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I am collecting Indian Heritage and culture related vintage postcards, paintings, prints etc. and exhibited them at several locations across India in various events and also sharing them with school and college children by giving presentations to them on Indian Heritage and Culture with my collections and also documenting puppetry etc. intangible performances.

Tuesday 11 December 2012

Gateway Of India Mumbai

About Gateway Of India Mumbai



The Indian gateway is one of the monuments that are located in Mumbai and this city was initially known as Bombay, India.

This Gateway of India is situated at Apollo waterfront Bunder Area in the southern Mumbai.

This gateway is one of the basalt arches and is located 26 meters high. This is one of the monuments that were used as the crude jetty through the fisher folks and then it was renovated.

British governors used this place as the landing place and it was occupied by the distinguished passengers as well.

There was an era, when this monument was seen by all those people that used to arrive through the help of boat and they would be witnessing the Bombay city.

 This is one of the monuments that are having the combination of Muslim as well as Hindu Architectural style and the arch has been made in style of Muslim and decorations have been done in the Hindu style.

This monument has been built through the yellow basalt as well as reinforced concrete.

The stones can be obtained locally and they were perforated screens that were purchased from the Gwalior.

The central dome of this monument is approximately 49 feet and that is 15 meters in the diameter range and it is also 85 feet that is 26 meters above the ground and that is located on its highest point.

The harbor has been realigned and the planning of esplanade has been made through which sweeping can be done from the down stage.

The entire construction of this monument has a cost of approximately Rs. Twenty-one lakhs.

This entire expenditure that has been done has been borne by the Indian government.

The Indian government was not having access to the proper funds and therefore they were not able to so the construction of approach road.

It is one of the main reasons due to which Gateway of India will be standing on its angle and the roads will be leading towards it.

If you are planning to make your visit to this place, then you should definitely ensure to visit this place and you will be having a lot of fun and excitement as well.

You can plan the trip to this monument along with your family and friends and you will love the architecture and the various designs that have been made on it.

the above information from the website of  gatewayofindia.org.in

http://www.gatewayofindia.org.in/ 

History of Gateway of India


About Gateway of India

There are millions of people that will be interested in knowing the relevant facts that are associated with the Gateway of India.

It is imperative that you will be surfing various sites through which you will be collecting a lot of information on the different aspects of this Indian monument.

It is of vital importance that you should be having all the relevant facts and data on the Gateway of India history.

It was in year 1911, in the month of December that this monument was built to commemorate Queen Mary and V king George visit in Delhi Durbar.

It was at that point of time only that stone of foundation was kept and the date was 31st of March and the year was 1911.

This was done by the Sir Sydenham George Clarke and he was the Bombay Governor.

It was in the month of August in year 1914 that final design was sanctioned by the George Wittet.

The duration between to 1915 to 1919 comprises of numerous work reclamations and they were carried out at the Apollo Bundar and this was the only sea wall where the building had started.

The complete foundations were done in the year 1920 and the construction part was over in the year 1924.

The opening of Gateway was done on the 4th of December in year 1924 and this was done by the Reading Earl, Viceroy.

Gammon India claimed that the concrete job was required for Indian Gateway foundation.

It was expected that British Troops will be leaving India and 1st Battalion of Light Somerset Infantry will be passing through Indian Gateway on 28th of February in year 1948.

It is recommended that you should be planning your visit to this place once in a year and you will be getting to spend some of the best time over here.

This is one of the best ways through which you will be able to enjoy here and you should be planning the visit along with your family and friends.

It is recommended that you should be checking the Tourism and you will be getting here to enjoy some of the best and historic places in this city.

It is essential that you should be taking the help of some guides through which you can enjoy here.

The above text courtesy from the website of  GatewayofIndia.org.in.

http://www.gatewayofindia.org.in/history.htm 

The Gateway of India is a monument built during the British Raj in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India. It is located on the waterfront in the Apollo Bunder area, South Mumbai and overlooks the Arabian Sea.  The structure is a basalt arch, 26 metres (85 feet) high. It lies at the end of Chhatrapati Shivaji Marg at the water's edge in the Harbor of Bombay. It was a crude jetty used by the fishing community which was later renovated and used as a landing place for British governors and other prominent people. In earlier times, it would have been the first structure that visitors arriving by boat in Mumbai would have seen. The Gateway has also been referred to as the Taj Mahal of Mumbai, and is the city's top tourist attraction.


The structure was erected to commemorate the landing of their Majesties King George V  and Queen Mary  at Apollo Bunder, when they visited India in 1911. Built in Indo-Saracenic style, the foundation stone for the Gateway of India was laid on 31 March 1911. The final design of  George Wittet was sanctioned in 1914 and the construction of the monument was completed in 1924. The Gateway was later the ceremonial entrance to India for Viceroys and the new Governors of Bombay. It served to allow entry and access to India.


The Gateway of India was built to commemorate the visit of  King George V  and Queen Mary to Mumbai, prior to the Delhi Durbar, in December 1911. However, they only got to see only a cardboard model of the structure since the construction did not begin till 1915. The foundation stone was laid on 31 March 1911, by the governor of Bombay Sir George Sydenham Clarke, with the final design of George Wittet sanctioned on 31 March 1913. The gateway was built from yellow basalt and concrete. Between 1915 and 1919, work proceeded on reclamation's at Apollo Bundar (Port) for the land on which the gateway and the new sea wall would be built. The foundations were completed in 1920, and construction was finished in 1924. The gateway was opened on 4 December 1924, by the Viceroy, the Earl of Reading.


The last British troops to leave India following the country's independence, the first Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry, passed through the gateway on their way out in a ceremony on 28 February 1948, signalling the end of its rule.

Design and structure

The architect George Wittet combined the elements of the Roman Triumphal Arch and the 16th century architecture of Gujarat. Its design is a combination of HIndu and Muslim architectural styles; the arch is of Muslim style while the decorations are of Hindu style. The gateway is built from yellow basalt and reinforced concrete.  The stone was locally obtained, and the perforated screens were brought from Gwalior.  The gateway faces out to Mumbai Harbour from the tip of  Apollo Bunder.


The central dome is 48 feet (15 metres) in diameter and 83 feet (25 metres) above the ground at its highest point. The whole harbour front was realigned in order to come in line with a planned esplanade which would sweep down to the centre of the town. On each side of the arch, there are large halls that can hold 600 people. The cost of the construction was INR21 lakh (US$ 38,200), borne mainly by the Government of India.  For lack of funds, the approach road was never built, and so the gateway stands at an angle to the road leading up to it.

The above text courtesy on Gateway of India from wikipedia.org web site.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_of_India 


In my collection i have some vintage post cards of Gateway of India Mumbai.

Below are my vintage post cards of this magnificent Gateway of India.






  

 

 


 

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