Siddhi Vinayak

The Temple: The known history of the temple dates back to early nineteenth century. This temple has been renovated thoroughly in the late 1900s in order to accomodate the needs of the surging crowds of devotees that throng the temple during festive occasions.
The sanctum here houses a small mandapam enshrining Siddhi Vinayak. The inner roof of the sanctum is plated with gold, and the wooden doors to the sanctum are carved with images of Ashta Vinayak.
Siddhi Vinayak: Most icons of Ganapati depict the elephant faced God with his trunk curled towards his left. Siddhi Vinayak in Mumbai, Siddhi Vinayak at Siddhatek in Maharashtra as well as Karpaka Vinayakar at Pillayarpatti in Tamilnadu are depicted with a trunk pointing to the right (Valampuri).
Ganapati here is depicted with four arms bearing a lotus, an axe, modakas and a garland of beads, flanked by his consorts Siddhi and Riddhi.
Festivals: Hundreds of thousands of devotees throng the temple, especially during Angaraki and Sankashti Chaturti days, when there is a continuous stream of visitors for as long as a 24 hour period.

Haji Ali Dargah

Haji Ali Dargah

The Haji Ali Dargah (Urdu: حاجی علی درگاہ ) (Hindi: हाजी अली दरगाह) is a mosque and dargah (tomb) located on an islet off the coast of Worli in Southern part of Mumbai. Lying as it does in the heart of the city, the dargah is one of the most recognizable landmarks of Mumbai.
An exquisite example of Indian Islamic architecture, associated with legends about doomed lovers, the dargah contains the tomb of Sayed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari.


Background

The Haji Ali Dargah was constructed in 1431 in memory of a rich Muslim merchant, Sayyed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari (R.A.), who gave up all his worldly possessions before making a pilgrimage to Mecca. Hailing from Bukhara, in the ancient Persian Empire and now in Uzbekistan, Bukhari travelled around the world in the early to mid 1400s, and then settled in Mumbai.
As per the legends,surrounding his life, once the Saint saw a poor woman crying on the road, holding an empty vessel. He asked her what the problem was. She sobbed that that her husband would thrash her since she had stumbled and accidentally spilled the oil she was carrying. He asked her to take him to the spot where she lost the oil. There, he jabbed a finger into the soil and the oil gushed out. The overjoyed woman filled up the vessel and went home.
Later, Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari (R.A.) had a recurring - and disturbing - dream that he had injured Mother Earth by his act. Full of remorse, he soon fell ill and directed his followers to cast the coffin carrying his body into the Arabian Sea, once he died. Haji Ali left this world during his journey to Mecca and miraculously the casket carrying his body, floated back to these shores, getting stuck in the string of rocky islets just off the shore of Worli. Thus, the Dargah was constructed there.
On Thursdays and Fridays, the shrine is visited by at least 40,000 pilgrims. Irrespective of faith and religion, people visit the 'dargah' to get the blessings of the legendary saint. Sometimes, especially on Fridays, people may find various sufi musicians performing a form of devotional music called “kawwaali” at the Dargah.

History of Mumbai

History of Mumbai

The history of Mumbai recounts the growth of a collection of seven islands on the west coast of India, becoming the commercial capital of the nation, and one of the most populous cities in the world. Although human habitation existed since the Stone Age, the Kolis, a fishing community, were the earliest known settlers of the islands. The Maurya Empire gained control of the islands during the 3rd century BCE, and transformed it into a centre of Hindu and Buddhist culture and religion. Later, between the 2nd century BCE and 9th century CE, the islands came under the control of successive indigenous dynasties: Satavahanas, Abhiras, Vakatakas, Kalachuris, Konkan Mauryas, Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas, before being ruled by the Silharas from 810 to 1260.
King Bhimdev established his kingdom in the region in the late 13th century, and brought many settlers to the islands. The Muslim rulers of Gujarat captured the islands in 1348, and they were later governed by the Gujarat Sultanate from 1391 to 1534. The Treaty of Bassein between the Portuguese viceroy Nuno da Cunha and Bahadur Shah of the Gujarat Sultanate placed the islands into Portuguese possession in 1534. Charles II of England received possession of the islands in 1661 as part of the dowry of Catherine of Braganza, daughter of King John IV of Portugal, and leased them to the British East India Company in 1668. The islands suffered incursions from Mughals towards the end of the 17th century. During the mid-18th century, the city emerged as an important trading town, with maritime trade contacts with Mecca and Basra. Economic and educational development characterised the city during the 19th century with the first-ever Indian railway line beginning operations between Bombay and neighbouring Thane in 1853. The city became a strong base for the Indian independence movement during the early 20th century and was the epicentre of the Rowlatt Satyagraha of 1919 and Royal Indian Navy Mutiny of 1946.[1] After India's independence in 1947, the territory of Bombay Presidency retained by India was restructured into Bombay State. The area of Bombay State increased, after several erstwhile princely states that joined the Indian union were integrated into Bombay State.
In 1960, following protests from the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, the city was incorporated into the dominion of the newly created Maharashtra State from Bombay State. The city's secular fabric was torn apart in the communal riots of 1992–93, while the bombings of 1993 caused extensive loss of life and property. The city was renamed Mumbai in 1996. Mumbai has suffered several terrorist attacks during the 21st century.

Girgaum Chowpatty

Girgaum Chowpatty

Girgaum Chaupati (Marathi:गिरगाव चौपाटी), commonly known as just Chaupati (pronounced as chow-patty), is one of the most famous public beaches adjoining Marine Drive in the Girgaum area of Mumbai, India. The beach is famous for Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations when hundreds of people from all over Mumbai come to immerse the idols of Lord Ganapati in the Arabian Sea.

One can find several bhelpuri, panipuri, ragda patties and pav bhaji vendors on the beach.


Etymology

Chowpatty is really Chau-pati (four channels or four creeks) as per (Bombay City Gazetteer, I. 27). This name is analogous to that of Satpaty, a village in the Mahim Taluka of the Thana District, which is approached through a Channel or Creek, containing seven divisions of water.

Bombay Stock Exchange

Bombay Stock Exchange

The Bombay Stock Exchange Limited (Marathi: मुंबई शेअर बाजार Mumbaī Śhear Bājār) (formerly, The Stock Exchange, Mumbai; popularly called Bombay Stock Exchange, or BSE) is the oldest stock exchange in Asia and has the third largest number of listed companies in the world, with 4700 listed as of August 2007. It is located at Dalal Street, Mumbai, India. On 31 December 2007, the equity market capitalization of the companies listed on the BSE was US$ 1.79 trillion, making it the largest stock exchange in South Asia and the 12th largest in the world.
With over 4700 Indian companies listed & over 7700 scripts on the stock exchange,it has a significant trading volume. The BSE SENSEX (SENSitive indEX), also called the "BSE 30", is a widely used market index in India and Asia. Though many other exchanges exist, BSE and the National Stock Exchange of India account for most of the trading in shares in India.


 History

The Bombay Stock Exchange is known as the oldest exchange in Asia. It traces its history to the 1850s, when stockbrokers would gather under banyan trees in front of Mumbai's Town Hall. The location of these meetings changed many times, as the number of brokers constantly increased. The group eventually moved to Dalal Street in 1874 and in 1875 became an official organization known as 'The Native Share & Stock Brokers Association'. In 1956, the BSE became the first stock exchange to be recognized by the Indian Government under the Securities Contracts Regulation Act. The Bombay Stock Exchange developed the BSE Sensex in 1986, giving the BSE a means to measure overall performance of the exchange. In 2000 the BSE used this index to open its derivatives market, trading Sensex futures contracts. The development of Sensex options along with equity derivatives followed in 2001 and 2002, expanding the BSE's trading platform. Historically an open-cry floor trading exchange, the Bombay Stock Exchange switched to an electronic trading system in 1995. It took the exchange only fifty days to make this transition.



