Mumbai - Fort, Museums
Posted by adminThe Fort (downtown) area in South Mumbai derives its name from the fact that the area fell within the former walled city, of which only a small fragment survives as part of the eastern boundary wall of St George’s Hospital.
Memories of this walled area were preserved in such names as Churchgate, Bazaargate and Rampart Row, all renamed in recent years. Within the Fort was the Castle, the headquarters of the Mumbai Government. Until India became independent, government orders were issued as from “Mumbai Castle”, though the castle itself had long ceased to exist.
Flora Fountain stands in a crowded square at the heart of the Fort area, now called Hutatma Chowk (Martyrs’ Square). The fountain was erected in honour of the governor, Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere, who built new Mumbai in the 1860s. The memorial that has given the square its new name - Hutatma - commemorates those who lost their lives in the cause of setting up a separate Maharashtra state in the Indian Union. This has traditionally been the business centre of Mumbai, with major banks and airline offices.
The Maidan, just to the west of Hutatma Chowk, is a long stretch of park that runs from Colaba up to the end of M.G. Road. Facing the Maidan are some of Mumbai’s finest buildings. The Old Secretariat and the Public Works Department Secretariat on K. Baburao Patel Marg were designed and built by Colonel Orel Henry St Clair Wilkins during 1867-74, and are high Victorian Gothic in style. Also here are the University Hall, funded by Sir Cowasjee Jehangir Readymoney, and the Library and Florentine-style Rajabai Tower (Clock Tower), completed in 1878. On VeerNariman Road, which bisects the Maidan, is the imposing Western Railway Central office building at Churchgate, built in grey-blue basalt with bands of white in 1890, it has towers with oriental domes. West of Hutatma Chowk along Veer Nariman Road is Horniman Circle. Lined with elegant sandstone buildings, in the centre are very well-maintained gardens. On the southern side is St Thomas’s Cathedral (1672-1718). Inside there are some wonderful monuments to the British colonial great and good. South of Horniman Circle is the main financial district, centred around Dalai Street, now shorthand for the SENSEX, or Mumbai Stock Exchange. Also close by is the Town Hall, which now contains part of the State Central Library (open Mon-Sat 10am-7pm). Along with copies of every book printed in India, the archives include more than 10,000 rare antique manuscripts, among them a copy of Dante’s Divine Comedy rumoured to be worth US$3 million - Mussolini tried to buy it once but was turned down.
The most impressive High Victorian Gothic structure in Mumbai, designed by Frederick William Stevens, is Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST, formerly Victoria Terminus, VT) and the adjoining headquarters building of the Central Railway, known originally as the Great Indian Peninsular Railway. Just off Nagar Chowk, it was built between 1878 and 1887 using yellow sandstone and granite with polychromatic stones and blue-grey basalt for decoration.
The Municipal Corporation Building opposite CST is another Stevens masterpiece, especially the domed central staircase and the cusped arches in the arcaded storeys. Another building of note near CST is the General Post Office, designed by George Wittet. He also left his mark in the Ballard Estate area, where his office buildings reflect those of 19th-century London.
Jyotiba Phule Market (previously Crawford Market, built 1865-71), north of CST along Dr Dadabhai Naroji Road, was designed by William Emerson and has bas-reliefs by J.L. Kipling, Rudyard Kipling’s father. A fascinating place to explore, you can seemingly buy any kind of foodstuff here.
The Muslims of Mumbai, like the Parsis and Gujaratis, have merged with the rest in the melting pot of urban culture. Yet there are areas in Mumbai where their contributions to city life can still be observed and enjoyed. On Mohammed Ali Road, north of Jyotiba Phule Market, one can get kababs rolled up in rotis (unleavened bread), or hot jalebi sweets, at all hours. Close by is the highly ornate Jama Masjid. currently under armed guard to protect it from Hindu extremists. Between the Jama Masjid and Lokmanya Tilak Road is Man-galdas Market, a covered warren of little stalls selling a huge variety of fabrics.
The School of Art, on Lokmanya Tilak Road, was built at the same time as Crawford Market. Rudyard Kipling was born and spent his early years here. His father, John Lockwood Kipling, was principal of the school and under his guidance many local artisans prepared panels and motifs to adorn the new buildings of Mumbai. Elphinstone High School (1872), with its central tower and canopied balconies, and St Xavier’s College (1867) are further down. The latter has panels by J.L. Kipling.
