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Mumbai is located on India's central-western coast along the Arabian Sea. The city developed for 150 years in isolation from its hinterland and still seems to belong in a different world to the huge, predominantly Hindu state of Maharashtra, which encompasses a 500km (310mi) coastal strip, a portion of the Western Ghats and a significant part of the Deccan plateau. Mumbai itself is an island connected by bridges to the mainland. The principal part of the city is concentrated at the southern claw-shaped end of the island. The southernmost peninsula is known as Colaba and this is where most travellers gravitate, since it has a decent range of hotels and restaurants and two of the city's best landmarks, the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Hotel. Directly north of Colaba is the area known as the Fort, since this is where the old British fort once stood. Further west is Marine Drive, which sweeps around Back Bay, connecting the high-rise modern business centre with Chowpatty Beach. To the north are the suburbs of Greater Mumbai. Here you'll find the two airports, Sahar International and the domestic Santa Cruz. Mumbai is the city of Gold where one willing can achieve his dreams. People from all parts of the country come and try their luck here. Mumbai (AKA Bombay) is the glamour of Bollywood cinema, cricket on the maidans on weekends, bhelpuri on the beach at Chowpatty and red double-decker buses. An island connected by bridges to the mainland, Mumbai is the industrial hub of everything from textiles to petrochemicals, and responsible for half of India's foreign trade. |
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History Once a tiny island covered by palm trees used to belong to the native koli fisher-folk, who still live here in their little villages surrounded by huge skyscrapers. The islands were ruled by a succession of Hindu dynasties, invaded by Muslims in the 14th century and then ceded to Portugal by the Sultan of Gujarat in 1534. The British Government took possession of all seven islands in 1665 but leased them three years later to the East India Company. Bombay soon developed as a trading port thanks to its fine harbour and the number of merchants who were attracted from other parts of India by the British promise of religious freedom and land grants. Migrants included sizeable communities of Parsis and Gujaratis, and south Indian Hindus fleeing Portuguese persecution in Goa. Their arrival, and that of later immigrant groups, laid the basis for Bombay's celebrated multicultural society. In 1996 the Shiv Sena officially renamed the city Mumbai. The change of name led to linguistic confusion. Mumbai leapt into the new millennium determined to become the most populous city in the world by 2020. |
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Events If you want to come to Mumbai for a big event or spectacle, make
it Ganesh Chaturthi, an 11-day Hindu festival in August/September.
The Elephanta Festival is a classical dance and music event on Elephanta
Island, usually held in February. On the last day of the monsoon,
in a ritual called Nariyal Poornima, where Mumbai's fisherfolk offer
coconuts and flowers to the sea god Varuna to calm the turbulent
monsoon waters .Celebrated in Mumbai during October or November
with particular gusto, Diwali's most significant days are marked
by a barrage of firecrackers ;traditional Diwali lamps are floated
in the waters of Banganga Tank.New Year's Eve is also celebrated
accompanied by fervent drumming and dancing at the stroke of midnight.
Sight seeing in mumbai Colaba Every tourist to mumbai prefers to have a look of the gateway of india standing on the wonderfully named apollo bunder where the streets appear crowded with balloon sellers and other vendors.The main drag of Colaba is plenty of shops, stalls and cafes. Chowpatty beach Mumbai's famous beach chowpatty develop a magical atmosphere in the evening where locals enjoy a stroll among the baloon vendors, fortune tellers.Eating at the collection of stalls is an essential part of the Mumbai experience. Chowpatty is a great place to witness the annual Ganesh Chaturthi Festival in August/September when large images of the Lord Ganesha are immersed in the sea. Crawford Market The indoor crawford market lying north of CST used to be mumbai's wholesale product market which has slowly moved to new bombay.The meat market at the rear end sells everything and the whole mumbai central crowd goes shopping for fruits, vegetables and meat. Marine drive Marine Drive runs along the shoreline of the Arabian Sea from Nariman
Point to the foot of Malabar Hill and it is sometimes called the
Queen's Necklace, strung with glittering street lights like an enormous
strand of imperious jewels. It passes Chowpatty Beach along the
way. It's one of Mumbai's most popular romantic spot and sunset
view is amazing. This is where most of south Mumbai comes to breathe
in some fresh air. Malabar hill The most expensive residential area of Malabar Hill, preferred for its cool breezes and fine bay views. The Hanging Gardens is an interesting spot to study the courting rituals of coy Indian couples, and there are superb views of the city from neighbouring Kamala Nehru Park. Beside the Hanging Gardens, lies the Parsi Towers of Silence.
Visit to mumbai without visiting kalbadevi is incomplete.The main
areas are Zaveri Bazaar (jewellery), Mangaldas Market (cloth), Dhabu
St (leather goods) Mumbai's and chor bazaar.Mutton St in Chor Bazaar
specialises in antiques, ingenious reproductions and miscellaneous
junk where you cannot rely on the authenticity or the lifespan of
objects with mechanical parts.The bazaars are considered to be more
spectacular than shopping. Apart from the shopping opportunities,
this area is also home to the Jama Masjid and the Mumbadevi Temple
of kolis. Fort The Victorian buildings in Fort reinforce the European roots of the city and is the established commercial centre of Mumbai.It's jampacked with commuters, street stalls and the 19th century British institutions and trading houses. The Bombay Stock Exchange on the famous Dalal Street is one of the many establishments. Gateway of india One of mumbai's famous landmark is an archway designed to commemorate the visit of King George and Queen mary to india.Behind the arch, there are steps leading down to the water. Here, you can get onto one of the little motor launches, for a short cruise through Mumbai's splendid natural harbour. |
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Moving about in Mumbai Mumbai beats Delhi, Kolkata and Madras for international air traffic. It also has the busiest network of domestic flights. Mumbai's railway system is fairly chaotic. Three train systems operate out of Mumbai, but the main two that are important for overseas visitors are Central Railways and Western Railways. Central Railways, operating mainly from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST, formerly Victoria Terminus), covers services to the east and south, plus a few trains to the north.Mumbai is virtually the only place in India where it's worth taking trains for travel within a city. The service is efficient, easy to navigate (there are three main lines) and unsurprisingly overcrowded. Mumbai's single- and double-decker buses are good for travelling short distances in the city.The service is run by BEST, which has its main depot in Colaba. Taxis are the most convenient way to get around the city and in South Mumbai while autorickshaws are confined to the suburbs north of Mahim Creek. |
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Regal Enclave Hotel, 4th road Near Railway Station, Khar
West, Mumbai 400052, india.
Phone: 91 22 26494409/10, 56976045/46, 9322011989, Fax: 91 22 26000523,
E-mail: regalenclave@rediffmail.com
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