Tata’s Imposing Taj Mahal Hotel Bombay In British Era, 1904 Photo
A 1905 photograph of Jamsetji Tata’s imposing Taj Mahal Hotel in Bombay (Mumbai) during the British era. This majestic hotel faces the Gateway of India and the sea at Apollo Bunder. However, the Gateway of India came up only by 1924.
Smoke emanates from the tall chimney on the roof. Completed in 1903, the construction of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel was initiated by the famous Parsi industrialist, Jamsetji Tata. Even though hotels and clubs in Bombay were managed by Europeans at the time, they were open only to Europeans.
To counter this prejudice, it is rumoured Jamsetji built the grand hotel at Apollo Bunder—where Indians and Europeans could freely socialize on neutral ground. In 1973, the adjoining high-rise annex of the Taj Mahal Hotel was built, which stands on the site once occupied by Green’s Hotel. Click on the photo to enlarge.
Read more 6 Things You Didn’t Know About The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel In Mumbai.
Did you know – during World War I, the Taj was converted into a 600-bed hospital.
Past posts – M. Suriyamoorthy Charcoal On Paper Beautiful Lady (#6)., Parade At Mysore Palace, 1900 Postcard., Construction of India’s Parliament House Delhi, Old Print 1924., British Era Bombay Presidency Map, 1900.
