Gateway Of India, Bombay, In The Final Stage Of Completion, 1924 Photo
A 1924 photograph captures the Gateway of India in Bombay (now Mumbai) during its final stage of completion. Workers can be seen giving the finishing touches on what would soon become one of India’s most iconic waterfront monuments. Standing at Apollo Bunder and overlooking the Arabian Sea. The Gateway sits beside other historic landmarks such as the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and the Royal Bombay Yacht Club.
The Gateway of India was commissioned to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay in 1911. The first and only visit by a reigning British monarch during the colonial Raj. For their arrival ceremony at Apollo Bunder, architect George Wittet designed a temporary Triumphal Arch, a structure that later inspired the permanent monument we know today.
George Wittet, one of Bombay’s most influential architects, was a leading promoter of the Indo-Saracenic style, an architectural blend of Indian, Islamic, and Gothic styles. Before designing the Gateway, Wittet’s previous works include the Prince of Wales Museum (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya), the Royal Institute of Science, etc.
Work on the project began around 1914–15 with extensive land reclamation at Apollo Bunder to prepare a larger foundation platform. Despite wartime delays and financial pressures, construction progressed over the next decade. By 1924, the basalt archway stood complete, rising 85 feet above the harbour. This 1924 image offers a rare glimpse into the final days of construction, preserving a moment when one of India’s most celebrated monuments was just about to be unveiled. Click image to enlarge.
Did you know – that Sir Jacob Sassoon, the Jewish industrialist of Bombay, donated a sum of Rs 3 lakhs for the construction of the monument.
From the collection-11 Picture Postcards On Raja Ravi Varma Oil Paintings., Old Book – From Lisbon To Calicut 1956
