Introduction to city Mumbai
- In Maharashtra
Mumbai is the fast paced commercial, financial, industrial
and celluloid capital of India. Lured by its glamour and
the prospects of ’streets paved with gold’, a large number
of people from different parts of the country come to
settle in this city every year. And Mumbai continues to
grow, to absorb and most importantly to prosper. Just when
you begin to wonder how you’re ever going to cope with
Mumbai, you arrive at Worli and see Haji Ali Mosque
standing proudly on a raised walkway in the middle of the
sea giving you the feeling that the Gods are there if
everything else fails. If you arrive at night, there will
be a backdrop of twinkling lights from the skyscrapers
that are so much a feature of Mumbai’s skyline. The scenes
change as you drive past Chowpatty Beach, ablaze with the
lights of stalls selling fruit-juice, ice-cream and snacks
to the crowds thronging the beach. By the time you reach
Marine Drive, your spirits will be restored and the rush
of traffic won’t seem half so daunting as it might have
been earlier, and the sedate horse-drawn landau will seem
a charming anachronism.
Once a tiny island overrun by swaying palm trees, Mumbai
used to belong to the native Koli fisher-folk, who still
live here in their little villages surrounded by soaring
skyscrapers. Portuguese came here in the seventeenth
century and dotted the place with several forts, which
stand even today. Later Mumbai came under the British rule
and eventually became one of the largest ports in the
British Empire.
Sightseeing : Places to
visit in destination - Mumbai
Once you are in Mumbai, the list of sites to visit is
endless. First of all the twinkling lights from the
skyscrapers itself will keep your eyes wide open with
excitement and wonder. And to add up to your excitement
you have a number of sites to visit that could be teamed
up as historical sites, contemporary wonders,
archaeological sites, religious sites and natural wonders.
The Gateway of India is the main attraction of
Mumbai city. Built to commemorate the visit of King George
V and Queen Mary for the Delhi Durbar in the year 1911,
this massive historical monument makes a must visit during
your Mumbai sightseeing. Moreover, there are sites like
the Mani Bhawan or the Gandhi memorial, Prince of Wales
Museum,
Marine Drive and Juhu
that give you the feeling of being in the commercial
capital of India. The gardens like the Hanging Garden
and the Kamla Nehru Garden will provide you the much
needed rest between your sightseeing trips and the
Chowpatty gives you the view of one of the most
happening beaches of Mumbai.
Mumbai Sightseeing :
Places to visit in destination Mumbai
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Places to visit in the city Mumbai |
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GATEWAY OF INDIA -
Mumbai
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 The
Gateway of India is the main attraction of Mumbai
city. It was built to commemorate the visit of King
George V and Queen Mary for the Delhi Durbar in
1911. Situated at the Apollo Bunder, the gateway
holds greater historical significance as the last of
the British troops that left India by sea, marched
through its portals. The monument is complete with
four turrets and intricate latticework carved into
the yellow basalt stone. You can also go for a short
cruise through Mumbai's natural harbour in one of
the little motor launches that are stationed here. |
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MANI BHAWAN - Mumbai
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Mani Bhawan is one of the important places to visit
in Mumbai. Presently functioning as a Gandhi
memorial, it used to be the Mumbai residence of
Mahatma Gandhi. It is from this famous house No. 19,
called Mani Bhawan, that Gandhiji was arrested in
1932. This two storied building houses a reference
library with over 2000 books, a photo feature on the
Mahatma's life, some memorabilia, an old Gandhiji's
charkha and a film and recording archive. A minimum
entry fee is required to get into the Mani Bhawan. |
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PRINCE OF WALES
MUSEUM - Mumbai
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The Prince of Wales museum is another major
attraction of Mumbai. Built in the year 1914, it is
surrounded by a beautiful landscape forming an ideal
getaway for the people of Mumbai. The museum houses
art, sculpture, rare coins, and old firearms and a
priceless collection of miniature paintings. The
Prince of Wales museum is regarded as one of the
best museums in the country. |
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MARINE DRIVE - Mumbai
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A stroll down the Marine Drive is the best way to
discover Mumbai. This winding stretch of road with
tall buildings on one side and sea on the other
extends from Nariman Point to Malabar Hills. Due to
its curved shape and many street lights, it was once
called the Queen's Necklace. A popular sea front,
Marine Drive is also the main thoroughfare linking
Malabar Hills to the southernmost points of Colaba,
Cuffe Parade, Nariman Point, and Fort. |
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JUHU - Mumbai
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Nicknamed as the uptown bourgeois paradise, Juhu
Beach is a place that attracts a large number of
visitors throughout the year. Characterised by
walkers, screaming children and courting couples,
the beach covers an area of about 5 kilometres. Juhu
beach is attractively studded with many five star
hotels offering the customers a splendid view of the
coast. The beach remains noticeably crowded on
weekends. Moreover, the beach activities like camel
rides, pony rides, acrobats, performing monkeys and
entertainers will keep you enthralled all the time.
