Flora Fountain & Esplanade Road Bombay, 1915 Postcard
A 1915 photo postcard showing Flora Fountain and Esplanade Road in Bombay (Mumbai). A beautiful view of Flora fountain (Hutatma Chowk) crowded with motor vehicles of its time. By the look of it Mumbai at that time gave a hint of a European-like city. Normally the view is towards the unmissable Oriental Building from the Esplanade Road (Mahatma Gandhi Road).
But here it is in the reverse, ie, looking from the Oriental Building towards the Esplanade Road. With the iconic landmark Flora Fountain at the center. Before the traffic got the better of it, Flora Fountain had a grass plot and palm trees as a surround. Unlike Delhi, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, or Pune, Western India’s principal city Mumbai has no ancient past.
A minor trading post four centuries ago under the Portuguese, it has retained that character throughout its other metamorphoses. It was gifted to England’s King Charles II as part of his marriage contract with a Portuguese Princess. A cluster of seven islands reclaimed to form a single landmass to what it is now. Flora Fountain was erected in honour of Bartle Frere, the British Governor. He was responsible for developing Bombay post-1860. The omnipresent electric tram is unmissable in this photo. Click on the photo for better view.
Did you know- that Esplanade Road right up to the Bombay Castle was once a dense coconut grove.
From the collection- Raja Ravi Varma’s “Mohini On A Swing” – Vintage Print 1930s., Vintage Photo Charing Cross Ooty 1930., Mahatma Gandhi On The Streets of Bombay – Old Print 1932., British Era Steam Locomotive Bangalore-Old Photo.
