Mumbai,
which was previously known as Bombay is a major metropolitan
city of India. It is the state capital of Maharashtra. Mumbai city is known as the business capital of
India, it being the country's principal financial
and communications centre. The city has the largest
and the busiest port handling India's foreign trade
and a major International airport. India's largest
Stock Exchange which ranks as the third largest in
the world, is situated in Mumbai. Here, trading of
stocks is carried out in billions of rupees everyday.
Description
about Mumbai/Bombay can not be complete without the
mention of Bollywood, the biggest Indian film industry
which churns out hundreds of Hindi block-busters every
year.
Car as per booking, chauffeur charges , service tax ,
Cost of hired car / coach with fuel & chauffer.,Pick up & drop from residence
Excludes :
Guide fees entrance fees, toll, parking, Hotel accommodation
Sr.
Vehicle Name
Seats
Gross Total
1
TATA Indigo
4
2808
2
FORD Icon
4
2973
3
Maruti Dezire
4
2973
4
TOYOTA ETIOS
4
3363
5
MAHINDRA XYLO
6
2973
6
TOYOTA Innova
6
3363
7
HONDA City
4
4714
Gateway
of India
Mumbai's most famous monument, this is the starting
point for most tourists who want to explore the
city. It was built as a triumphal arch to commemorate
the visit of King George V and Queen Mary, complete
with four turrets and intricate latticework carved
into the yellow basalt stone. Ironically, when
the Raj ended in 1947, this colonial symbol also
became a sort of epitaph: the last of the British
ships that set sail for England left from the
Gateway. Today this symbol
of
colonialism has got Indianised, drawing droves
of local tourists and citizens. Behind the arch,
there are steps leading down to the water. Here,
you can get onto one of the bobbing little motor
launches, for a short cruise through Mumbai's
splendid natural harbour.
Chowpatty
Beach
Apart from Juhu in the suburbs, Chowpatty
is Mumbai's most famous beach. During the
day, it is the hangout of the happily unemployed
who snooze under the shade of its stunted
trees. But in the evening the atmosphere
is more like a carnival: kids screaming
on Ferris wheels or taking pony rides, wayside
astrologers making a quick buck, monkey
shows, and even the odd self -styled gymnast
who will demonstrate amazing yogic postures
for a small fee. At one
end
is a row of bhelpuri shops hawking Mumbai's
most popular snack: crisp puffed rice and
semolina doused in pungent chutneys, all
scooped up with a flat, fried puri. You
might even catch a film shoot or a street
play. In short, for most tourists Chowpatty
is where the action is.
Elephanta
Caves
Hewn out of solid rock, the Elephanta Caves date
back to 600 AD, and attract more visitors each
year than the entire city of Mumbai. No wonder:
this place resonates with the spiritual energy
of India. The cave complex is a collection of
shrines, courtyards, inner cells, grand halls
and porticos arranged in the splendid symmetry
of Indian rock-cut architecture, and filled with
exquisite stone sculptures of
Hindu
Gods and Goddesses. It is situated on Gharapuri
Island in Mumbai's harbour, about an hour's boatride
from the Gateway Of India. At the entrance to
the caves is the famous Trimurti, the celebrated
trinity of Elephanta : there's Lord Brahma the
Creator, Lord Vishnu, the preserver and Lord Shiva
the Destroyer Unfortunately, many of the sculptures
inside have been damaged by iconoclastic Portuguese
rulers who took potshots at Hindu Gods with their
rifles. And yet somehow, nothing has disturbed
the sublime beauty of this place for centuries.
Esselworld
This is Mumbai's only international-style theme
park and amusement centre situated close to Gorai
Beach. Special ferries get you across to the park
and the entrance fee normally takes care of a
fixed number of rides. These include the standard
roller coaster and adventure themes, plus a water
world section where kids can literally run amok.
Summer is usually crowded, but the place also
offers low budget monsoon packages and special
deals on weekends.
Check
these out before you go.
Film
City
Mockingly called Bollywood by locals and cynics,
Film City clings to the outskirts of the National
Park, and is practically overrun by assorted stars
and starlets -- the demi gods and goddesses of
Modern India. Don't snigger. Bollywood churns
out over 900 films every year, all packed with
those mandatory elements of song, dance, melodrama,
violence and erotica that Indian audiences love.
Which is probably why Film City sets are heavily
booked around the year. They
are
closed to visitors, but special permissions can
always be "obtained" to check out the
action.
Nehru
Centre
It was in 1972 that the Nehru Centre was conceived
by the late Shri Rajni Patel and others as a living
memorial to the maker of modern India, who symbolized
the ideals of enlightened curiosity, scientific
temper, secular values, a world view and above
all, a faith in the people of India. The foundation
stone of this magnificient dream was laid by the
late Smt. Indira Gandhi on November 2, 1972 on
a six-acre plot leased by the Government of Maharashtra.
Rajabai
Tower
Next to the High Court, the Venetian -Gothic University
has a Gothic clock tower 260 feet high that is
curiously adorned with oriental figures. In the
old days it used to play Rule Britannia, God Save
the King and a Handel Symphony among sixteen tunes
that changed four times a day; now the repertoire
is limited to the wafting chimes of the Big Ben
on the quarter hour. The Rajabai Clock Tower is
named after the mother of a 19th century stockbroker,
who contributed
towards
its construction; it has a spiral staircase.
Bombay
University
Next to the High Court on Bhaurao Patil Road,
the Venetian Gothic Bombay University has a Gothic
clock tower 260 feet high, that is curiously adorned
with oriental figures. In the old days it used
to play Rule Britannia, God Save the king, Auld
Lang Syne and a Handel symphony among 16 tunes
that changed four times a day; now the repertoire
is restricted to wafting chimes of the big Ben
on the quarter hour.
