Enlarging Gateway Of India Site Bombay, 1910 Photos
Two old 1910 sepia photos of the enlarging of the Gateway of India site in Bombay (or Mumbai). The site was once known by its different names, Apollo Bunder, Apollo Pier, Wellington Pier, etc. The photo shows the future site for the Gateway of India monument, which would commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to India.
Minus the Gateway of India the original site was narrower than today. It was first reclaimed around 1830. By the mid-1880s the map of Bombay shows the eastern foreshore from Apollo Bunder up to Mazagaon heavily reclaimed. The bunder or pier became the landing point for passengers arriving by ship.
The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 was one of the prime reasons for Mumbai becoming prosperous. Since the exports chiefly of cotton shot up and the migration from Europe and the Middle East to the city increased. The city progressively grew in a planned manner which necessitated the expansion of the harbour and the Apollo Bunder. Apparently, a military parade is in progress shown in these sepia photos, with the reclamation work too taking shape side-by-side. Click on the photo for better view.
Did you know- right up to the end of the 18th century the British East India Company still contemplated periodically whether the possession of Bombay (seven islands) was worth it.
From the collection- 1964 M. Suriyamoorthy Charcoal Art Abstract (#16)., View of Shoolay Bangalore, Old Postcard 1910., Back Bay From Malabar Hill Mumbai, 2 Old Prints 1870., WWII Map of American & British Troop Location 1946.
The images are of the actual items from my collection. And Not a photocopy, pirated, reproduced, stock photos, or taken from other sources.