Timeline

Following is the timeline on the rise and rise of the Sensex through Indian stock market history.
1830's Business on corporate stocks and shares in Bank and Cotton presses started in Bombay.
1860-1865 Cotton price bubble as a result of the American Civil War
1870 - 90's Sharp increase in share prices of jute industries followed by a boom in tea stocks and coal
1978-79 Base year of Sensex, defined to be 100.
1986 Sensex first compiled using a market Capitalization-Weighted methodology for 30 component stocks representing well-established companies across key sectors.
30 October 2006 The Sensex on October 30, 2006 crossed the magical figure of 13,000 and closed at 13,024.26 points, up 117.45 points or 0.9%. It took 135 days for the Sensex to move from 12,000 to 13,000 and 123 days to move from 12,500 to 13,000.
5 December 2006 The Sensex on December 5, 2006 crossed the 14,000-mark to touch 14,028 points. It took 36 days for the Sensex to move from 13,000 to the 14,000 mark.
6 July 2007 The Sensex on July 6, 2007 crossed the magical figure of 15,000 to touch 15,005 points in afternoon trade. It took seven months for the Sensex to move from 14,000 to 15,000 points.
19 September 2007 The Sensex scaled yet another milestone during early morning trade on September 19, 2007. Within minutes after trading began, the Sensex crossed 16,000, rising by 450 points from the previous close. The 30-share Bombay Stock Exchange's sensitive index took 53 days to reach 16,000 from 15,000. Nifty also touched a new high at 4659, up 113 points.
The Sensex finally ended with a gain of 654 points at 16,323. The NSE Nifty gained 186 points to close at 4,732.
26 September 2007 The Sensex scaled yet another height during early morning trade on September 26, 2007. Within minutes after trading began, the Sensex crossed the 17,000-mark . Some profit taking towards the end, saw the index slip into red to 16,887 - down 187 points from the day's high. The Sensex ended with a gain of 22 points at 16,921.
9 October 2007 The BSE Sensex crossed the 18,000-mark on October 9, 2007. It took just 8 days to cross 18,000 points from the 17,000 mark. The index zoomed to a new all-time intra-day high of 18,327. It finally gained 789 points to close at an all-time high of 18,280. The market set several new records including the biggest single day gain of 789 points at close, as well as the largest intra-day gains of 993 points in absolute term backed by frenzied buying after the news of the UPA and Left meeting on October 22 put an end to the worries of an impending election.
15 October 2007 The Sensex crossed the 19,000-mark backed by revival of funds-based buying in blue chip stocks in metal, capital goods and refinery sectors. The index gained the last 1,000 points in just four trading days. The index touched a fresh all-time intra-day high of 19,096, and finally ended with a smart gain of 640 points at 19,059.The Nifty gained 242 points to close at 5,670.
29 October 2007 The Sensex crossed the 20,000 mark on the back of aggressive buying by funds ahead of the US Federal Reserve meeting. The index took only 10 trading days to gain 1,000 points after the index crossed the 19,000-mark on October 15. The major drivers of today's rally were index heavyweights Larsen and Toubro, Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and SBI among others. The 30-share index spurted in the last five minutes of trade to fly-past the crucial level and scaled a new intra-day peak at 20,024.87 points before ending at its fresh closing high of 19,977.67, a gain of 734.50 points. The NSE Nifty rose to a record high 5,922.50 points before ending at 5,905.90, showing a hefty gain of 203.60 points.
8 January 2008 The sensex peaks. It crossed the 21,000 mark in intra-day trading after 49 trading sessions. This was backed by high market confidence of increased FII investment and strong corporate results for the third quarter. However, it later fell back due to profit booking.
13 June 2008 The sensex closed below 15,200 mark, Indian market suffer with major downfall from January 21, 2008
25 June 2008 The sensex touched an intra day low of 13,731 during the early trades, then pulled back and ended up at 14,220 amidst a negative sentiment generated on the Reserve Bank of India hiking CRR by 50 bps. FII outflow continued in this week.
2 July 2008 The sensex hit an intra day low of 12,822.70 on July 2, 2008. This is the lowest that it has ever been in the past year. Six months ago, on January 10, 2008, the market had hit an all time high of 21206.70. This is a bad time for the Indian markets, although Reliance and Infosys continue to lead the way with mostly positive results. Bloomberg lists them as the top two gainers for the Sensex, closely followed by ICICI Bank and ITC Ltd.
6 October 2008 The sensex closed at 11801.70 hitting the lowest in the past 2 years.
10 October 2008 The Sensex today closed at 10527,800.51 points down from the previous day having seen an intraday fall of as large as 1063 points. Thus, this week turned out to be the week with largest percentage fall in the SenseX
18 May 2009 After the result of 15th Indian general election Sensex gained 2110.79 points from the previous close of 12173.42, a record one-day gain. In the opening trade itself the Sensex evinced a 15% gain over the previous close which led to a two-hour suspension in trading. After trading resumed, the Sensex surged again, leading to a full day suspension of trading.

Mahalaxmi Racecourse

Mahalaxmi Racecourse

The Mahalaxmi Racecourse is a horse racing track in Mahalaxmi neighbourhood, of Mumbai. The track is oval shaped with a to 2400 m straight chute, spread over approx. 325 acres (1.32 km2) of open land in the heart of Mumbai city. It was created out of a marshy land known as Mahalakshmi Flats, a hundred years ago.

The horse racing season starts in mid November and ends in the last week of April. On the first Sunday in February, the Derby is conducted annually and is attended by many of the city's glitterati. Since the year 1986 till date McDowell's Indian Derby has been sponsored by liquor baron Vijay Mallya's UB Group under the name of flagship company McDowells Co. Ltd. as The McDowell's Indian Derby. The Mahalaxmi Racecourse is a replica of the Melbourne Racecourse. The ground is run by the Royal Western India Turf Club on lease from the Bombay Municipal Corporation.
The common Mumbaikar has access to the racecourse in the mornings and evenings during specified timings for exercising, walking or jogging in the inner lane of the main horse race track. Yoga sessions akin to Tai-chi are conducted in the garden situated within the race-track during the common permissible timings, akin to "Happy Valley racecourse" in Hongkong.

Mahalaxmi Temple

Mahalaxmi Temple

Mahalaxmi Temple (Marathi: महालक्ष्मी मंदिर) is one of the most famous temples of Mumbai situated on Bhulabhai Desai Road. It is dedicated to goddess Mahalaxmi, Vishnu's consort. Built around 1785, the history of this temple is supposedly connected with the building of the Hornby Vellard. Apparently after portions of the sea wall of the Vellard collapsed twice, the chief engineer, a Pathare prabhu, dreamt of a Lakshmi statue in the sea near Worli. A search recovered it, and he built a temple for it. After this, the work on the vellard could be completed without a hitch.

Flora Fountain

Flora Fountain

Flora Fountain, at the Hutatma Chowk (Martyr's Square), is an ornamentally and exquisitely sculpted architectural heritage monument located at the southern end of the historic Dadabhai Naoroji Road, called the Mile Long Road, at the Fort business district in the heart of South Mumbai, Mumbai, India. Flora Fountain, built in 1864, is a fusion of water, architecture and sculpture, and depicts the Roman goddess Flora. It was built at a total cost of Rs. 47,000, or 9000 pounds sterling, a princely sum in those days.


History
History of the Flora Fountain is traced to the time when the Old Mumbai Fort was demolished in 1860 as part of the then Governor, Sir Bartle Frère’s efforts to improve civic sanitation (municipal improvements) and the urban space requirements of the growing city. Prior to this demolition, the Fort had been built between 1686 and 1743 by the British East India Company with three gates (the Apollo Gate, the Church Gate and the Bazaar Gate), a moat, esplanade, level open spaces on its western fringe (to control fires) and residences. A small road called the Hornby Road, named after the then Governor of Bombay (Mumbai) between 1771 AD and 1784 AD, also existed at the old Fort area. Consequent to the demolitions, the Hornby road was widened into a broad avenue and on its western side commercial plots were developed to build new commercial buildings in Neo Classical and Gothic Revival designs. The Hornby road, now named as Dadbhai Naorji Road (D.N.Road), developed into a veritable sight of colonial splendor with Crawford Market linked to the Victoria Terminus anchoring the northern end and the Flora Fountain, forming the southern end of the Mile Long Road. The Flora Fountain was erected at the exact place where the Church gate (named after St. Thomas Cathedral, Mumbai ) stood before its demolition along with the Mumbai Fort. It was constructed by the Agri–Horticultural Society of Western India, out of a donation of Rs 20,000 by Cursetjee Fardoonjee Parekh. Designed by R. Norman Shaw, it was sculpted in imported Portland stone by James Forsythe. A white coat of oil paint has to some extent marred the antiquity of the structure.

