Travel Mumbai

[Anil Rawat]

Mumbai has an array of tourist attractions for world travelers. It is an important transit point of India. Mumbai is the Business Capital of India. It is the important financial and communication centre of India. The city consists the largest and the busiest port handling and third
largest Stock Exchange in the world. The biggest film industry of India
is popularly known as Bollywood, produces sizable number of Hindi
movies every year. Mumbai city generates the maximum revenue for India.
Mumbai consists of production houses, stock exchange, seaport and
offices of major national and international companies. It is also called
the Commercial Capital of India. Mumbai is one of the most glamorous
and happening cities of India.

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In 17th century, Portuguese gave Mumbai to Charles II of England as dowry when he married Catherine. The group of seven islands was leased to the East India Company who offered freedom of business and religion
to persons who came and settled here. Initially a few Parsis and
Gujarati came but soon a sizeable population began to thrive. Present
day Mumbai is a city of migrants consists of peoples from very nook and
corner of India. Mumbai is a multi-lingual and multi-cultural society.

MUMBAI TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Gateway of India: Gateway of India, 26 metres high stone archway is the first landmark of Mumbai is visible when arriving by ship. The monument is situated on the waterfront in the southern part of
the city. This 16th century emblem is built in Gujarat architectural
style to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to India.
An equestrian statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji and statue of Swami
Vivekananda are installed here.

Haji Ali Mosque: The tomb of a Muslim saint who died while on pilgrimage to Mecca. It is believed that a casket containing his mortal remains floated and came to rest on a rocky bed in the sea, where
devotees constructed the tomb and mosque. It can be visited only at low
tide.

Nariman Point: It is the leading business center in Mumbai situated on the southern end of Marine Drive in South Mumbai; Nariman Point owes its name to Khusheed Framji Nariman - a futurist Parsi, who
wished to retrieve the land from the sea in 1940.

Flora Fountain/ Hutatmas Chowk: Flora Fountain is a stone fountain in South Mumbai. Located in the fort business district, the splendid fountain was built in 1864. It is inspired from Flora - the
Roman Goddess of Flowers. The Agri-Horticultural Society of Western
India constructed it. This is the business centre of Mumbai, surrounded
by offices, banks, colleges and shops.

Mahalaxmi Temple: An important Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess of wealth.

Mani Bhavan (Gandhi Mamorial): A memorial dedicated to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. He used to stay at House No.19 called Man Bhavan, from time to time between 1917 and 1934. He was
arrested here in 1932 and taken off for one of his many prison terms.
The building now contains a pictorial gallery, research library, film
and recording archive and diorama on the Mahatma's life.

Nehru Science Center: The museum has children’s science park and gallery. There are antique exhibits as railway engine, tramcar, supersonic aeroplane and steam lorry.

Raudat Tajera: The Dawoodi Bohra Muslims erected a marble mosque and mausoleum in the honour of their spiritual leader Late Dr. Syedna Taher Safuddin. The lavishly decorated mausoleum has four silver
doors and the holy Koran is inscribed on the inner walls in gold. The
air-conditioned Fatemi mosque has 17 arches.

Pherozsha Mehta Gardens: The garden was laid in 1881 on top of the reservoir, which supplies water in Mumbai. It is popularly known as hanging gardens, renamed after the celebrated barrister Pherozshah
Mehta. The special feature of the garden is that the hedges are cut into
animal shapes. In the evening at sunset excellent view of the city
harbour and hills beyond can be seen. There is also a flower clock.

Chowpatty Beach: It is a popular common men beach always busy and extremely busy at festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi and Coconut Day. There are several small kiosks selling Mumbai special snacks
Bhelpuri. Apart from that you may find masseurs, pony riders, bee
bee-gun shooting galleries, contortionists, snake charmers and
monkey-trainers etc. There are statues of towering freedom fighters
Lokmanya Tilak and Vithalbhai Patel on the beach.

Rajbai Tower: It is a beautiful structure designed by Sir Gilbert Scott. It is a majestic 79 meters clock tower in South Mumbai built in the19th century on the university campus. The clock tower
commands an excellent view of the city.

Banganga: Banganga, which had been a gorge, is present in the form of water tank in the Malabar Hill area at present in the Walkeshwar Temple complex. This tank has a mythological legend behind its
emergence. According to the legend, Lord Rama took halt at the point
while searching for his wife – Sita around five thousand years back. As
he felt thirsty, he asked his younger brother Lakshman to fetch some
water for him. Then Lakshman shot an arrow in the ground and fresh water
gushed out. Every year in the month of February the Banganga Music
Festival is celebrated.

Film City: The Film City of Mumbai located next to the precincts of Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Goregaon (East) is synonymous with the Film City of India. Film City was the dream endeavor
of Dada Saheb Phalke, the renowned cine-figure of India. Indian Film
Industry is the largest in the world and produces thousands of films
every year. Bollywood is only next to Hollywood. The Film City is
sprawled over a large area well equipped with indoor and outdoor
shooting facilities. A prior permission from relevant authorities is
required to access this place.

Churchgate: It is a downtown business district in South Mumbai. It imbibes its name from Churchgate Railway Station. The city center is crammed with several offices and banks. Originally the name
Churchgate has been derived from St Thomas Church that is situated about
500 meters from the railway station. Nariman Point the class business
center of Mumbai is just a kilometer away. The Marine Drive lies to its
west is a beautifully designed avenue in Mumbai.

Mahalaxmi Racecourse: It is an elite horse racing ground in Mumbai. This oval shaped ground is situated in the Maha Lakshmi area of Mumbai. The season for horse racing is from November to February. The
Derby that is held annually on the first Sunday in February is the most
awaited event.

Prithvi Theatre: Prithvi Theatre is a well-known theatre of performing arts in Mumbai belongs to Kapoors - the leading actor/director families in Bollywood. Prithviraj Kapoor, a legend is the
source of inspiration for the establishment of Prithvi Theatre. Shashi
Kapoor, the youngest son of Prithviraj Kapoor, along with his wife
Jennifer Kendal, worked enthusiastically realizing his father's dream of
establishing it. At present Prithvi Theatre organizes an annual drama
festival that features the best plays from India.

Malabar Hill: It is a small hill in South Mumbai that consists famous Hanging Gardens, Walkeshwar Temple and Kamala Nehru Gardens of Mumbai. It is the highest point in the city center with 50 meters height
presents excellent view of the foothills. It is an elite residential
area of the city. Malabar Hill is a worth visiting tourist place.

Town Hall: It is one of the best imperial structures among the heritage buildings of Mumbai. It is located the fort area of South Mumbai. The pillared monument is very significant for its exquisite
edifice with old wooden flooring and spiral staircases. It houses the
Asiatic Society of Mumbai consists of city's largest library with a
collection of 800,000 antique volumes.

Climate of Mumbai

The climate of Mumbai is warm and humid throughout the year. From November to February, the skies are clear, and the temperature is cooler. From March to mid June, the temperature is warm and humid. Mid
June is the beginning of monsoon, brings torrential rains sometimes
disrupt the city life completely. The average rainfall in Mumbai is 180
cms. Monsoon ends by the end of September. October is comparatively hot
and humid.