Five-star luxury can be enjoyed at Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, built in 1903 by Persian-Indian businessman Jamsetji Tata. According to local legend, Tata was not permitted to enter the finest British-managed hotel of that time, Wilson’s, because of its policy of serving only European guests. In response, he established the Taj, with a promise that it would have the world’s best service. Ever since, the Taj Mahal Palace has been listed among the world’s top hotels. What about Wilson’s? It’s long gone.
Across the street from the Taj is the famous Gateway of India, an arch standing about 25 meters high. The monument was built to celebrate the visit to India of England’s King George V and Queen Mary in 1911. Sellers and performers, including snake charmers, can be found in the surrounding busy park. At night, lit up by electric lights, the Gateway appeals to sightseers-and lovers, too!
Just a one-hour ferry ride from Mumbai is the island of Elephanta. The island was named by the Portuguese, supposedly after a huge statue of an elephant that used to be there. It has amazing cave temples cut deeply into the rock, featuring sculptures preserved since the seventh century A.D.
Visitors leaving Mumbai can board their train at the Victoria Terminus (renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus). This remarkable station is said to have been India’s largest construction project when it was built in 1888. An impressive mixture of British and Indian building styles, the station is preserved today as World Heritage Site.