Jain. Built in basalt and kurla stone, this three-storied rectangular structure is capped by a dome that rises above the central porch.
The dome is tiled in white and blue flecks, supported on a lotus - petal base. A cluster of pinnacles, topped with miniature domes surround the central dome.
The museum houses approximately 50,000 exhibits of ancient Indian history as well as objects from foreign lands, categorized primarily into three sections: Art, Archaeology and Natural History.
The museum houses Indus Valley Civilization artifacts, and other relics from ancient India from the time of the Guptas, Mauryas, Chalukyas and Rashtrakuta.
In Mumbai, there are more than 100 caves at Kanheri and among them Cave No. 3 is a magnificent structure. This west facing Buddhist cave temple is the largest and most remarkable of all caves in this site. It is entered through a gateway with a low parapet wall that is decorated with an animal frieze at the base and ornamental rail pattern above. The entrance is guarded by the guardians.
The cave has a spacious courtyard in the front. A stone screen with two tall columns and two pilasters above which is a dwarf colonnade containing five small windows separates the verandah from the courtyard.
On either side of the forecourt are pillars attached to the pilaster of the wall. The capital of the northern pilaster has four dwarf figures supporting a round object above. The capital of the southern pilaster has four seated lions.
In the verandah on the two side walls of this vestibule are carved two gigantic Buddha images. These 7 m tall images were carved in later Hinayana period. Above the image in the curvature are beautiful carvings.
On two sides of the central entrance facade are carved four donor couples. The style in clothing and makeup on them resembles to what can be seen in other Buddhist center of the same period.
Three entrances from the verandah opens into a spacious hall. This hall measures 26 meters long, 12 meters wide and 15 meters high. There are total 34 pillars inside the hall forming two aisles and one nave. Among them 6 pillars, both on the right and left, from the hall entrance are similar in style and decoration. They all have tiered base, above which an octagonal shaft rises, ending with a square abacus above a cushion capital.
There is a stupa measuring 5 meters in height at the apsidal end of this hall. As per the inscriptions found here the cave belongs to 180 CE during the reign of the Satavahana king Sri Yajna Satakarni.
In Mumbai, there are more than 100 caves at Kanheri of which many of them have beautiful carvings. One of the interesting cave among them is Cave No. 34. This cave dates between to 5th – 6th centuries A.D.
This cave has a open courtyard in the front with pillars that are carved a little.
This is the only cave where remains of paintings are found on the ceiling.
Here Buddha is shown in Bhumi-Sparsha-Mudra. This is only seen in paintings here but not as carvings.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) at Mumbai is one of the prominent landmarks in the city. This historic railway station serves as the headquarters of the Central Railways. I had visited the place when I was in Mumbai for work and it was a public holiday in the middle of the week. I reached the place by local train and went around the station.
This UNESCO World Heritage Site is based on architecture that is a mix of traditional Indian and Victorian Italianate Gothic Revival. This building designed by Frederick William Stevens and its construction in the Bori Bunder area of Mumbai was completed in 1887. The main structure is built from a blend of India sandstone and limestone, while high-quality Italian marble was used for the key decorative elements.
The skyline, turrets, pointed arches, and eccentric ground plan are close to traditional Indian palace architecture while externally the wood carving, tiles, the balustrades for the grand staircases and other ornaments are in Victorian style.
One of the important architectural marvel is its high central dome. The octagonal dome is a ribbed structure built without centering, was considered as a novel achievement of the era. At the top of the dome is a female figure symbolizing Progress, holding a torch pointing upwards in her right hand and a spoked wheel in her left hand.
The side wings enclose the courtyard, which opens on to the street. The wings are anchored by monumental turrets at each of their four corners, which balance and frame the central dome. The columns of the entrance gates are crowned by figures of a lion and a tiger.
The entire building has eye catching carvings of local species of animals, flora and fauna, portrait roundels of human faces, and stone mesh works on the decorated rose windows. The elaborate detailing of the heritage building is original. It has carvings made in local yellow malad stones blended with Italian marble and polished granite in a few places.
A glimpse of heritage monument of India in black and white. Check other posts that will give you more details about this monument.
Facade of Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus at Mumbai
The Elphinstone College building on MG Road in Fort area of Mumbai is one of the oldest structures in the city.
It was designed by Trubshaw and Khan Bahadur Muncherjee Murzban in the 1880s. The imposing building is built in Gothic architecture.
It has majestic stone balconies, brackets and balustrades. The facade has intricately designed surface motifs apart from other decorative features.
It was originally meant to house the Government Central Press. But from 1888, it has been used for academic activities.
The College has produced several luminaries like Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Pherozshah Mehta, and Jamshedji Tata.
In Mumbai, there are more than 100 caves at Kanheri of which many of them have beautiful carvings. One of the interesting cave among them is Cave No. 2.
The cave consists of a vihara and three stupas that are in separate chambers. Interestingly these chambers are separated from the viharas. This cave dates between to 5th – 6th centuries A.D.
Out of the three Stupas, the third Stupa has an elaborate sculptures around it that are carved inside the niche.
On the left side wall are six large panels at the bottom and above these are eight small panels.
There is a large panel at the end which equals to the height of adjacent small and large panel. Buddha seated with pendant legs and in teaching posture is the common motif appearing in all these panels.
There are two panels, one above another, at the end of this wall.
Beginning with 1st century BC, the genesis and growth of the group of the Buddhist caves at Kanehari continues up to 11th century AD, a period of more than thousand years. It is located inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai.
These rock cut caves excavations are of mainly four types (i) Chaiyahrahas, (ii) Monasteries, (iii) Podhis and (iv) rock cut benches and seats. The Buddhist monks of Hinayana faith were of the first to commence the excavation of these caves. A majority of these rock-cut caves are small consisting of a single cell with a front pillared verandah approached by a flight of steps.
Of the numerous donor inscriptions found here mention of ancient cities like Suparaka, Nasika, Chemuli, Kalyana, Dhenukakata etc., The donors were from all class of the society, from the members of the royal families to the commoners.
The entire group consisting of more than 100 caves is one of the biggest monastic settlements in India. The prominent caves are numbered as 1, 2, 3, 11, 32, 34, 38, 41, 67, 89, 90, etc.
How to Reach: It is located in the north of Mumbai inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivali.
.JPG)