The fountain was originally to be named after Sir Bartle Frère, the Governor of Bombay at the time, whose progressive policy had resulted in many of the great public buildings of Mumbai. However, the name was changed before the fountain was unveiled as Flora Fountain, named after Flora (mythology), a Roman Goddess of flowers and the season of spring; her majestic and pretty Portland stone statue adorns the top of the fountain. The four corners of the fountain are decorated with mythological figures. The fountain was originally intended to be built at the Victoria Gardens at Byculla but, in 1908, the grass plot and the palm trees that had camouflaged the fountain were cleared for creating space for pedestrians and horse–traffic between the tram lines and the kerb of the fountain.


The Chowk

From the time the Flora Fountain was built in 1864 and until 1960, the Chowk (square) where five streets meet (hence, also known as the Picadilly Circus of Mumbai) and the fountain stands now, was named as the Flora Fountain area. But in 1960, to commemorate the martyrdom of the brave people who laid their lives in the turbulent birth of Maharashtra State at the square, it was christened as Hutatma Chowk with an impressive stone statue bearing a pair of torch holding patriots. The Flora Fountain, surrounded by the British Victorian era heritage buildings, is very much part of the Chowk and has been declared a heritage structure and it continues to charm visitors with its beauty and with its spray of water. It sits admirably well alongside with the Hutatma statue which adorns the Chowk. (Picture depicts the two structures). It was the decision of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly that recommended to the
Government to take necessary steps to erect as early as possible a memorial at Flora Fountain in Bombay in commemoration of the sacrifices of the persons who died on the police firing at Flora Fountain in Bombay in the month of November 1955.


Signage project

The large sized signboards and hoardings erected around the Flora Fountain precincts marred the beautiful view of the fountain and also of the other heritage buildings surrounding it, in spite of the Heritage Regulations of Greater Bombay, Act 1995 in force to stop such activities. The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) and public spirited people of the area conscious of the developing chaotic conditions in the area took action to redress the situation. With the help of a group of architects appointed by MMRDA, a report titled “Dadabhai Naoroji Road Heritage Streetscape Project”, which addressed the problems and provided designs and plans, was prepared by the MMRDA. But action on ground was initiated by the architects who prepared the report in association with the local shopkeepers, occupants and commercial establishments in the street and the local municipal officer who implemented, voluntarily, the regulation of the shop fronts and signage; the expenses for relocation and redesign of the shop signs were borne by each individual establishment. The L.G. and Cine Blitz hoardings, which used to display latest film gossip, at the fountain were targeted for relocation, apart from other hoardings along the Dadhabhai Naoroji Road. The pilot project’s plans fructified and resulted in the setting up of a citizen's association (of the various occupants, owners, corporate establishments and shopkeepers on the Dadabhai Naoroji Road) called “The Heritage Mile Association” , as a non–profit group, with the objective to restore the heritage character of the Dadabhai Naoroji Road through public participation and private sponsorship. These efforts have also resulted in the UNESCO’s “Asia-Pacific Heritage Award of Merit in the year 2004” bestowed on the MMRDA. A public spirited doctor by profession filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in 2002, in the Bombay High Court, against the proliferation of hoardings in the city. The court directed the Heritage Committee to look at the feasibility of hoardings in heritage areas. The Heritage Committee passed a resolution that said “that all hoardings on individual heritage buildings or in heritage precincts must be removed.” The Bombay High Court in its judgment of May 5, 2004, upheld the Heritage Committee’s resolution and ordered that the billboard agencies should remove all hoardings from heritage precincts in the city within four weeks.


Poetic expression
A poem in Gujarati language by Niranajan Bhagat translated to English extols the beauty of the Flora Fountain thus:

A Glass and concrete jungle;
In its midst always
Quiet, comely,
With hope filled face,
she stands
Flora
A dream of spring in her matchless eyes,
holding in both hands stone flowers.
About her, in all corners,
Iron butterfly fly round and round
And life less insects plays

Juhu

Juhu

Juhu (Marathi:जुहू) is a suburban neighbourhood of western Mumbai. It is famous for its sprawling beach, the Juhu Beach. It is surrounded by Arabian Sea in the west, Santacruz and Vile Parle in the east. Juhu is one of the more affluent areas of Mumbai. Many Bollywood stars own bungalows in Juhu, famously including Amitabh Bachchan, Amrish Puri, Ajay Devgan, the Deols and numerous other stars. Industrialist Adi Godrej, Musician Khayyam, Lalit Modi, Media Expert Niranjan Parihar, Financial Advisor Bharat Solanki and Chairman of Montex group Raman Jain also have their bungalows in Juhu.
The nearest railway stations are Santacruz, Andheri and Vile Parle.


History

The open beaches of Juhu have attracted the well-heeled among Mumbai's population for almost a century. In the 1890s, Jamsetji Tata purchased land in Juhu and built a bungalow there. He planned to develop 1200 acres (5 km²) in Juhu Tara. This was to yield 500 plots of one acre (4,000 m²) each and a seaside resort. Simultaneously he wanted to extend the Mahim causeway to Santacruz, in order to access to this area. The city turned down this plan in 1903. After his death in the same year, the scheme was abandoned. One will also find the Juhu Tara Road & Juhu Koliwada close by, the latter which is the house to fishermen. Kishore Kumar Marg is another famous landmark where the great actor & singer Kishore Kumar lived. Also one will find the Amjad Manzil outer house behind Ajanta Hotel.


Juhu Beach

Juhu Beach is the most famous beach in Mumbai city. It is situated on the shores of Arabian Sea in Juhu suburb. There are three main entrances to the beach. One is from the Vile Parle side, another is from the Santacruz side and the third one is from the Andheri side. Many tourists make it a point to visit the beach when they come to Mumbai, as it is a relatively uncrowded free space in the city, although it does get crowded in the evenings and weekends.

It is famous for its Mumbai street food, notably bhelpuri, pani puri, chaats, and of course pav bhaji. Due to the nature of the food stands hygiene standards are often low. On the southern end of Juhu beach there are many luxury hotels and apartments.

At the north end of Juhu Beach there is a place called Gandhi Gram. When Mahatma Gandhi used to practice in the Bombay high court in the late 1800s and early 1900s, he used to live there. He mentions in his autobiography that he used to walk to Bandra station from far-flung Juhu to catch an empty train to south Mumbai. Even today, a lot of people do the same, but now the mode of transport is either a BEST bus or an auto rickshaw. During the summer vacations, children often go and play games such as cricket, football, basketball at the Juhu Beach.


Juhu Citizen Welfare Group
JCWG officially registered in March 2004 is the outcome of many years of activism by some Juhu residents who have been associated with other NGO groups. It was formed in April 2002 (The Juhu Seatizen) and later formalised in August 2003 with its own monthly publication called: "The Juhu Citizen". It now comprises voluntary Members invited from NGOs in the K-West Municipal Ward of North West Mumbai who meet every Thursday evening at the Office of Janki Kutir Residents Association, Juhu Church Road (near Prithvi Theater), Juhu, Mumbai 400 049.

Marine Drive

Marine Drive

Marine Drive (Marathi: मरीन ड्राईव) is a 3-kilometre-long boulevard in South Mumbai in the city of Mumbai. It is a 'C'-shaped six-lane concrete road along the coast, which is a natural bay. The road links Nariman Point to Babulnath and Malabar Hill. Marine Drive is situated over reclaimed land facing west-south-west. The bay is part of the Arabian Sea.



The Promenade

The official name for this road, though rarely used, is: Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road. It was earlier known as Sonapur to local Marathi people. The highlight of Marine drive is the beautiful promenade along the road where many of the citizens take in a breath of fresh air and view the daily sunsets. The promenade is lined with palm trees. At the northern end of Marine Drive is Chowpatty Beach. This is a popular beach famed for its Bhel puri (local fast food). Many restaurants also line this stretch of the road. Further down this road lies Walkeshwar, a wealthy neighbourhood of the city, also home to the Governor of Maharashtra.

Most of the buildings which were built by wealthy Parsis sport an art deco look that was popular in the 1920s and 1930s. Miami in the United States is the only city in the world that has more art deco buildings along the seafront than Mumbai.

Real estate prices along the esplanade are among the highest in India, and fourth in the world at US$2100 per square feet[citation needed]. A lot of celebrities live here, making it one of India's premier residential community. Many hotels dot the drive, most prominent among them being the 5-star Oberoi (formerly the Oberoi Hilton Tower however reverted to the original name as of early 2008), The Intercontinental, Hotel Marine Plaza and a few other smaller hotels. Marine Drive is the preferred connecting road between the central business district located at Nariman Point and the rest of the city.
Marine Drive is also known as the Queen's Necklace because if viewed at night from an elevated point anywhere along the drive, the street lights resemble a string of pearls,forming a necklace.It is also the world's largest viewing gallery and hence has been a host to a number of events that take place along the promenade.

