The Travel Trip

The incredible structure that is the landmark of a city is the Gateway to India. This is often times the first glimpse of the city of Mumbai that visitors experience. The monument sits at the waterfront on the southern end of the city. The Gateway stands twenty-six meters tall, and is constructed with steel reinforced concrete and yellow basalt. This is one of the marvels of the world of architecture and design. The style is Indo-Saracenic, as some of the luxury Mumbai hotels and government buildings and has infused elements of the architectural Muslim styles and architect, Gujarat of the 1500′s.

Just the circumference of dome at the top of the monument measures fifteen meters, with the spire reaching up to the twenty-six meters. The Indian government funded the construction, and looking back through history, it has been found that this was created to commemorate and to celebrate the visit of Queen Mary and King George V, in 1911. At the time the city of Mumbai was called Bombay, and the governor of Bombay at the time, Sir George Sydenham Clarke, broke ground for the construction of the arch that same year, in 1911.

The project was completed thirteen years later, and opened officially 4 December 1924. The Earl of Reading performed the ceremony. Once India gained independence from Great Britain, and the British troops were sent home, the last view they had as the headed out to sea, was that gateway. This is an amazing structure that never fails to astonish all those that see it. It is still the central attraction and is the most popular viewed sites in Mumbai. The Arabian Sea is visible from the Gateway and the view, with the Gateway in the foreground and the Sea behind it, is one of the most stunning views in the country, if not the world.

Related posts:

1. The Evolving City of Mumbai
2. “Thank You India”
3. Mumbai/Bombay Honors the Elephant
4. The Jagdish Temple in the Indian State of Rajasthan
5. Business Index

Posted on April 25th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: Travel