The city of Bombay has always attracted me because of its fast-paced ness, independence and rich colonial history. It is a city to get lost in, to be one with, and yet discover oneself in the process. Bombay’s colonial architecture had a tremendous appeal to me. It is an exciting blend of Gothic, Art Deco, Victorian, Indo-Saracenic and Contemporary styles– tracing the story of the city’s growth from a British trading post to one of the biggest metropolises of the country. And yes, I am going to refer to the city as “Bombay” and not “Mumbai”, as what follows is from the times when the city was called so.
In my quest, I decided to focus on lesser known historical buildings in South Bombay. I found a Pandora’s box – a store of rich architectural heritage hidden under the chaos of city-life. Against the test of time, these buildings stood by, acting as silent witnesses to the unfolding of the grand story of Bombay.
The above comment is best exemplified by the Watson Hotel located in Kalaghoda District of South Bombay. It is now called the Esplanade Mansion, and is in complete ruins, the rooms being divided and given on rent to shopkeepers, tailors and even families. Built in February 1871 with a “Europeans only” clientele, it was the pride of Bombay. Visiting dignitaries included the likes of Mark Twain and Richard Burton. It is India’s oldest cast iron building, the frame being fabricated in England and put together in Bombay. What remains of the hotel’s grandeur today is only this cast iron frame with the “W” logo peeping out from under the overgrown shrubs and overflowing garbage. The decline was gradual beginning with its sale to another owner and the growing competition from J.N.Tata’s Taj Mahal Hotel in 1903.
I found some other interesting architectural marvels in the same vicinity of Kalaghoda, one of the easiest to spot being the David Sasoon Library. Built in the Venetian Gothic style around 1870, the purpose of the building was to function as a museum and library for the Royal Mint and Government Dockyard. The architectural style combined Gothic arches with Byzantine influences, the desire for lightness and grace in the structure being extremely important. This characteristic is easily visible in the building – being adorned by intricate details and yet not giving the impression of heaviness.
An influential
I found some other interesting architectural marvels in the same vicinity of Kalaghoda, one of the easiest to spot being the David Sasoon Library. Built in the Venetian Gothic style around 1870, the purpose of the building was to function as a museum and library for the Royal Mint and Government Dockyard. The architectural style combined Gothic arches with Byzantine influences, the desire for lightness and grace in the structure being extremely important. This characteristic is easily visible in the building – being adorned by intricate details and yet not giving the impression of heaviness.
An influential banker, Sir David Sassoon, later funded the completion of this building. It is an active library and reading room today.
On the other side of the road is the lane that passes by Rhythm House and leads to another beautiful building contributed by the Jewish Community to the city– The Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue. Another such synagogue stands in the area of Byculla, called the Megan David Synagogue. These buildings hint towards the presence of an abundant and rich Jewish population in Bombay, now no longer so. The former of the mentioned synagogues is an aesthetically pleasing building coloured in aquamarine blue, standing two floors tall. The stained glass windows and carved wooden doors give away the colonial influence. Once there, one should not miss the Kalaghoda Café – a quiet, little nook to escape the heat and the city noise.
Bombay’s day-to-day life holds a storehouse of historical buildings – in the form of movie theatres, libraries and coffee houses. The most well-known of these being the Eros Cinema, situated at Churchgate, built around 1935-38. It is in the Art Deco style as is evident from the cylindrical spire with rings around it. It used a range of materials from Red Sandstone from Agra to Black Marble and Gold. Other than Eros, the first of Bombay’s Art Deco cinema theatres was Regal Cinema (Colaba) and the Metro Cinema (Princess Street), built and run originally by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), now transformed into a multiplex.
Another section of south Bombay abounding in Colonial Architecture is Horniman Circle, in the Fountain District. Originally called the Elphinstone Circle, it was renamed to commemorate the Editor of The Bombay Chronicler, Benjamin Horniman. The area houses a large garden originally called the Bombay Greens (now The Horniman Circle Gardens) constructed in the Neo-Classical style, surrounded by commercial buildings. Most interesting are the elegantly curved Neo-Classical buildings built in accordance with the turn of the streets. Some of the buildings today house leading banks, international brands like Hermes and India’s first Starbucks Coffee Shop.
Overlooking the Horniman Circle Gardens is the Asiatic Society of Bombay, located in the Town Hall. The Society has had associations with the Royal Asiatic Society of Britain, and the Literary Society of Bombay, but is today run by the Central Government. The library boasts of a huge collection of rare manuscripts, two original remaining 
copies of Dante’s “Divine Comedy” being one of the most valuable. The Town Hall that houses the library was built around 1804, around the same time of the formation of the Literary Society of Bombay. Its architecture is heavily influenced by Greco-Roman style evident in the eight Doric columns, a large flight of 30 stairs leading to the loggia, topped by a cornice and frieze at the entablature.
Bombay has been the cultural hot-plate of India since its birth for reasons of inter-continental trade. This cross-cultural germination is as evident in the architecture as much in the lifestyle of its residents. Bombay today is home to a cosmopolitan crowd, ranging from the old “bawa” reminiscing about days gone by, to the French traveller who fell in love with the city at first sight.
Intriguing about Bombay’s history is how its heritage lies hidden amongst our everyday lives – moving along with us, changing with the times, fulfilling their present duties. Today they serve all kinds of purposes – from police headquarters to lavish restaurants for the rich to homes to the poor.
It is only when one stops awhile to ponder, one sees how these buildings mean so much more – like those old Banyan trees which have stood at the same place for years, seen a People grow and die, and when you look up at those strong branches and dropping roots in awe, they look down at you with a knowing smile.
- Shubhasree Purkayastha