Nehru Planetarium

Nehru Planetarium

There are four planetariums in India named after India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Nehru Plantariums are located in Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore and there is a Jawahar Planetarium in Allahabad.

The Nehru Planetarium, Mumbai, a part of the Nehru Centre,Mumbai, was inaugurated on 3 March 1977 by the then Prime Minister of India, Smt. Indira Gandhi. Over the years, this has grown into a Centre for scientific study of astronomy and space science. The planetarium is equipped with a Digistar 3 planetarium projector which was installed in 2003, replacing the earlier Carl Zeiss Universal Projector.

The Nehru Planetarium, commissioned on 3rd March, 1977 has grown into a Centre for scientific study of astronomy and for meeting of scientists and scholars for discussions and lectures, arranged periodically on various stellar and Astronomical events.
The programmes are aimed at inspiring students. These include Science quiz contests, Astro-painting, Science elocution, Astro-poetry and Astro-quiz competitions. Special arrangements are made to watch, study and photograph Solar & Lunar eclipses, and many such other events. Telescopes are installed outside the Planetarium to enable eager visitors to watch these phenomena.
It has a Mini Planetarium also, which is taken out to remote rural areas to project its shows for people and children to make them aware of the astronomical progress. These shows are highly popular and in great demand.

Vihar Lake

Vihar Lake

Vihar Lake is located near Vihar village on the Mithi River within the precincts of the Borivali National Park, also called the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, in North Mumbai. When built in 1860 (construction started in 1856), it was considered as the largest lake in Mumbai in the Salsette group of islands. It is hemmed between the Tulsi Lake and the Powai Lake(shown in map). It partly meets the drinking water needs of the South Mumbai region. It supplies only 3 % of the Mumbai city’s water requirement, after filtration at Bhandup where the large water filtration plant is located.


 History

With the few thousand wells feeding the population of Mumbai tending to go dry during summer, the acute shortage of water resulted in protests by the local residents in June 1845. A two man committee, appointed by the British rulers of the time, to examine the grievances of the agitators concurred with water shortage problem and stressed the urgent need to solve the water supply problem of Mumbai.
The Committee appointed by the government located suitable sites to construct dams and create reservoirs to store the monsoon flows of the Mithi river catchment, which resulted in presently existing Vihar Lake, Tulsi Lake and the Powai Lake. Vihar reservoir was the first piped water supply scheme of Mumbai.
In 1850, Captain Crawford submitted a report favouring the Vihar Scheme for the Mumbai city’s water supply needs.
Work on the “Vihar Water Works” commenced in January 1856 and was completed in 1860, during the governorship of John Lord Elphinstone.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC),a Govt. body which controls the lake's affairs has also acquired agricultural land in the catchment area of the Vihar lake as a sanitary precaution.

Access
By road, it is 31 km from Mumbai. Access by suburban electric train is to Kurla or Andheri and then by road.
Access to the lake for the general public has been curtailed since1995 due to perceived threats to the Mumbai public, as the lake is located in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. It can still be viewed in many Bollywood movies in a long shot taken from Mumbai Film City, as seen in the Infobox.


Hydrology and dam features

Impoundment of Mithi River, 20 km north of Mumbai, was effected to store the rainwater from a catchment area of 18.96 sq.km to create the Vihar Lake. The Powai-Kanheri hill ranges form the catchment area, which drains the rain water into the lake. For this purpose, three earthen embankment dams with a masonry spillway section were constructed to create a reservoir of 9200 million gallons capacity at the full reservoir level of 80.42 metres. The lake has a maximum water depth of 34 m and a minimum of 12 m. The lakes water spread area is 7 sq.km. The dam height was raised in 1872 resulting in increase of water supply from 32 million gallons (catering to a population of 0.7 million) to 36 million gallons.


Flora and fauna

The lake and its catchment are protected by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and Sanjay Gandhi National Park Authority. The catchment areas of Vihar lake has high hills rising on all sides. The seclusion, protection, and security provided under the Sanjay Gandhi National Park has ensured well wooded hill slopes and abundant natural regeneration. Higher percentage of khair species has been noted in the catchment area of the lake.
As the lake is situated inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, the flora and fauna reported for the park would be relevant to the lake. However, fresh water crocodiles Mugger or Marsh crocodiles (Crocodilus palustris) are known to inhabit the lake in sustainable numbers. As it is difficult to sight them in the lake, the park has set up a Crocodile Park’ to view the reptiles of different sizes.


Limnology
Limnological studies carried out by the Central Public Health Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur, India, in 1964, indicated an unstable thermal stratification in the lake waters. The dissolved oxygen (DO) values were found to increase in some months and carbon dioxide was found to be less at the surface than at the bottom. In cooler season, the surface water was found to be less alkaline, which could be attributed to the photosynthesis activity of the algae. The pH stratification was found to be unstable. Interrelation was attributed to fluctuations in the chlorophyll, pH and DO values and nitrates were generally absent on the surface and no sulphates were detected.

Reserve Bank of India

Reserve Bank of India

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI, Hindi: भारतीय रिज़र्व बैंक) is the central bank of India and controls the monetary policy of the rupee as well as 287.37 billion US-Dollar (2009) currency reserves. The institution was established on 1 April 1935 during the British-Raj in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934  and plays an important part in the development strategy of the government.
 
 
 
History
 
1935 - 1950
The central bank was founded in 1935 to respond to economic troubles after the first world war. The Reserve Bank of India was set up on the recommendations of the Hilton Young Commission. The commission submitted its report in the year 1926, though the bank was not set up for another nine years. The Preamble of the Reserve Bank of India describes the basic functions of the Reserve Bank as to regulate the issue of Bank Notes, to keep reserves with a view to securing monetary stability in India and generally to operate the currency and credit system in the best interests of the country. The Central Office of the Reserve Bank was initially established in Kolkata, Bengal, but was permanently moved to Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1937. The Reserve Bank has continued to act as the central bank for Myanmar till Japanese occupation of Burma and later up to April 1947, though Burma seceded from Indian Union in 1937. After the partition, the Reserve bank served as the central bank for Pakistan up to June 1948 when the State Bank of Pakistan commenced operations. Though originally set up as a shareholder's bank, the RBI has been fully owned by the Government of India since its nationalization in 1949.

1950 - 1960
Between 1950 and 1960 the Indian government developed a centrally planned economic policy and focused on the agricultural sector. The administration nationalized commercial banks and established, based on the Banking Companies Act, 1949 (later called Banking Regulation Act) a central bank regulation as part of the RBI. Beside that the central bank was ordered to support the economic plan with loans

1960 - 1969
As a result of bank crashes the reserve bank was requested to establish and monitor a deposit insurance system. It should restore the trust in the national bank system and was initialized on 7. December 1961. The Indian government founded funds to promote the economy and used the slogan Developing Banking. The Gandhi administration and their successors restuctured the national bank market and nationalized a lot of institutes.As a result the RBI had to play the central part of control and support of this public banking sector.

1969–1985
Between 1969 and 1980 the Indian government nationalized 20 banks. The regulation of the economy and especially the financial economic was reinforced by the Gandhi administration and their successors in the 1970s and 1980s.[8] The central bank became the central player and increased her policies for a lot of taks like interests, reserve ratio and visible deposits.[9] The measures aimed at a better economic development and had a huge effect on the company policy of the instituts. The banks lent money in selected sectors like agra business and small trade companies.
The branch was forced to establish two new offices in the country for every new founded office in a town.The Oil crises in 1973 resulted in increasing inflation and the RBI restricted the monetary policy to reduce the effects.
 
1985–1991
A lot of committees analysed the Indian economy between 1985 and 1991. Their results had an effect on the RBI. The Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction, the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research and Security & Exchange Board of India investigated the national economy as a hole and the security and exchange board proposed better methods for more effective markets and the protection of investor interests. The Indian financial market was a leading example for - so called - "financial repression" (Mackinnon uand Shaw).
The Discount and Finance House of India began his operations on the monetary market in April 1988, the National Housing Bank, founded in July 1988, was forced to invest in the propoerty market and a new financial law improved the versatility of direct deposit by more secirity measures and liberalisation.
 
