Newly Completed Gateway Of India Bombay, 1924 Photo
A 1924 photo of the newly completed Gateway of India in Bombay (Mumbai). The workers appear to be busy in the finishing work of the iconic Gateway of India. The monument is located at Apollo Bunder close to the Fort area in South Bombay. Apollo Bunder faces another famous landmark the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and its neighbour the Royal Bombay Yacht Club.
The Gateway was built to commemorate the visit of the royals, King George V and Queen Mary in 1911. They were the only British Monarch to visit India during the British Raj rule. British Architect George Wittet’s design was chosen to build the monument accordingly. Wittet had previously designed the Triumphal Arch. Which was installed during the welcoming of George and Mary on their arrival at Apollo Bunder.
Wittet had an impressive list of buildings that he had designed in the Indo-Saracenic style. Including the Prince of Wales Museum and the Royal Institute of Sciences building in Bombay. Work began in 1914-15 for building the necessary infrastructure, by reclaiming land from the sea for the preparation of the site work. By 1924 the Gateway of India was complete, this rare photo shows the final stages of the finishing work in progress. Click on the photo for better view.
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 at that time.
From the collection-11 Picture Postcards On Raja Ravi Varma Oil Paintings., Old Book – From Lisbon To Calicut 1956
