Mumbai Attractions
Gateway to India
Colaba
The southernmost peninsula, known as Colaba, is where most
travellers gravitate to as it has a good range of hotels and
restaurants and two of the city's best landmarks, the Gateway to
India and the Taj Mahal Hotel. The Gateway to India was built in
1911 to commemorate the visit to India of King George V and Queen
Mary. The archway is built from honey-coloured basalt in a style
derived from Gujarati architecture of the sixteenth century. In the
days of the steam liner, the Gateway was for many visitors their
first and last sight of India but today it acts purely as a
colourful tourist stop, and attracts hawkers, snake charmers, and
beggars. The neighbouring Taj Mahal Hotel was built in 1902 by JN
Tata, after he was allegedly refused entry to one of the city's
European hotels on account of being 'a native'. It has since turned
into a bit of an institution, and the streets behind it have become
a Mecca for travellers, the Colaba Causeway is the main street with
a melee of street vendors, shops, stalls and cafes. To the north,
set in beautiful lush gardens, is the fascinating Prince of Wales
Museum displaying a collection of ancient and medieval sculpture
and Indian decorative arts, nearby the new National Gallery of
Modern Art showcases Indian modern art. To the south is the Sassoon
Dock, which at dawn becomes an area of intense and pungent activity
as fishing boats arrive to unload their catch.