1991–2000
The national economy came down in July 1991 and the Indian rupee was devalued. The currency lost 18% related to the US-Dollar and the Narsimahmam Committee adviced to restructure the financial sector by a temporal reduced reserve ratio as well as the statutory liquidity ratio. New guidelines were published in 1993 to establish a private banking sector. This turning point shound reinforce the market and was often called neo-liberal The central bank deregulated the bank interests and some sectors of the financial market like the trust and the proporty market. This first phase was a success and the central government forced a diversity liberalisation to diversify the owner structures in 1998.
The National Stock Exchange of India took the trade on in June 1994 and the RBI allowed nationalized banks in July to interact with the capital market to reinforce their capital base. The central bank founded a subsidiary company - the Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Limited - in February 1995 to produce banknotes.

since 2000
The Foreign Exchange Management Act from 1999 came into force in June 2000. It should improve the foreign exchange market, international investments in India and transactions. The RBI promoted the development of the financial market in the last years, allowed online banking in 2001 and established a new payment system in 2004 - 2005 (National Electronic Fund Transfer). The Security Printing & Minting Corporation of India Ltd., a merger of nine institutions, was founded in 2006 and produces banknotes and coins.
The national economy's growth rate came down to 5,8% in the last quarter of 2008 - 2009[22] and the central bank promotes the economic development.
 
 
 
Main Functions
 
Monetary Authority

The Reserve Bank of India is the main monetary authority of the country and beside that the central bank acts as the bank of the national and state governments. It formulates, implements and monitors the monetary policy as well as it has to ensure an adequate flow of credit to productive sectors. Objectives are maintaining price stability and ensuring adequate flow of credit to productive sectors. The national economy depends on the public sector and the central bank promotes an expensive monetary policy to push the pivate sector since the financial market reforms of the 1990s.
The institution is also the regulator and supervisor of the financial system and prescribes broad parameters of banking operations within which the country's banking and financial system functions. Objectives are maintain public confidence in the system, protect depositors' interest and provide cost-effective banking services to the public. The Banking Ombudsman Scheme has been formulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for effective redressal of complaints by bank customers. The RBI controls the monetary supply, monitors economic indicators like the gross domestic product and has to decide the design of the rupee banknotes as well as coins.

Manager of exchange control
The central bank manages to reach the goals of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999. Objective: to facilitate external trade and payment and promote orderly development and maintenance of foreign exchange market in India.

Issuer of currency
The bank issues and exchanges or destroys currency and coins not fit for circulation. Objectivs are giving the public adequate supply of currency of good quality and to provide loans to commercial banks to maintain or improve the GDP. The basic objectives of RBI are to issue bank notes, to maintain the currency and credit system of the country to utilize it in its best advantage, and to maintain the reserves. RBI maintains the economic structure of the country so that it can achieve the objective of price stability as well as economic development, because both objectives are diverse in themselves.

Developmental role

The central bank has to perform a wide range of promotional functions to support national objectives and industries. The RBI faces a lot of inter-sectoral and local inflation-related problems. Some of this problems are results of the dominant part of the public sector.

Related functions
The RBI is also a banker to the Government and performs merchant banking function for the central and the state governments. It also acts as their banker. The National Housing Bank (NHB) was established in 1988 to promote private real estate acquisition. The institution maintains banking accounts of all scheduled banks, too.

There is now an international consensus about the need to focus the tasks of a central bank upon central banking. RBI is far out of touch with such a principle, owing to the sprawling mandate described above. The recent financial turmoil world-over, has however, vindicated the Reserve Bank's role in maintaining financial stability in India.

Powai Lake

Powai Lake

Powai Lake (named after Framaji Kavasji Powai Estate) is an artificial lake, situated in the northern suburb of Mumbai, in the Powai valley, where a Powai village with cluster of huts existed. The city suburb called Powai, shares its name with the lake. Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay one of the premier institutions of science and technology in India is located to the east of the lake.[1] Another famous institution, the National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE) is also located close to the lake. Housing complexes and plush hotels are developed all around the lake periphery. Population around the lake has thus substantially increased over the years.

When it was built, the lake had a water spread area of about 2.1 square kilometres (520 acres) and the depth varied from about 3 metres (9.8 ft) (at the periphery) to 12 metres (39 ft) at its deepest.
The Powai Lake has gone through many stages of water quality degradation. The lake water which used to supply to Mumbai for drinking water has been declared unfit to drink. The Lake still remains a tourist attraction.


History

A stream tributary of Mithi river, which served the Powai village's water supply needs, was dammed in 1891, during the British period, initially to augment water supply to the then Bombay city (now called Mumbai), by constructing two dams of 10 m height each to store the rain waters flowing from the lower slopes of the Western Ghats and streams from the eastern and northeastern slopes of hills.[4] It was planned as an antiwater famine measure, to the southeast of Vihar Lake (a much larger lake) also for water supply to Mumbai city.
Before the lake was built by the British, in the year 1799 A.D., the estate where the lake is now located was leased on a yearly rent to Dr. Scott and after his death in 1816 A.D., the government took control of the estate in 1826 A.D., and leased it once again to one Mr. Framaji Kavasji, a Parsi merchant, after whom the lake was named when it was built in 1891.
The drinking water supply objective of the lake was abandoned in the early 1990s, in view of poor quality of the water stored, caused due to pollution, water hyacinth and weeds, untreated sewage and large silt deposit. The lake was, therefore, leased out to the Western India Fishing Association, a quasi government organisation who used it for both fish culture and angling. Later, the Bombay Presidency Angling Association was formed in 1936 and later in 1955, under the Societies Registration Act 1860, it was registered as “The Maharashtra State Angling Association” (MSAA) and the lake is now under their control. Realising the gravity of the environmental pollution of the lake, the MSSA has revised its constitution,
to actively care for, clean, develop, maintain, and beautify the Environment at Powai Lake.
MSAA is now involved with a) removal of water Hyacinth infestation, b) supporting research with Fisheries Dept.for conservation of the Indian Mahaseer, c) Water quality analysis d) and augmenting security.



Access
The lake is about 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Mumbai by road and is approached via King's Circle, Sion, and Kurla or through Santa Cruz and Andheri.Kanjurmarg on the central main line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway is the nearest railway station to the lake.



Hydrology and water quality

It is reported that the average rainfall at Powai is about 2,540 centimetres (1,000 in), and the lake overflows for about for sixty days each year. The overflow from the lake flows into the Mithi River. Silt studies conducted in 1995 estimates that 4500 lakh cubic metres of silt has been deposited in the lake since its construction. It supplied two million gallons of water to Bombay (now Mumbai) when it was built. Following the construction of the Tansa dam and creation of the reservoir, in 1892, Powai waters were used for irrigation. The lake drains a catchment of 6.61 km2 (part of the Powai-Kanheri hill ranges which also drain into the adjoining Vihar Lake and Tulsi Lake). The dam, built in stone masonry has a height varying from 3 m to 6m with top level of the dam kept at E.L. 58.5 m (with Town hall datum). Government of Maharashtra reports that due to eutrophication of the lake water from untreated sewage and garbage from nearby residential and slum colonies, the lake water is unfit for drinking water use. Hence, the lake is now used for recreation, gardening, cattle washing and fishing. The water of the lake is also supplied to Aarey colony and L&T for non domestic uses. Dissolved Oxygen (DO) level at the bottom of the lake is reported to be 0.71 mg/litre and at surface 4.11 mg/litre, average value of pH is 7.2 and COD is 42.70 mg/litre on the surface and 119 mg/litre at the bottom of the lake.



Lake rejuvenation

Appreciating the problem of silting, growth of water hyacinth, weed, and eutrophication of the lake, the IIT Bombay's Class of 1980 launched a "Revitalization of Powai Lake” with the objective of restoring the lake to its original pristine and sustainable form by adopting Eco-friendly designs and materials for the restoration works.
Some of the tasks proposed to be undertaken with the funds donated by IIT, Bombay included:

• Removing water hyacinth and weeds from the lake in parts nearest to the campus
• Starting a publicity and an awareness program in the area
• Building embankments, walkways and pathways to the lake
• Constructing a large gazebo for an evening (or morning or afternoon) by the lake
• Planting trees, and creating a garden
• Installing docks, deploying boats and canoes

• Allocating funds for annual maintenance

The project was proposed to be professionally managed with a project manager working under directives of IIT Bombay with an “Oversight Committee“ to monitor objectives set for the restoration work.
In 1995, the National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoE&F),Government of India, reviewed the condition of Powai Lake and included the Lake in its list of ten major lakes in the country for revival and improvements. The restoration/revival programme, fully funded by the NLCP, was launched in April 2002, and implemented by Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) now called Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Government of Maharashtra and as a result the status of the lake has undergone a major shift from the hypertrophic condition to mesotrophic condition by adopting a novel technique of aeration and bioremediation. This has resulted in the lake being used for fishing and recreational purposes.


