Bombay: vibrant and unsubdued
The second life of the Taj Mahal!
In this thriving city, vibrant with new energy, since 13 years renamed after its Marathi name, Mumbai, The facades of a jewel dating from the British Empire, the Taj Mahal, still reminds tourists of the Imperial past of India. Sadly damaged by attacks in 2008, the hotel now returns in full splendour after two years of intense restoration, identical to the Taj Mahal of 1903.
In the shadow of colonisation...
The shadow of colonisation is still present in one of the most beautiful cities of the former Empire. On this small island of just 60 kilometers long, you will find a curious mixture of unhealthy slums and interesting architecture, like the art deco and colonial buildings on Marine Drive. Everywhere busy traffic, old black taxis, rickshaws, Tata busses, motorcycles and bicycles rushing by in the small buzzing streets of Mumbai.
A multi-faceted city
Composed of a patchwork of neighbourhoods, including Colaba, Fort, Churchgate, Chowpatty, Bandra and Marine Drive... this city found its origins in the imagination of British pseudo-architects using a Mughal, Victorian and gothic revival style, giving it its present charm. In many neighbourhoods you will still find the remnants of the British empire, reflecting a time gone by.
Victoria Station, an exuberant colonial building!
One of the British remains is the Fort, the British fortifications around the port, with its many buildings dating from the colonial era. Among them, the railway station Victoria Station. An extravagant gothic revival building designed by Frederick Stevens. The University of Bombay is also an example of the country’s colonial heritage, with one of its towers being a replica of London’s Big Ben. This neo-gothic building was built by Gilbert Scott, architect of St Pancreas station in London.
Taj Mahal, a myth and a history
The Taj Mahal hotel has become a myth, having survived all anachronisms and modernity, it was built in 1903 by a rich Indian business man, Jamshedii Nusserwanji Tata, who was once refused the entrance to a hotel because of his Indian origins. Furious, he decided to build his own hotel that would outshine all others. In an amazing blend of Oriental, Moorish and Florentine style, the hotel was erected on the banks of the port, just two steps from the Gate of India, an impressive 16th century Gujarat Muslim style triumphal arch, built to honour the English and to commemorate the visit of king George V in 1911.
Theatrical facades
Located in the chic neighbourhood of Colaba, with breathtaking views of the Oman sea and the port, this amazing and sumptuous hotel with its granite facades reflecting in the calm waters of the Oman Sea, is the work of a British architect. According to legend, he committed suicide once he discovered the intentions behind the construction of the hotel.
Hymn to the past
A hymn to the art of living of days gone by, the legends about the hotel participate in the romanticism of the place. When entering this hotel, you’re transported back to the colonial era. With its galleries of multiple onyx columns, grey and black marble floors, vaulted Alabaster ceilings with its graceful arches, its Ballroom with gilded Corinthian columns and Crystal chandeliers, 6 restaurants, including an Indian and exquisite Chinese restaurant, its swimming pool embedded in a lush garden and its majestic staircase. With its wrought iron balustrades it rises up to the 6th floor … and makes you plunge back right into the colonial heritage of this enchanting city.
