Mumbai Beyond Gateway

Historical places lie undiscovered in this city, beyond the unusual tourist traps. Learn the stories behind these lesser-known spots

Six decadessince India's independence,does the nation know this citybeyond Gateway of India andCST Station? Still present inits many lanes, and lostamong the many skyscrapersand bursting population, is abit of history, hoping to bediscovered some day. Whileothers may be demolished orlost forever due to lack ofcare or general wear andtear, these edifices continueto tell stories of the city'spast.

Now, Varsha Shirgaonkar,professor and head, departmentof history, SNDTWomen's University andRahul Chemburkar, conservationarchitect, both advisorymembers to the departmentof archaeology andmuseums, Maharashtra, takeMumbaikars back in time tohelp them find some hiddengems within a busy and teemingmetropolis.

1 Kala Ghoda statue is notlocated at Kala Ghoda
This statue was erectedsometime in 1870s in the Fortarea. It was moved to itspresent location insideJijamata Udyan, Byculla in1865.Made of black granitestone, it shows a kingmounted on a horse.The king, who is depicted inthe statue, was King EdwardVII, also known as Prince ofWales. Edward VII was Kingof the United Kingdom andthe British Dominions andEmperor of India fromJanuary 22, 1901 until hisdeath on May 6, 1910.The popular annual KalaGhoda festival of Mumbai isheld in the art district namedafter this statue.
2 This fountain wasmade at a veterinaryhospital to provide water for the animals
The fountain and Pyaavat the Bai Sakarbai PetitAnimal Hospital can be foundnear MD College, Parel.Built in 1889, it is owned bythe Petit Hospital TrustLocated inside the veterinaryhospital, it was builtat a cost of R 5,000 byFurdoonjee DhanjeebhoyAllbless in memory of his sonEdulji Allbless. Experts saythat it was probably used toprovide water for the animalsthat came for treatment tothe veterinary hospital.The structure is made up ofelaborate octagonal stonecupola supported byPorbandar stone structure inthe form of arches, and haseight arches with columns inthe Gothic style.
3 Reay Road is namedafter a man who wasthe Governor of Bombaybetween 1885 and 1890
This statue of Lord Raey atthe JJ School of Artscompound is dedicated to aman after whom an area inSouth Mumbai and a railwaystation are named.It shows a man in theattire of a knight, reading abook while seated ona chair.The entire structure ismade in bronze and wasmade by Sir Alfred Gilbert in1895. The height of the statueis 2.4 meters. There is noplaque but the visible letterssay 'Broad and Son,Founders- London, England'.The original statue waserected at the corner of theOval (Veer Nariman Road)before being moved to itspresent location.
4 This fountain that sitsinside a church wasimported from England
Sir Cowasji Jehangir'sFountain is located insideSt Thomas Cathedral'scompound at Veer NarimanRoad and has a Gothicstyle two-tier structurein Portland stone with apinnacle.The fountain was constructedin England and sentthrough shipment on boardthe ship called Bayard.It was donated by Parsiphilanthropist Sir CowasjiJehangir, who also gifted40 fountains to the city,to be placed inside a churchpremise. The fountain wasplaced within the churchat a cost of R 13,777 onMay 22, 1866.The fountain's upper tierhas four decorative bowlssupported on circular pillars.The lower tier has a circularpattern, which intersect atintervals
5 A mini Gateway of Indiathat is not at theGateway
The Gateway of Indiareplica is located at Gamdeviand is a part of a whole stonemodel of Gateway of IndiaYashwantraoHarishchandra Desai, whoalso worked on the originalmonument and was a contractor,built it. He was analumnus of JJ School of Artsand worked on several otherprojects like The GeneralPost Office and The Prince ofWales Museum.The stoneused in both the monumentsis the same.The structure todaystands forgotten anddefiled near Desai's homein memory of the manwho built the iconic gatewayon the shores of theport city.
6 These memorial stonestell stories of ancientwarriors
These six paliyas ormemorial stones seem tohave been set in front of atemple, which stood on thetop of the pond bank in theEksar Village of Borivli, a siteafterwards taken over by aPortuguese granary.All, except one, which isbroken, have their topscarved into large funerealurns, with long heavyears and hanging bows ofribbon, and floating figuresbringing chaplets andwreaths.The faces of the slabsare richly cut in from twoto eight level belts ofcarving; the figures in boldrelief chiselled with muchskill.Each stone records theprowess of warriors.In each case the storybegins with the lowestbeltand works to the top.

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