MUMBAI VACATIONS

Mumbai - The Land of Dreamers

Situated on the edge of the Arabian Sea, Mumbai is also the state capital of Maharashtra. Better known as Bombay worldwide, the city was renamed as Mumbai in 1996 after the Goddess Mumba Devi (a manifestation of Goddess Durga). Previously a group of seven islands, Mumbai has established itself as the commercial capital of India. The city with its own charm, Mumbai is a city of migrants, where people from different part of the country have come and settled here. This gives the society of Mumbai a multi-lingual and multi-cultural glow.

Once in Mumbai, you will be completely confused about its settings and surroundings. On one side you will find high rising structures, national and multinational business houses, fast moving cars, sky kissing shopping malls, sprawling residential premises and on the other side the city is congested with continuously growing slum dwellers, decaying age old structures, overcrowded bazaars and continuous influx of outsiders.

A melting pot of diverse lifestyle holding both the rich and the poor, sophisticated and unsophisticated, scholars and illiterates, today Mumbai is counted amongst the few most populated cities of the world. But despite of its growing problem, the city is growing continuously second by second to fulfill the dreams of the million dreamers, who lands everyday to this land of dreams and desires.

Tourist Hot Spots

Gateway of India
This is a structure which represents Mumbai at almost all the mediums. Raised in 1927 to Commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary for the Delhi Durbar in 1911, the Gateway of India was constructed in honey-coloured basalt, and designed by George Wittet, who was inspired by 16th century Gujarat Style. Gateway of India is the most ideal entrance way to the port of Mumbai. The Gateway of India also hold position in the Indian history for this is the place from where the last of the British troops left Independent India by sea, marched through its portals.

Shivaji Terminus
Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus is one of the finest examples of Victorian Gothic architecture. Previously named Victoria Terminus, this structure is the headquarters of the Central Railways, serving the railway tourists of India and is one of the finest railway stations in the world.

Prince of Wales Museum
It was in 1905, when King George V (the then Prince of Wales), laid the foundation stone of this museum. Located very close to the Gateway of India, the museum was designed in the Indo-Saracenic style to commemorate the King's first visit to India. Used as a hospital during the first world war, the Prince of Wales Museum was opened as a museum in 1923. The museum houses three main sections - Art, Archaeology and Natural History. This museum is a treasure trove of art, sculpture, China, rare coins and old firearms. The museum also displays a precious collection of miniature paintings.

Haji Ali Mosque
The Haji Ali Mosque was built in the early 18th century. Containing the tomb of Hazrath Haji Ali, a Muslim Sufi saint, the mosque is one major place in Mumbai to view.

Crawford Market
Located at the northern end of the old British part of the town, this market was built in 1871 by William Emerson. Renamed as Mahatma Phule Market, the market is a fine blend of Flemish and Norman architecture, with the bas-reliefs, at a height, adorning the facade, designed by J. L. Kipling, father of famous Rudyard Kipling. One can also bargain on the smuggled goods, which are found here.

Chowpatty Beach
The sandy Chowpatty beach stretches at the northern end of Marine Drive. This bustling beach attracts loads of people during the weekends and on holidays, making it one most ideal place for evening and holiday rendezvous.

Juhu Beach
Juhu Beach is about 30 km form the city and is mostly crowded during the evening and morning time. The beach is dotted with residential apartments and bungalows which surrounds it. Both locales and outsiders visit this place to breath the fresh air under the wide open sky and in front of the endless blue sea. In the evening people generally gathers here to relish the Bambaiya snacks - the popular ones are - Pav Bhaji and bhel puri, also the sweet waffers, the children's favourite. Altogether, this makes for an ideal place to make merry along with your friends and family members.

Mumbai Bollywood
Mumbai boasts the largest movie industry in the world. Popularly known as Bollywood, Mumbai develops nine hundred films every year, most of which are filled with romances and spiced up with songs, dances, violence and melodrama.