Mumbai
Area : 437.71 sq. kms
Main Languages : Marathi, Hindi, English and Gujarati
Population : 11,914,398
Location
: Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra, is situated on the western coast
of India.
Climate : Mumbai's climate remains hot and humid in summer months of April to June. During summer, the temperature usually ranges between 35ºC to 23ºC. Monsoon arrives in the city in mid-June and goes on until September. Winter brings respite from humidity and heat, when the going down to 29ºC and 19ºC.
Best Time to Visit : The winter months (November to February) are the best time to visit Mumbai.
Main Languages : Marathi, Hindi, English and Gujarati
Population : 11,914,398
Location
: Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra, is situated on the western coast
of India.Climate : Mumbai's climate remains hot and humid in summer months of April to June. During summer, the temperature usually ranges between 35ºC to 23ºC. Monsoon arrives in the city in mid-June and goes on until September. Winter brings respite from humidity and heat, when the going down to 29ºC and 19ºC.
Best Time to Visit : The winter months (November to February) are the best time to visit Mumbai.
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Mumbai - The City of Dreams
Mumbai, the economic powerhouse of India, is the fastest moving, most affluent and most industrialized city in India. The largest metropolis of the country, Mumbai is home to India's busiest port, handling around 50 per cent of India's total foreign trade. Mumbai is the stronghold of free enterprise in the country and a major manufacturing centre for everything from automobiles to bicycles to pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals. Also known as the commercial capital of India, Mumbai is an important base for a large number of domestic and overseas companies. Besides a financial centre, the city houses one of the most popular film industry in the world - Bollywood. Mumbai is originally an island made from a cluster of seven islands and gets its name from Mumbadevi, the goddess of the Koli fisher folk, the oldest inhabitants of the city. Famous as the city that never sleeps, Mumbai is a true cosmopolitan and cannot be bounded by time frame of day and night. Mumbai remains always alive with dazzling shopping arcades, exciting sport activity, night clubs and discotheques, theatre and music and restaurants offering delicious foods. The delectable spicy food offered by the beachside and also by the roadside vendors is one of the popular attractions of the city.
Major Attractions
Gateway
of India : The Gateway of India is the principal landmark of Mumbai. The
gateway was conceived after the visit of King George V to India in 1911 and
was finally opened in 1924. A fine specimen of British architecture, this
conventional Arch of Triumph has the elements of Muslim architectural styles
of 16th century in its design. Made of yellow basalt, the gateway stands on
the Apollo Bunder.
St John's Church : Built in 1847, the church is dedicated to the soldiers who died in the Sind campaign of 1838 and the First Afghan War of 1843.
Prince of Wales Museum : The Prince of Wales Museum was built to commemorate King George V's first visit to India in 1905. Designed in Indo-Saracenic style, the first part of this museum opened in 1914 and it has sections for art, paintings, archeology and natural history. It has an interesting collection of miniature paintings, images and bas reliefs from the Elephanta caves. The museum is open on all weekdays except Mondays.
Marine Drive : Marine Drive was built on the land reclaimed in the year 1920. It runs along the shoreline, starting at Nariman Point and sweeping around by Chowpatty Beach and up to Malabar Hill. One of the most popular attractions of Mumbai, the crescent shaped road is backed with high apartments.
Chowpatty Beach : Mumbai's famous beach is although not ideal for sunbath and swimming, it offers plenty of other activities. Here one can see the sandcastle sculptors making impressive figures in the sand and the kiosks selling Mumbais' popular snack, Bhelpuri and kulfi ice cream. Chowpatty beach is also the place where the large idols of Ganesh, the elephant headed god, are immersed in the sea during the Ganesh Chathurthi festival.
Malabar Hill : Situated at the end of Back Bay, this is an expensive residential area. The Raj Bhavan, the old British government headquarters stand here.
Jain Temple : The modern Jain temple built in 1904, is dedicated to the first Jain Tirthankar, Adinath. The walls of the temple are decorated with images of incidents in the lives of the Tirthankars.
Hanging Gardens : Perched atop the Malabar Hill, these gardens were laid out in 1881. Also known as the Pherozeshah Mehta Gardens, the gardens have a good collection of hedges cut into the shape of animals. One can get fine views of the city from here.
Haji Ali's Tomb : The tomb and mosque are devoted to Muslim saint, Haji Ali who was drowned here. The place can be reached by a long causeway which can only be crossed at low tide.
Excursions
Elephanta
Island : Located about 9 km northeast of Apollo Bunder, the Island is
accessible by boats. Elephanta Island is Mumbai's popular attraction due to
its rock-cut temples. Believed to be cut out between 450 and 750 A.D, the
caves can be reached by a stairway up the hillside from the landing place.
The main cave has a number of massive sculptured panels, all relating to
Shiva and a separate lingam shrine.
