Art Deco and The Victorian ensemble of Mumbai

Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is the biggest city in India and has a population of about 18 million. The city is a mash-up of ideologies, cultures, languages, and faiths, and this mingling of influences is reflected in the city’s extensive architectural history. There are historic cave shrines dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva off the coast on Elephanta Island. The city is well known for being the hub of the Bollywood film industry.

It is India’s largest metropolis and a major financial hub. The magnificent Gateway of India stone arch, constructed by the British Raj in 1924, is located on the shoreline of Mumbai Harbour.

The “Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai” are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and are brimming with architectural treasures influenced by Gothic, Victorian, Indo-Saracenic, Art Deco, and modern styles. Midway through the 19th century, during the British Raj or Crown Rule, Gothic architecture first appeared in India. Intricate multi-colored stained-glass windows and split facades with etchings and engravings are among its dramatic design highlights.

The Convocation Hall at Bombay University was designed by Sir Gilbert Scott, the most well-known Gothic architect of his time, and was funded by Sir Cowasji Jehangir, a renowned opium merchant, as you stroll along the busy streets of the wealthiest city in India and pass the historic Bombay Fort region.

Other notable examples are the Secretariat, the Telegraph Office, Saint Xavier’s College, Bombay City Hall, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Railway Station, formerly known as the Victoria Terminus. Many changes occurred in the middle of the 1800s when Indian traders benefited financially from the opium trade and the cotton boom.

Many of them made an effort to leave their imprint on Mumbai by hiring British architects to design buildings in their honor that included the most popular British Empire styles.

Add this experience on our India First timer tour.

ADD THIS TO YOUR TOUR

Only available as part of a planned itinerary