The Newly Built Taj Mahal Palace Hotel In Bombay, 1903 Photo
This rare 1903 photograph captures the newly completed Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Bombay (now Mumbai). Making it one of the earliest visual records of the iconic landmark. The legendary Taj Mahal Hotel, majestically located at Apollo Bunder, faces the Sea. From the early 1920s onward, it stands opposite another newly constructed iconic landmark, the Gateway of India.
Looking closely at the 1903 image, it appears the hotel had not yet opened for business. Final construction and finishing works were likely still in progress. Scaffolds, rope ladders, and workers can be seen around the building, with plastering work particularly noticeable above the rear entrance. Rope ladders also dangle from the central dome and side windows, emphasizing construction activity.
Today, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Bombay looks slightly different from this early photograph. The establishment having undergone restorations and renovations over the years. Yet, it continues to remain one of Mumbai’s most iconic landmarks, symbolizing both colonial-era grandeur and Indian hospitality.
To see it in the present day, go to Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace, one year after reopening.
Did you know – during WWI, the hotel was converted into a 600-bed hospital, just as was the case with the Prince of Wales Museum.
From the collection –1964 M. Suriyamoorthy Charcoal On Paper Nude (#3)., New Market British Era Kolkata, Old Postcard 1916., Breach Of The Madras Iron Pier – Old Print 1895., Maharajah’s Motor Car – Old Photograph 1912.
