Gateway of India
The Gateway of India is an arch-monument built in the early 20th century in the city of Bombay (now Mumbai), India. It was erected to commemorate the landing of King-Emperor George V, the first British monarch to visit India, in December 1911 at Ramchandani Road near Shyamaprasad Mukherjee Chowk.
The foundation stone was laid in March 1913 for a monument built in the Indo-Islamic style, inspiring by elements of 16th-century Gujarati architecture. The final design of the monument by architect George Wittet was sanctioned only in 1914, and construction was completed in 1924. The structure is a memorial arch made of basalt, which is 26 metres (85 feet) high, with an architectural resemblance to a triumphial arch as well as Gujarati architecture of the time.
After its construction the Gateway was used as a symbolic ceremonial entrance to India for important colonial personnel. The Gateway is also the monument from where the last British troops left India in 1948, following Indian independence. It is located on the waterfront at an angle, opposite the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel and overlooks the Arabian Sea. Today, the monument is synonymous with the city of Mumbai, and is amongst its prime tourist attractions. The gateway is also a gathering spot for locals, street vendors, and photographers soliciting services. It holds significance for the local Jewish community as it has been the spot for Hanukkah celebrations, with the lighting of the menorah, since 2003. There are five jetties located at the Gateway, of which two are used for commercial ferry operations.
The Gateway was the site of a terror attack in August 2003, when there was a bomb blast in a taxi parked in front of it. Access to the gateway was restricted after people congregated at its premises following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, in which the Taj Hotel opposite the gateway and other locations in its vicinity were targeted.
In March 2019, the Maharashtra state government proposed a four-step plan to develop the location for the convenience of tourists, following a direction issued by the state governor in February 2019.
History and significance
The Gateway, in 1924
Departure of the last British troops from the Gateway, in 1948
The Gateway of India was built to commemorate the arrival of George V, Emperor of India and Mary of Teck, Empress consort, in India at Apollo Bunder, Mumbai (Bombay) on 2 December 1911 prior to the Delhi Durbar of 1911; it was the first visit of a British monarch to India.[2][3][4] However, they only got to see a cardboard model of the monument,[B] as construction did not begin until 1915.[2][6] The foundation stone for the Gateway was laid on 31 March 1913 by then Governor of Bombay, Sir George Sydenham Clarke with the final design of George Wittet for the Gateway sanctioned in August 1914.[7][6] Before the Gateway’s construction, Apollo Bunder used to serve a native fishing ground.[8] Between 1915 and 1919 work continued at the Apollo Bunder to reclaim the land on which the Gateway was to be built, along with the construction of a sea wall.[7] Gammon India had undertaken construction work for the gateway.[9][C] Its foundations were completed in 1920 while construction was finished in 1924.[12][7] The Gateway was opened to the public on 4 December 1924 by then Viceroy, Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading.[13] Following Indian independence, the last British troops to leave India, the First Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry, passed through the Gateway with a 21-gun salute, as part of a ceremony on 28 February 1948, signalling the end of the British Raj.[14][15][D]
N. Kamala, professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University,[16] refers to the Gateway as a “jewel in the crown” and a “symbol of conquest and colonisation”.[17][E] The monument commemorates the legacy of British colonial rule, namely the first visit of a British monarch to India and its use as an entry point for prominent colonial personnel into British India.[20] Today the Gateway is synonymous with the city of Mumbai.[21][22][F] Since its construction, the gateway has remained amongst the first structures visible to visitors arriving in Bombay by the sea.[25][H]
Since 2003, the Gateway has been the location for the local Jewish community to light the menorah for Hanukkah celebrations every year.[28][29] This ritual was started by Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg of the chabad in Mumbai (located in Nariman House).[28] It also became a site for prayers following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks which targeted, amongst others, Nariman House.[30] Rabbi Holtzberg lost his life in the 2008 terror attacks.[28]
Location and jetties
Statue of Shivaji, in the vicinity of the Gateway
The Gateway stands at an angle, opposite to the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel, which was built in 1903.[40] In the grounds of the gateway, opposite the monument, stands the statue of Shivaji, the Maratha warrior-hero who fought against the Mughal Empire to establish the Maratha Empire in the 17th century.[41][42] The statue was unveiled on 26 January 1961 on the occasion of India’s Republic Day.[43][44] It replaced a bronze statue of King-Emperor George V which stood at its place.[45][46][J] In 2016, Mid-Day reported that the George V statue is kept locked in a tin shed belonging to the Public Works Department, behind Elphinstone College, in Fort, Mumbai.[48] The George V statue was sculpted by G. K. Mhatre,[49][50] who has over 300 sculptures to his credit in India.[48] Hemant Pathare, Mhatre’s great-grandson and Sandeep Dahisarkar, a historian, researcher, and academician, have made efforts to relocate the George V statue to a museum, the latter of whom has reasserted the statue as swadeshi art.[48] The other statue in the locality of the gateway is that of Swami Vivekananda,[51][52] an Indian monk who is credited as a key figure in the introduction of Indian philosophies such as Vedanta and Yoga to the west, and with bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion during the late 19th century.[53][K]
There are five jetties located around the monument.[56] The first jetty is exclusive to the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, while the second and third are used for commercial ferry operations, the fourth one is closed, and the fifth is exclusive to the Royal Bombay Yacht Club.[57] The second and third jetties are the starting point for tourists to reach the Elephanta Caves, which are fifty minutes away by boat from the monument.[40][58] Other routes from the gateway include ferry rides to Rewas, Mandwa, and Alibaug, while cruises also operate from the gateway.[59] These ferries reportedly carry an overload of daily passengers.[60] The Mumbai Port Trust licenses vessels to use the gateway while the Maharashtra Maritime Board issues fitness certificates to them.[61]