Keep away from hawkers. |
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HANGING
GARDENS - Mumbai
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The Hanging Gardens makes another must see site in
Mumbai. The park was built during the early 1880s
over Mumbai's main reservoir at the top of the
Malabar Hills. The reason of its location being to
cover the water from the potentially contaminating
activity of the nearby Towers of Silence. Located
just opposite the Kamala Nehru Park, this terraced
garden, also known as Ferozeshah Mehta Garden, is
famous among the locals as well as tourists. The
garden provides lovely sunset views over the Arabian
Sea. |
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KAMLA
NEHRU PARK - Mumbai
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Kamla Nehru park, located at the top of Malabar
Hills is another site to visit in Mumbai.
Overlooking the Marine Drive, the park houses "Old
Woman's Shoe", wonderfully cut hazes and roomy
walkaways. Moreover, the park also provides you a
spectacular view of the city and the sunset. The
Kamla Nehru park also makes a favourite gateway for
the locals here. |
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CHOWPATTY - Mumbai
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Another sandy gateway of Mumbai is the Chowpatty
beach in the suburbs of the city. Chowpatty is
perhaps the most famous beach of Mumbai,
characterised by the usual hustle and bustle of
stallwalahs, people snoozing under the shade of its
stunted trees, screaming kids, Ferris wheels, pony
rides, wayside astrologers, monkey shows, and even
the odd self-styled gymnast demonstrating their
skill for a fee. Moreover, the bhelpuri shops and
sometimes the film shoot or a street play also adds
to the festive atmosphere of the beach. A beach of
action, Chowpatty makes a must visit in Mumbai. |
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AAREY MILK COLONY -
Mumbai
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One of the most modern milk colonies in the world is
Aarey Milk colony of Mumbai. Located at a distance
of 32 kilometres from main Mumbai city, it falls on
the main Ghodbunder Road. Aarey makes a must visit
in Mumbai not only for its sophisticated dairy and
the many well fed cows but also for its surrounding
natural beauty. A visit to the observation pavilion
here on a hill near the colony\'s entrance also
gives you an enchanting view of the surrounding
areas. But the main feature of the colony is the
4000 acres of parkland with fine gardens. You can
also try the fresh milk and snacks in the colony\'s
canteen here. |
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TOWER OF
SILENCE - Mumbai
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A peculiar site to visit in Mumbai is the Tower of
Silence. Mumbai has a large number of Parsi
population. The Parsis have the custom of leaving
their dead in the open. These particular places are
called "Towers of Silence", where the vultures come
to eat the dead. For the Parsis, this is regarded as
the final act of charity. Mumbai's Towers of
Silence, have virtually disappeared today. Only a
handful remain that attract a considerable number of
tourists every year. |
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JAIN
TEMPLE - Mumbai
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Jain temple of Mumbai also makes the interesting
place to visit in the city. Located on the Malabar
Hill, the Jain temple houses frescoes depicting
various events in the lives of the 24 Jain
Tirthankaras. It also has a black marble shrine
decorated with celestial personifications of the
planets painted onto the ceiling. A large number of
devotees as well as tourists come here every day. |
Excursions : Places nearby
city - Mumbai
And if you get tired of visiting sites in Mumbai and want
to get away from the city to spend some time in
tranquility, move out to visit the many cool and calm
destinations around the city. This would include the
thrilling caves of Elephanta, the Karla caves, the
unique Kanheri caves and the best known hill stations
of Mumbai, Matheran and Lonavla. All these places
