Rare 1897 Photo Of A Cricket Match At The Bombay Gymkhana In Azad Maidan

The view is taken from the Bombay Gymkhana Club overlooking the expansive Azad Maidan, where a tent pavilion is seen and spectators watch a lively cricket game. In the distance rise the magnificent Gothic-style landmarks, the Victoria Terminus (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) and the Bombay Municipal Corporation Building.

Established in 1875, the Bombay Gymkhana was one of the earliest sports and social clubs in colonial Bombay, known for cricket, hockey, football, and golf. Its location at the southern edge of Azad Maidan gave it a commanding view of the city’s recreational heart. In the early years, the club operated from a tent pavilion, partially seen in this photograph, before acquiring permanent premises.

The Bombay Gymkhana followed the Byculla Club (1833) and preceded the Royal Yacht Club (1880), forming part of Bombay’s elite British-era institutions that shaped the city’s sporting and social life. Click photo to enlarge.

Did you know- the Parsis were the first of the Indians to take to cricket.

From the collection – Vintage Oleograph Raja Ravi Varma “Vishnu On Sheshnag”., Taj Mahal From River Yamuna Side – Old Photo 1865., 1948 Mumbai Great Cyclone – Two Old Newspaper Pages., Ooty Train Over The Wellington Viaduct – Old Postcard 1909.

Photo Details

Year -

1910

Photograph Size -

10 x 7½ inch

Photographer -

unknown