Mumbaiwale: Rediscover Flora Fountain through art, history and some unusual numbers

Two years to restore, 20 lion heads, 5 female statues and lots and lots of plumbing nightmares - a closer look at the Fort landmark

She isn’t even white. She’s wheatish!

The fountain had been inaugurated on Thursday, after two years of restoration (HT photos: Anshuman Poyrekar)

For most of my life, when I’ve passed Goddess Flora and her Flora Fountain in Fort, I’ve seen a white statue. Never pristine white – she’s had coats of grime, dust and moss. But she always looked like she was a snowy marble hue underneath.

So imagine my delight when I went to check her out on Friday. The fountain had been inaugurated the previous day, after two years of restoration. Stripped of layers of plaster, paint and cement (from ill-conceived beautification projects over the decades), the original limestone is a luminous pale beige.

How to make sense of this monument, it’s history and its road to refurbishment? Let’s try some numbers.

155: That’s how many years it’s been standing. The structure is dedicated to the Roman goddess of abundance.

32: The height of the fountain in feet, as designed by Richard Shaw and carved by James Forsythe. Flora, on top, is 7 ft.

4: The number of statues at the base corners of the fountain. They represent India’s cereal and plant foods, in keeping with the theme of abundance. Check out the cool details not visible before. One figure has a braid, another a bit of a smirk. One has nice disc earrings and a matching necklace, another has anklets.

20: The number of lion heads that spout water down the structure. Many were in terrible shape. You’ll notice there are also four fish, just below Flora’s feet.

1862: The year the last of the walls of the Bombay Fort were demolished, opening the city up to construction of public buildings (the stone ones now synonymous with Fort) and green areas (Cross, Azad and Oval maidans) and trade. It was also a cultural cleanup. Public displays of punishment – flogging, pelting, caging and hanging were either stopped or moved to other parts of Bombay. Hunting parties moved north as well.

301: The age of St Thomas Cathedral, a short walk east of the fountain. Flora Fountain stands at the spot of one of Bombay Fort’s three gates. This one was called Church Gate, after the cathedral. And it’s what lends its name to the railway station.

47,000: What the fountain originally cost to build, in rupees.

1.73 crore: What it cost to restore. The numbers below will explain why.

4: The expert groups that collaborated on the project. Conservation architect’s Vikas Dilawari’s eponymous firm, the BMC’s heritage cell, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, and structural engineer Kiran Bhavsar worked on repairs, plumbing and sprucing up.

1: The number of years it took just to steam-clean the layers of paint without damaging the limestone beneath.

2: The years restoration took. Flora’s long-missing palms, nose and neck were replaced. Matching limestone was found. The underground plumbing was overhauled, leaks sealed and choked pipes cleaned to make the water flow.

1964: The year the last trams ran in the city – exactly 100 years after the fountain was installed. Tram tracks are visible right next to the fountain. As the surrounding area gets beautified. They may not be visible for long. Check them out, and say hello to a browner Flora.