How To Reach
By Air : Mumbai has two airports - the Sahar International Airport (Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport) and the domestic Santa Cruz terminal. The airports are 5 km apart and can be easily reached through regular shuttle bus services between the two airports. Airlines operate several flights from Mumbai to important cities of India and world.
By Rail : The Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) earlier known as Victoria Terminus (VT) is the main railway station of Mumbai. Other important railway stations are Dadar, Churchgate and Kurla. Superfast and Express trains connect Mumbai to the major cities and towns of India.
By Road : Good motorable roads and state highways connect Mumbai to important places in Maharashtra and rest of India. BEST buses ply within the city.
Mumbai, the economic powerhouse of India, is the fastest moving, most affluent and most industrialized city in India. The largest metropolis of the country, Mumbai is home to India's busiest port, handling around 50 per cent of India's total foreign trade. Mumbai is the stronghold of free enterprise in the country and a major manufacturing centre for everything from automobiles to bicycles to pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals. Also known as the commercial capital of India, Mumbai is an important base for a large number of domestic and overseas companies. Besides a financial centre, the city houses one of the most popular film industry in the world - Bollywood. Mumbai is originally an island made from a cluster of seven islands and gets its name from Mumbadevi, the goddess of the Koli fisher folk, the oldest inhabitants of the city. Famous as the city that never sleeps, Mumbai is a true cosmopolitan and cannot be bounded by time frame of day and night. Mumbai remains always alive with dazzling shopping arcades, exciting sport activity, night clubs and discotheques, theatre and music and restaurants offering delicious foods. The delectable spicy food offered by the beachside and also by the roadside vendors is one of the popular attractions of the city.
Major Attractions
Gateway
of India : The Gateway of India is the principal landmark of Mumbai. The
gateway was conceived after the visit of King George V to India in 1911 and
was finally opened in 1924. A fine specimen of British architecture, this
conventional Arch of Triumph has the elements of Muslim architectural styles
of 16th century in its design. Made of yellow basalt, the gateway stands on
the Apollo Bunder. St John's Church : Built in 1847, the church is dedicated to the soldiers who died in the Sind campaign of 1838 and the First Afghan War of 1843.
Prince of Wales Museum : The Prince of Wales Museum was built to commemorate King George V's first visit to India in 1905. Designed in Indo-Saracenic style, the first part of this museum opened in 1914 and it has sections for art, paintings, archeology and natural history. It has an interesting collection of miniature paintings, images and bas reliefs from the Elephanta caves. The museum is open on all weekdays except Mondays.
Marine Drive : Marine Drive was built on the land reclaimed in the year 1920. It runs along the shoreline, starting at Nariman Point and sweeping around by Chowpatty Beach and up to Malabar Hill. One of the most popular attractions of Mumbai, the crescent shaped road is backed with high apartments.
Chowpatty Beach : Mumbai's famous beach is although not ideal for sunbath and swimming, it offers plenty of other activities. Here one can see the sandcastle sculptors making impressive figures in the sand and the kiosks selling Mumbais' popular snack, Bhelpuri and kulfi ice cream. Chowpatty beach is also the place where the large idols of Ganesh, the elephant headed god, are immersed in the sea during the Ganesh Chathurthi festival.
Malabar Hill : Situated at the end of Back Bay, this is an expensive residential area. The Raj Bhavan, the old British government headquarters stand here.
Jain Temple : The modern Jain temple built in 1904, is dedicated to the first Jain Tirthankar, Adinath. The walls of the temple are decorated with images of incidents in the lives of the Tirthankars.
Hanging Gardens : Perched atop the Malabar Hill, these gardens were laid out in 1881. Also known as the Pherozeshah Mehta Gardens, the gardens have a good collection of hedges cut into the shape of animals. One can get fine views of the city from here.
Haji Ali's Tomb : The tomb and mosque are devoted to Muslim saint, Haji Ali who was drowned here. The place can be reached by a long causeway which can only be crossed at low tide.
Excursions
Elephanta
Island : Located about 9 km northeast of Apollo Bunder, the Island is
accessible by boats. Elephanta Island is Mumbai's popular attraction due to
its rock-cut temples. Believed to be cut out between 450 and 750 A.D, the
caves can be reached by a stairway up the hillside from the landing place.
The main cave has a number of massive sculptured panels, all relating to
Shiva and a separate lingam shrine.How To Reach
By Air : Mumbai has two airports - the Sahar International Airport (Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport) and the domestic Santa Cruz terminal. The airports are 5 km apart and can be easily reached through regular shuttle bus services between the two airports. Airlines operate several flights from Mumbai to important cities of India and world.
By Rail : The Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) earlier known as Victoria Terminus (VT) is the main railway station of Mumbai. Other important railway stations are Dadar, Churchgate and Kurla. Superfast and Express trains connect Mumbai to the major cities and towns of India.
By Road : Good motorable roads and state highways connect Mumbai to important places in Maharashtra and rest of India. BEST buses ply within the city.
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