Hanging
Garden
Perched at the top of Malabar Hill, on its western
side, just opposite the Kamala Nehru Park, these
terraced gardens, also known as Ferozeshah Mehta
Gardens, provide lovely sunset views over the
Arabian Sea. The park was laid out in the early
1880s over Bombay's main reservoir, some say to
cover the water from the potentially contaminating
activity of the nearby Towers of Silence.
Juhu
Beach
Like Chowpatty, its downtown counterpart, uptown
Juhu Beach is also a bourgeois paradise, filled
to the gills with screaming children, courting
couples and rowdy adolescents. If you want a more
fancy excursion, however, retreat behind Juhu's
many five star hotels, for a steaming cup of coffee
and a splendid view of the coast. The most popular
of these beachfront hotels are the Sun and Sand
and Holiday Inn. The government run Juhu Centaur
also has a 24 hour coffee
shop
with a view of the sea.
Kamala
Nehru Park
At the top of Mumbai's Malabar Hill where the
elite have built their plush modern palaces is
Kamala Nehru Park, the hangout of the bourgeois
middle class. It has little to offer by way of
entertainment, apart from a "Old Woman's
Shoe" relegated to a distant corner, but
the view of the city is spectacular and unmissable.
For most Mumbaiites, Kamala Nehru Park is to Mumbai
what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris -- a vantage
point that casts a proud eye on the entire city.
Nehru
Planetarium
Right next to Mahalaxmi Race Course, the Nehru
Planetarium is a large domed building, popular
with the city's amateur astronomers. Inside, various
cubicles estimate your weight on each of the nine
planets of the Solar System while in the domed
interior, daily shows uncover the timeless mysteries
of the cosmos. The place is usually packed with
school children so make sure you buy your ticket
in advance. Adjacent to the planetarium is the
Nehru Centre, venue of
numerous
international trade fairs and local exhibitions.
In the basement, the Nehru Auditorium usually
boasts classical music and dance recitals, concerts
and plays.
Sanjay
Gandhi National Park
Originally planned as a wildlife retreat outside
Mumbai, the Sanjay Gandhi National Park is now
virtually engulfed by the growing city. Most of
it is wild and unsafe, but breathtakingly beautiful,
filled with dense forests and dotted with sylvan
lakes. There are wild animals here, of course,
but the only way you can see them is to take the
Lion Safari at the entrance. Don't expect displays
of predatory power though: most of the animals
here are so used to tourists that they merely
yawn at the passing buses.
Taraporewala
Aquarium
Taraporewala Aquarium on Marine Drive has a good
collection of sea and fresh water fish and other
marine life. There is a proposal to convert this
into an underwater oceanarium, where people can
undertake an undersea walk, surrounded by marine
life.
It is open on all days except Mondays.
Kanehri
Caves
These are Buddhist caves or monasteries where
monks practiced their austerities around the first
century AD. And unlike the artistic extravagance
of Elephanta, they are spartan and bare. Situated
in the heart of Mumbai's National Park, the complex
contains more than a hundred tiny cells cut into
the flank of a hill, each fitted with a stone
plinth that evidently served as a bed. There is
also a congregation hall supported by huge stone
pillars that contains the dagoba, a kind of Buddhist
shrine. And if you pick your way
up
the hill you will find channels and cisterns that
are remnants of an ancient water system that channeled
rainwater into huge urns. In fact, Kanheri is
probably the only clue to the rise and fall of
Buddhism in Western India.
Mahalaxmi
Temple
The Mahalaxmi Temple sits atop a long flight of
steps on the edge of the Arabian Sea. It is devoted
to Laxmi, the Goddess of Wealth, and Lady Lucre
to millions of adoring Indians. The shrine itself
is quite characterless, but has a curious history.
It is said that in the 1890s, when the adjoining
causeway was being constructed by a British engineer,
the project was always jinxed: every time the
foundation was laid, the sea would rush in and
destroy it.
Then
one night, a labourer dreamt of Goddess Laxmi
who ordered him to dig out an idol from a spot
under the causeway and build a shrine on it. This
was done with due alacrity, and the causeway was
ultimately completed.
Siddhi
Vinayak Temple
In India, faith is known to move mountains. Rich
and poor, educated and unlettered, they Indians
all converge at temples and churches and mosques
to offer their destinies to the Divine. Nowhere
is this more evident than at Siddhi Vinayak, a
temple devoted to Ganesh, the elephant-headed
God of Good Fortune. On auspicious Tuesdays, the
serpentine queue of worshippers is over 2kms long.
People stand for several hours with offerings
of flowers and coconut, waiting patiently for
a two minute "Darshan" or
meeting with the Lord. The path to the divine
is never easy, but it is said that those who tread
it with true devotion will always have their wishes
fulfilled.
Mount
Mary Church
Situated on a quiet hillock in suburban Bandra,
Mount Mary is probably Mumbai's best-known church
for Christians and non-christians alike. As the
name suggests, it is dedicated to the Mother of
Christ and in September, the festival of the Virgin
Mother culminates in a week long fair, popularly
known as Bandra Fair, that has all the excitement
of a small carnival. Stalls sell sticky Goan sweets
and wax idols of the Virgin along with an assortment
of candles shaped like hands, feet and various
other parts of the body. The sick
and suffering choose one that corresponds to their
ailment and light it in Church, with the pious
hope that Mother Mary will consider their appeals
for help.
