Gateway of India: Gateway of India is the
most sought after of the many sights
in Mumbai. The Indo-Saracenic
style Gateway of India (1927) designed by George Witter to
commemorate the visit of George V and Queen Mary in 1911 is modelled
in honey –coloured basalt on 16th century Gujarati work faces out to
Mumbai Harbour at the tip of Apollo Bunder in Colaba. Officially
opened in 1924 it was redundant just 24 years later when the last
British regiment ceremoniously departed India through its archway.
The gateway has become a popular emblem of the city and is a
favourite gathering spot for locals in the evening and on weekends.
Boats depart from the gateways wharfs for Elephanta Island and touts
balloon sellers photographers and snake charmers give the area the
hubbub of a bazaar. The area around is popular among Mumbaiites for
evening strolls and is a pleasant place to visit at sundown. Plenty
of launches depart from here to Elephants caves.
The great gateway comprises an archway with halls on each side
capable of seating 600 at important receptions. The arch placed an
earlier lighter building. It was the point from which the last
British regiment serving in India signaled the end of the empire
when it left on 28 February 1948. Nearby the statues of the
religious reformer Swami Vivekananda and of the Maratha leader
Shivaji astride his horse erected in 1960.