make the favourite destination not only for the tourists
who visit Mumbai but also for the local people who come
here on holidays and vacations
Mumbai Excursion :
Places nearby Mumbai - Maharashtra
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Places to visit nearby destination - Mumbai |
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Elephanta
Caves
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Located nine kilometres by sea from the Gateway of
India, are the Elephanta Caves, a place you must
include in your excursion itinerary. The Elephanta
Caves are characterised by rock temples carved out
of two hills that emerge from the centre of the
island. It is said that the Portuguese named this
island after the stone elephant they found here. At
Elephanta you can see the cave shrine to Lord Shiva,
which belongs to the sixth century, and a massive
three-headed sculpture representing Brahma the
creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the
destroyer. You can also find the other interesting
sculptures here include those that depict the
marriage of Shiva and Parvati. |
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Kanheri
Caves
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A small trip of about four miles will take you to
the famous Kanheri Caves a must visit excursion spot
of Mumbai. The caves are believed to have been
carved out by Buddhist monks between the 2nd and 9th
centuries and have many interesting facts related to
them. Situated in the centre of Mumbai's Borivili
National Park, the Kanheri caves are also regarded
as one of the biggest Buddhist monastic
establishment on the Konkan coast. An unusual
feature at Kanheri is the number of open benches cut
out of rocks. Almost all the caves have benches in
their verandahs or front courts. Sit down on one of
these. And with the evening breeze that comes from
the sea refreshing you, you realise their purpose at
once. |
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Karla
Caves
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Rock-cut structures are one of the most primitive
forms of architecture found in several parts of
India. The Karla Caves in Maharashtra are one of the
finest examples of this architectural style. The
Caves are located high in the surrounding hills. A
narrow winding path, leads up to them. Built by
Buddhist monks, the caves are in keeping with the
Buddhist ideas of simplicity. The caves are
characterised by many halls and a huge stone stupa
along with the 2000-year-old teak wood ceiling which
is still intact. Outside the cave is a pillar
crowned with lions. This was an emblem of the
Buddhist King Ashoka, now adopted by the Indian
Government as the state emblem. |
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Lonavla
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Located at a distance of 120 kilometres from Mumbai,
Lonavla is a favourite hilly destination around
Mumbai. Ideal for a day or weekend trip, Lonavla is
beautiful and cool hill station decorated with
gurgling streams and quiet glided walks. The
waterfalls of Tungarly or trek up to the Duke's Nose
(a gigantic hillock )will also give you the complete
feeling of being close to mother nature. A must
visit to be included in your excursion itinerary. |
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Matheran
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Matheran is one of the nearest hill stations of
Mumbai. Calm and undisturbed, Matheran makes a
favourite getaway for the city dwellers who want to
take a break from the city hustle and bustle.
Discovered in 1850, Matheran provides very nice view
of the nearby places from the Hart point. A human
buggy is the main mode of transport in Matheran.
Interestingly one thing that dominates the market is
chikki, a confection made of gram flour, jaggery and
cashew nut. You can also buy this universally
popular sweetmeat in large quantity to carry back
home. Matheran has retained the tranquility and
peace of a hill station by not allowing any kind of
motor vehicle into the town. |
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