Fauna
Large number of crocodiles on the lake side have been sighted on the shores of the lake and also reported by fishermen and officials of IIT, Powai.[13] White throated kingfisher, small blue kingfisher, spot-billed duck, spotted dove, a few purple moorhens, purple rumped sunbirds, bronze winged and phaesant tailed jacanas, ashy prinias, brahmany kite, Red vented, red whiskered and white browed bulbuls, cormorants, lesser whistling ducks, grey, purple and pond herons, little, intermediate and large egrets, little grebbe, perigrine falcon, greater coucal, rose ringed and Alexindrine parakits, Eurasian marsh harrier (possibly winter visitor), wooly necked stork (winter visitor) hopooe & whiskered terns. butterflies, honey bees, bumble bees and beetles have also been sighted.

Flora
Balsam bushes, in their full bloom, in pink-purple color are seen around the lake periphery, like a carpet.

Jijamata Udyaan

Jijamata Udyaan

Jijamata Udyaan (Marathi: जिजामाता उद्यान) formerly Victoria Gardens, is a zoo and a garden located at Byculla, in the heart of Mumbai. It was laid out in 1861. Also, situated in the Gardens is the Bhau Daji Lad Museum (formerly Victoria and Albert Museum), mainly of industrial and agricultural interest. In the grounds to the east of the museum is the giant statue of an elephant, brought originally from the Elephanta Caves.

The gardens are spread over 48 acres (190,000 m2) in Byculla, on the central side of Mumbai, surrounded by low income housing colonies or "chawls". At the main entrance to the gardens is a clock tower, reminiscent of Italian Renaissance, but the clock has stopped ticking a long time ago. The gardens boast of scores of trees, some of which are really old.

Jijamata Udyan also houses the Mumbai Zoo. It houses many of the rare and endangered species of animals and birds. The Zoo has seen a lot of controversy surrounding its ill-treated animals.[citation needed] Until very recently, the elephants lived in a small enclosure with their legs chained to restrain them. A very recent order from the central zoo authority, directing the transfer of these elephants to a wild life sanctuary or a tiger reserve, has ensured that these animals will find more breathing space. The other animals still have terrible cages barely larger than themselves. Teasing monkeys and other animals is common in the zoo. 11 antelope died recently in their enclosure at the zoo. While zoo authorities claim that stray dogs broke in, spooked the antelope, and caused the deaths due to stress, many others believe that the ongoing construction caused the deer stress which eventually killed them.

Taj Mahal Palace & Tower

Taj Mahal Palace & Tower

The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower is a prestigious luxury five star hotel located in the Colaba region of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, next to the Gateway of India. Part of the Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, this iconic 105-year old heritage building retains its stature as the flagship property of the group and contains 565 rooms. From an historical and architectural point of view, The Taj Mahal Palace and the Tower are two distinct buildings, built at different times and in different architectural designs.
The hotel has hosted a long list of notable guests including The Beatles, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Bill Clinton, Jacques Chirac, The King & Queen of Norway, The Duke & Duchess of Kent, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, Roger Moore, Joan Collins, Mick Jagger, Deep Purple, Michael Palin, Hillary Clinton as well as professional cricket teams on tour. According to the BBC, after the Mumbai attacks of November 2008 by terrorists, the hotel serves as a symbol of Mumbai's and India's resilience.


History

The Taj Mahal Palace hotel resort was commissioned in Indo-Saracenic style by Tata and first opened its doors to guests on 16 December 1903.
It is widely believed that Jamsedji Tata decided to build the luxurious hotel after he was refused entry to one of the city's grand hotels of the time, Watson's Hotel, as it was restricted to 'whites only'. However, this story has been challenged by some commentators that suggest that Tata was unlikely to have been concerned with 'revenge' against his British adversaries. Instead they suggest that the Taj was built at the urging of editor of the Times of India who felt a hotel "worthy of Bombay" was needed.
The original Indian architects were Sitaram Khanderao Vaidya and D. N. Mirza, and the project was completed by an English engineer, W. A. Chambers. The builder was Khansaheb Sorabji Ruttonji Contractor who also designed and built its famous central floating staircase. The cost of construction was £250,000 (£127 million today). During World War I, the hotel was converted into a 600-bed hospital. The dome of the hotel is made from the same steel as used in the Eiffel Tower. Jamsedji Tata imported the same steel during that time. The hotel was the first in India to install and operate a steam elevator.

The side of the hotel seen from the harbour is actually its rear. The front faces away to the west. There is a widespread misconception that the architects' building plans were confused by the builder so that he built it facing away from the harbor. This is not true, as the hotel was deliberately built facing inland, possibly because the horse carriages in which guests came to the hotel could more easily approach the hotel from the city. The carriages were then taken to Wellington Mews. 40 years ago, the old front was closed off, and since then, access has been made through the harbor-side entrance.
There used to be a Green's Hotel at the Apollo Bunder, which was purchased by the Taj Mahal Hotel. It was at the Green's Hotel, that a small group of pro-Indian Goans assembled and formed the Goan Liberation Council demanding that Portugal cede Goa to India, in the 1950s. This was done at the instigation of Jawaharlal Nehru, and funded by the Kamani Group of Companies. In 1973, Green's hotel was demolished and the present Tower wing was constructed in its place.


2008 terrorist attack

On 26 November 2008, in a series of terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the hotel (as well as the Oberoi) was attacked, during which material damage occurred including the destruction of the roof of the hotel in the hours afterwards. Hostages were taken during the attacks. At least 167 people were killed in the attacks and 293 wounded (the numbers include casualties at CST railway station, The Oberoi Hotel, Nariman House and the Cama Hospital), including many foreigners. The casualties were mostly Indian citizens, although westerners carrying foreign passports were singled out. Indian commandos killed the gunmen barricaded in the hotel to end the three-day battle.
The attacks began 26 November 2008 and continued for a little over 60 hours. Approximately 450 people were staying in the Taj Mahal Palace and Hotel at the time of the seizure, and another 380 in the Oberoi.The Hotel Management has announced that the hotel will be rebuilt.. It will take around 12 months and INR 5 billion to repair it.
The less damaged sections of the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel reopened on 21 December 2008. It will take several months to rebuilt the popular heritage section of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.
In July 2009, Hillary Clinton visited Mumbai, aiming to deepen Indo-American ties and stayed at the Taj hotel. She attended a commemoration event. "I wanted to send a message that I personally and our country is in sympathy and solidarity with the employees and the guests of the Taj who lost their lives ... with the people of Mumbai," Clinton said in an interview with India's Times Now

Elephanta Caves

The Elephanta Caves (Marathi: घारापुरीच्या लेण्या, Gharapuri Lenya) are a network of sculpted caves located on Elephanta Island, or Gharapuri (literally "the city of caves") in Mumbai Harbour, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to the east of the city of Mumbai (Bombay), in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The island, located on an arm of the Arabian Sea, consists of two groups of caves—the first is a large group of five Hindu caves, the second, a smaller group of two Buddhist caves. The Hindu caves contain rock cut stone sculptures, representing the Shaiva Hindu sect, dedicated to the god Shiva.

The rock cut architecture of the caves has been dated to between the 5th and 8th centuries, although the identity of the original builders is still a subject of debate. The caves are hewn from solid basalt rock. All the caves were also originally painted in the past, but now only traces remain.
The main cave (Cave 1, or the Great Cave) was a Hindu place of worship until Portuguese rule began in 1534, after which the caves suffered severe damage. This cave was renovated in the 1970s after years of neglect, and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 to preserve the artwork. It is currently maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).


Geography

Elephanta Island, or Gharapuri, is about 7 miles (11 km) east of the Apollo Bunder (Bunder in Marathi means a "pier for embarkation and disembarkation of passengers and goods") on the Mumbai Harbor and 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Pir Pal in Trombay. The island covers about 4 square miles (10 km2) at high tide and about 6 square miles (16 km2) at low tide. Gharapuri is small village on the south side of the island. The Elephanta Caves can be reached by a ferry from the Gateway of India, Mumbai, which has the nearest airport and train station.
The island is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in length with two hills that rise to a height of about 500 feet (150 m). A deep ravine cuts through the heart of the island from north to south. On the west, the hill rises gently from the sea and stretches east across the ravine and rises gradually to the extreme east to a height of 568 feet (173 m). This hill is known as the Stupa hill. Forest growth with clusters of mango, tamarind, and karanj trees cover the hills with scattered palm trees. Rice fields are seen in the valley. The fore shore is made up of sand and mud with mangrove bushes on the fringe. Landing quays sit near three small hamlets known as Set Bunder in the north-west, Mora Bunder in the northeast, and Gharapuri or Raj Bunder in the south.

