The Gateway of India on the waterfront at P.J. Ramachandani Marg (previously Apollo Bunder) was conceived as a triumphal arch to commemorate the visit of Britain’s George V and Queen Mary for the Delhi Darbar in 1911. The honey-colored basalt of the arch, designed by George Wittet, faces the sea and catches the light of the rising and setting sun and changes from shades of gold to orange and pink. It was through this arch that the last of the British troops left India by sea. Opposite the Gateway is the Taj Hotel. After the industrialist J.N. Tata was refused entry to the “European” hotel Watson’s, he exacted revenge by constructing a far more opulent hotel nearby. It opened in 1903 and heads of state and celebrities have been passing through its doors ever since.
The foundation stone of the domed Maharaja Chatrapati Sivaji Museum (open Tues-Sun 10.15am-6pm, entrance fee), on M.G. Road, was laid by George V in 1905 during his visit to India as Prince of Wales. The museum contains some excellent examples of Indian miniature painting of the Mughal and Rajasthan schools. There are also collections of jade artefacts and chi-naware. The Jehangir Art Gallery, next to the museum, stages regular exhibitions of contemporary art and crafts. Some exhibits are for sale (open 1 am-7pm). Perhaps its greatest asset is the popular Samovar cafe. Opposite the museum, completing the cultural trilogy, is the National Gallery of Modern Art (open Tues-Sun llam-7pm, entrance fee).
The Afghan Memorial Church of St John the Evangelist is in south Colaba. The church, on Capt P. Pethe Marg, was established in 1847 and consecrated 11 years later as a memorial to those who fell in the First Afghan War. It is a lovely piece of architecture with Gothic arches and stained-glass windows.
Sassoon Docks is where the city’s trawler fleet lands its catch each morning. If you can cope with the overpowering stench, wander around the quays to watch the fish being flung into crates of ice balancing on the heads of waiting porters, who carry them at top speed to the adjacent auction halls for sale. Hundreds of boats tie up here during the day, their flags, masts and rigs forming one of Mumbai’s more arresting spectacles. This is also where you will see the city’s signature dish, ‘Bombay duck’, being dried in the salty breezes.