The two hills of the island, the western and the eastern, have five rock-cut caves in the western part and a brick stupa on the eastern hill on its top composed of two caves with few rock-cut cisterns. One of the caves on the eastern hill is unfinished. It is a protected island with a buffer zone according to a Notification issued in 1985, which also includes “a prohibited area” that stretches 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the shoreline.

History

Since no inscriptions on any of the caves on the island have been discovered, the ancient history of the island is conjectural, at best. Pandava, the hero of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, and Banasura, the demon devotee of Shiva, are both credited with building temples or cut caves to live. Local tradition holds that the caves are not man-made.

The Elephanta caves are "of unknown date and attribution". Art historians have dated the caves in the range of late 5th to late 8th century AD.[7] Archaeological excavations have unearthed a few Kshatrapa coins dated to 4th century AD. The known history is traced only to the defeat of Mauryan rulers of Konkan by the Badami Chalukyan emperor Pulakesi II (609–642) in a naval battle, in 635 AD. Elephanta was then called Puri or Purika, and served as the capital of the Konkan Mauryas. Some historians attribute the caves to the Konkan Mauryas, dating them to the mid 6th century, though others refute this claim saying a relatively small kingdom like the Konkan Mauryas could not undertake "an almost superhuman excavation effort," which was needed to carve the rock temples from solid rock and could not have the skilled labor to produce such "high quality" sculpture.

Some other historians attribute the construction to the Kalacuris (late 5th to 6th century), who may have had a feudal relationship with the Konkan Mauryas. In an era where polytheism was prevalent, the Elephanta main cave dedicates the monotheism of the Pashupata Shaivism sect, a sect to which Kalacuris as well as Konkan Mauryas belonged.
The Chalukyas, who defeated the Kalacuris as well as the Konkan Mauryas, are also believed by some to be creators of the main cave, in the mid 7th century. The Rashtrakutas are the last claimants to the creation of the main cave, approximated to the early 7th to late 8th century. The Elephanta Shiva cave resembles in some aspects the 8th century Rashtrakuta rock-temple Kailash at Ellora. The Trimurti of Elephanta showing the three faces of Shiva is akin to the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh (Shiva), which was the royal insignia of the Rashtrakutas. The Nataraja and Ardhanarishvara sculptures are also attributed to the Rashtrakutas.
Later, Elephanta was ruled by another Chalukyan dynasty, and then by Gujarat Sultanate, who surrendered it to the Portuguese in 1534. By then, Elephanta was called Gharapuri, which denotes a hill settlement. The name is still used in the local Marathi language. The Portuguese named the island "Elephanta Island" in honour of a huge rock-cut black stone statue of an elephant that was then installed on a mound, a short distance east of Gharapuri village. The elephant now sits in the Jijamata Udyaan zoo in Mumbai.

Portuguese rule saw a decline in the Hindu population on the island and the abandonment of the Shiva cave (main cave) as a regular Hindu place of worship, though worship on Mahashivratri, the festival of Shiva, continued and still does. The Portuguese did considerable damage to the sanctuaries. Portuguese soldiers used the reliefs of Shiva in the main cave for target practice, sparing only the Trimurti sculpture. They also removed an inscription related to the creation of the caves. While some historians solely blame the Portuguese for the destruction of the caves, others also cite water-logging and dripping rainwater as additional damaging factors. The Portuguese left in 1661 as per the marriage treaty of Charles II of England and Catherine of Braganza, daughter of King John IV of Portugal. This marriage shifted possession of the islands to the British Empire, as part of Catherine's dowry to Charles.
Though the main cave was restored in the 1970s, other caves, including three consisting of important sculptures, are still badly damaged. The caves were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 as per the cultural criteria of UNESCO: the caves "represent a masterpiece of human creative genius" and "bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared".



Main cave

The main cave, also called the Shiva cave, Cave 1, or the Great Cave, is 27 metres (89 ft) square in plan with a hall (mandapa). At the entrance are four doors, with three open porticoes and an aisle at the back. Pillars, six in each row, divide the hall into a series of smaller chambers. The roof of the hall has concealed beams supported by stone columns joined together by capitals. The cave entrance is aligned with the north-south axis, unusual for a Shiva shrine (normally east-west). The northern entrance to the cave, which has 1,000 steep steps, is flanked by two panels of Shiva dated to the Gupta period. The left panel depicts Yogishvara (The Lord of Yoga) and the right shows Nataraja (Shiva as the Lord of Dance). The central Shiva shrine (see 16 in plan below) is a free-standing square cell with four entrances, located in the right section of the main hall. Smaller shrines are located at the east and west ends of the caves. The eastern sanctuary serves as a ceremonial entrance.

Each wall has large carvings of Shiva, each more than 5 metres (16 ft) in height. The central Shiva relief Trimurti is located on the south wall and is flanked by Ardhanarisvara (a half-man, half-woman representation of Shiva) on its left and Gangadhara to its right, which denotes river Ganga's descent from Shiva's matted locks. Other carvings related to the legend of Shiva are also seen in the main hall at strategic locations in exclusive cubicles; these include Kalyanasundaramurti, depicting Shiva’s marriage to the goddess Parvati, Andhakasuravadamurti or Andhakasuramardana, the slaying of the demon Andhaka by Shiva, Shiva-Parvati on Mount Kailash (the abode of Shiva), and Ravananugraha, depicting the demon-king Ravana shaking Kailash.
The main cave blends Chalukyan architectural features such as massive figures of the divinities, guardians, and square pillars with custom capitals with Gupta artistic characteristics, like the depiction of mountains and clouds and female hairstyles.


Shiva-Parvati on Kailash and Ravana lifting Kailash

The carving on the south wall to the east of the portico depicts Shiva and Parvati seated on their abode Mount Kailash. The four-armed Shiva is seen with a crown and a disc behind it (all damaged), the sacred thread across his chest, and a dressing gown covering up to the knee. Parvati, dressed in her finery with her hair falling to the front, looks away. Behind her at the right is a woman attendant holding the child, identified with her son Kartikeya, the war-god. Many male and female attendants are seen behind the main figures.Shiva’s attendant, the skeleton-like Bhringi is seated at his feet. Other figures, not distinct, depict, among others, a royal-looking tall person, ascetics, a fat figure, a dwarf, a bull (the mount of Shiva), features of a Garuda, and two monkeys. The scenic beauty of the mountain is sculpted with the sky background amidst heavenly beings showering flowers on Shiva-Parvati.This scene is interpreted as a gambling scene, where Parvati is angry as Shiva cheats in a game of dice.

The carved panel facing this one is a two level depiction of Ravana lifting Kailash. The upper scene is Mount Kailash, where Shiva and Parvati are seated. The eight-armed, three-eyed Shiva wears headgear with a crescent and disc behind it. Most of his arms are broken, two of them resting on attendants' heads. The Parvati figure, seated facing Shiva, remains only as a trunk. The panel is flanked by door keepers. Attendants of Shiva are also seen in the relief but mostly in a damaged state. Bhringi is seated near Shiva’s feet and to his left is the elephant-headed son of Shiva, Ganesha. In this ensemble, the ten-headed demon-king Ravana is seen, with only one head left unscathed, and out of his twenty arms, only a few are discernible. Around Ravana are several demons. Numerous figures are seen above Shiva: the god Vishnu, riding his mount Garuda, to his left; a skeleton-figure; and in a recess, Parvati's mount, a tiger is depicted.
A legend relates to both these panels. Once, Parvati was annoyed with Shiva. At this moment, Ravana, who was passing by Mount Kailash, found it as an obstruction to his movement. Upset, Ravana shook it vigorously and as a result, Parvati got scared and hugged Shiva. Enraged by Ravana's arrogance, Shiva stamped down on Ravana, who sang praises of Shiva to free him of his misery and turned into an ardent devotee of Shiva. Another version states that Shiva was pleased with Ravana for restoring Parvati’s composure and blessed him.


Trimurti, Gangadhara and Ardhanarishvara

Described as a "masterpiece of Gupta-Chalukyan art", the most important sculpture in the caves is the Trimurti, carved in relief at the back of the cave facing the entrance, on the north-south axis. It is also known as Trimurti Sadashiva and Maheshmurti. The image, 20 feet (6.1 m) in height, depicts a three-headed Shiva, representing Panchamukha Shiva. The three heads are said to represent three essential aspects of Shiva — creation, protection, and destruction. The right half-face (west face) shows him as a young person with sensuous lips, embodying life and its vitality. In his hand he holds something an object resembling a rosebud, depicting the promise of life and creativity. This face is closest to that of Brahma, the creator or Uma or Vamadeva, the feminine side of Shiva and creator of joy and beauty. The left half-face (east face) is that of a moustached young man, displaying anger. This is Shiva as the terrifying Aghora or Bhairava, the one whose anger can engulf the entire world in flames, leaving only ashes behind. This is also known as Rudra-Shiva, the Destroyer. The central face, benign and meditative, resembles the preserver Vishnu. This is Tatpurusha, "master of positive and negative principles of existence and preserver of their harmony" or Shiva as the yogi Yogeshwar in deep meditation praying for the preservation of humanity. The aspects Sadyojata and Ishana (not carved) faces are considered to be at the back and top of the sculpture. The Trimurti sculpture, with the Gateway of India in the background, has been adopted as the logo of the Maharashtra Tourism Department (MTDC).

The Gangadhara image to the right of the Trimurti, is an ensemble of divinities assembled around the central figures of Shiva and Parvati, the former bearing river Ganga as she descends from the heaven. The carving is 13 feet (4.0 m) wide and 17.083 feet (5.207 m) high. The image is highly damaged, particularly the lower half of Shiva seen seated with Parvati, who is shown with four arms, two of which are broken. From the crown, a cup with a triple-headed female figure (with broken arms), representing the three sacred rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and Sarasvati, is depicted. Shiva is sculpted and bedecked with ornaments. The arms hold a coiling serpent whose hood is seen above his left shoulder. Another hand (partly broken) gives the semblance of Shiva hugging Parvati, with a head of matted hair. There is a small snake on the right hand, a tortoise close to the neck, with a bundle is tied to the back. An ornamented drapery covers his lower torso, below the waist. Parvati is carved to the left of Shiva with a coiffured hair dress, fully bedecked with ornaments and jewellery, also fully draped, with her right hand touching the head of a female attendant who carries Parvati's dress case. The gods Brahma and Indra, with their mystic regalia and mounts, are shown to the right of Shiva; Vishnu riding his mount Garuda, is shown to the left of Parvati. Many other details are defaced but a kneeling figure in the front is inferred to be the king who ordered the image to be carved. There are many divinities and attendant females at the back. The whole setting is under the sky and cloud scenes, with men and women, all dressed, are shown showering flowers on the deities.

In the chamber to the east of Trimurti, is the four-armed Ardhanarishvara carving. This image, which is 16.75 feet (5.11 m) in height, has a head dress (double-folded) with two pleats draped towards the female head (Parvati) and the right side (Shiva) depicting curled hair and a crescent. The female figure has all the ornamentation (broad armlets and long bracelets, a large ring in the ear, jeweled rings on the fingers) but the right male figure has drooping hair, armlets and wrist-lets. One of his hands rests on Nandi’s left horn, Shiva’s mount, which is fairly well preserved. The pair of hands at the back is also bejeweled; the right hand of the male holds a serpent, while the left hand of the female holds a mirror. The front left hand is broken but conjectured as holding the robe of the goddess. The central figure is surrounded by divinities.


Shiva slaying Andhaka and Wedding of Shiva

The engraved panel in considered to be a unique sculpture in the north end of the aisle, and shows Bhairava, or Virabhadra, a frightful form of Shiva. In the carved panel Shiva's consort is seen sitting next to him, looking terrified. A female attendant is next to her. The central figure, which is much ruined below the waist, is measured at 11.5 feet (3.5 m) high, is posed as if running. His headgear has a ruff on the back, a skull and cobra over the forehead, and the crescent high on the right. His facial expression is of intense anger discerned from his furrowed brow, swollen eyes, and tusks. The legs and five of the eight arms are broken, attributed to Portuguese vandalism. The smaller broken image Andhaka is seen below Bhairava's image. It is interpreted that Shiva is spearing him with the front right hand, as conjectured by the spear seen hanging with out any hold. Also seen is the back hand lifted up and holding an elephant's skin as a cover; the elephant's head, carved tusk, and trunk are seen hanging from the left hand. The second left hand depicts a snake coiled round it. The hand holds a bowl to collect the blood dripping from the slain Andhaka. Furthermore, pieces of a male and two female forms, figures of two ascetics, a small figure in front, a female figure, and two dwarfs are also seen in the carved panel. An unusual sculpture seen above the head of the main figure of Shiva is of a "very wide bottle with a curved groove in the middle of it", which can interpreted variously as: the aum or the linga or a Shiva shrine.

The niche image carved on the south wall is an ensemble of divinities assembled around the central figures of Shiva and Parvati shown getting married. Parvati is seen standing to Shiva's right, the ordained place for a Hindu bride at the wedding. The carvings are damaged substantially; only one of Shiva’s four hands is fully seen and the right leg is missing. Shiva has a head dress with a shining disc attached to it. His garments are well-draped, and well-tied at the waist. The sacred thread is seen across his chest. Parvati is carved as a perfect figure with coiffured hair dress, well adorned with jewellery and is draped tightly to display depressions below the waist only. She is seen with a coy expression and is led by her father who has his right hand on her shoulder. Even though both her hands are damaged, it is inferred that her left hand clasped Shiva’s right hand as a mark of holy alliance. Brahma is sitting as the officiating priest for the marriage. Vishnu is witness to the marriage. Mena, the mother of Parvati is seen standing next to Vishnu. The moon-god Chandra, seen with a wig and a crescent, is standing behind Parvati holding a circular pot with nectar for the marriage ceremony. Just above the main images, a galaxy of divinities, bearded sages, apsaras (nymphs), Vidyadharas, Yakshis, Gandharvas, Bhringi, and other male and female attendants are seen as witness to the marriage ceremony showering flowers on the divine couple.


Yogishvara and Nataraja

The panel to the east of the north portico is Shiva in a Yogic position called Yogisvara, Mahayogi, Dharmaraja and Lakulish.Resembling a Buddha, Shiva is in a dilapidated condition with only two broken arms. Shiva is seated in padmasana yogic posture (cross legged) on a lotus carried by two Nāgas. His crown is carved with details adorned by a crescent, a round frill at the back, and hair curls dropping on either side of the shoulders. His face is calm in mediation, his eyes half-closed. This represents Shiva in penance sitting amidst the Himalayan mountains after the death of his first wife Sati, who was later reborn as Parvati. He is surrounded by divinities in the sky and attendants below. Also seen is a plantain with three leaves already open and one opening, as well as a sunflower blossom. These are flanked by two attendants. Other figures discerned from a study of the broken images are: Vishnu riding Garuda on a plantain leaf; the Sun-god Surya riding a fully-saddled horse (head missing); a saint with a rosary; two female figures in the sky draped up to their thighs; a faceless figure of the moon with a water container; three identical figures of a male flanked by two females; the skeleton of a sage; Brahma (without one arm) riding a swan; and Indra without his mount (elephant missing).

The panel carving in the west niche opposite Yogishvara depicts Shiva as Nataraja performing the Tandava (cosmic dance). The niche is 13 feet (4.0 m) wide and 11 feet (3.4 m) in height and set low on the wall. He wears well-decorated head gear. The Shiva image displays a dance pose and had ten arms, but the first right and third left hands are missing. The remaining first right arm is held across the breast and touches the left side, the second right hand that is seen damaged with an out-flaying pose is broken at the elbow. The third arm is damaged at the elbow, and the fourth is also broken but inferred to have held a Khatvanga (skull-club). The left arms, seen hanging, are damaged near the wrists. The third hand is bent (but broken) towards Parvati standing on the side and the fourth hand is raised up. The right thigh (broken) is lifted up, and the left leg is not seen at all, the elaborate armlets are well-preserved and a skirt round the waist is tied by a ribbon. A tall figurine of Parvati stands to the left of Shiva, which is also seen partly broken but well bejeweled. An airborne female figure is seen behind Parvati. Other figures seen in the relief are: Vishnu riding a Garuda; Indra riding his elephant; the elephant-headed Ganesha; Kartikeya; Bhrngi; sages and attendants.