Month: February 2020

Mumbai and a Brief Journey Though India’s Past

The CSMVS or the former Prince of Wales Museum. Mumbai’s main museum.

It was my 3rd day in Mumbai And I was just starting to get used to the heat and the new time zone. However, a family emergency came up for Lubna and she was going to have to let me fend for myself. She offered me use of the family’s vacation home in Goa and I decided to take her up on that but for this last day in Mumbai she decided to take me to the most amazing museum.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, abbreviated CSMVS and formerly the Prince of Wales Museum

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (translation: ‘King Shivaji museum’), abbreviated CSMVS and formerly named the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, is the main museum in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Located a short distance from The Gateway to India, the museum is a wonderful introduction to the long history of Indian civilization. Containing over 50,000 examples of ancient Indian history as well as objects from other lands, these items are categorized into primarily 3 sections: art, archaeology and Natural History. Construction on the museum began in 1905 to commemorate a state visit by HRH George, Prince of Wales who would later become George V. The museum was renamed in 1998 after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of Maratha Empire.

Inside the Museum

Yet, for a neophyte to understand India is almost impossible. First, the civilization is one of the oldest dating back 5100 years to around 3000 BC. During that time, they’ve been trading with the Middle East, the eastern coast of Africa, China and the islands of the South Pacific. They’ve been invaded from the Middle East and from Europe several times over. Layer upon layer of history, religions, civilizations, different kingdoms and cultures all stacked on top of each other and presented to you in one fell swoop, here is India. The sheer amount of information can be overwhelming. I read a few books about India before I came to help me understand a little. One of those books is called Land of the Seven Rivers: A Brief History of India’s Geography by Sanjeev Sanyal, published by Penguin Books; yet it wasn’t until I entered the museum that I was able to visually understand what the books had told me.

Situated on 3 floors are room upon room of ancient treasures featuring the different cultures and different civilizations that make up India’s rich history. Also exploring the different religions of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam and how they all clashed and influenced each other through the ages.

As I noted earlier in this series the weather in Mumbai was extremely humid during my visit. The AC at the museum had a hard time keeping up with the heat, yet there are several locations throughout the museum where you can stop and get a refreshment including a lovely tea room where they serve an English high tea. After 4 hours of wandering through the width and breadth of India’s deep history I was exhausted, so we left to go get lunch in a cooler environment. Yet, I highly recommend the museum as a wonderful introduction to helping understand something of India’s amazing cultures and civilization through the ages.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Museum, 159-161, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400023, India.

Mumbai: Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel

Not the Tomb!

Right across the street from the Gateway to India stands India’s most famous hotel and one of the grandest in all the world, The Taj Mahal Palace and Tower. It is a heritage, five-star, luxury hotel which is historically known as the Taj Mahal Hotel or simply “the Taj”.

View from Mumbai Bay by Yamini vijay lawhate

As you enter the Hotel, you’ll notice a high level of security. This is because the hotel was one of the main targets of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. There are high security bomb walls, and private security and metal detectors, but the way that they are disguised or woven into the fabric of the hotel you almost don’t notice them.

Lobby

Once you enter the hotel though you are overwhelmed by the level of luxury and sophistication of the lobby areas, adjoining hallways and restaurants and gift shops. This five-star hotel serves as a playground for the international rich and the rising young affluent Indian upper class. While outside the bustling streets are loud with the sounds of traffic and the crowds at the adjoining Gateway, inside you don’t hear a sound. The air is fragranced with a scent that seems to be a combination of Mandarin oil and the open sea. Everywhere is opulence. Huge crystal chandeliers, giant vases of bright colorful flowers and a sense of luxury which is combination of the British Raj and modern opulence. The people that populate this space seem to be as almost from another planet. Money seems to be no issue for them and there’s a sense that they live on an elevated plane far above most normal humans.

Giant Vase of Flowers

Yet for such a world-famous, five-star hotel and its sense of wealth and opulence, the price of a small room there is actually not that far out of reach. With a current exchange rate of 71.5 Indian rupees to one US dollar, the price for their simplest room comes in at around 302 US.

Staircase

Opened in 1903, the hotel has a deep and amazing history. Established and built by Jamsetji Tata, the founder of the Tata Group, one of India’s largest conglomerates, the hotel has played host to a wealth of royalty, political figures, and world-famous entertainers. King George V of Great Britain stayed there during his visit to India, the first British Monarch to ever visit India in 1911. American US presidents such as Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have stayed there. And rumor has it that in the hotel’s Ravi Shankar Suite is where the famous Indian musician taught George Harrison of the English group The Beatles how to play the sitar in 1966.  

Original view 1903

When it first opened, the hotel was the first in India to have: electricity, American fans, German elevators, Turkish baths and English butlers. Later it also had the city’s first licensed bar and India’s first all-day restaurant. Initially in 1903, it charged Rs 13 for rooms with fans and attached bathrooms, and Rs 20 with full board. During World War I, the hotel was converted into a military hospital with 600 beds.

On November 26th, 2008, the hotel became famous for another much darker reason. The hotel was attacked by a terror group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, which also targeted many sites in the Mumbai area resulting in the capture and death of many hostages. The final death toll of the attacks was 167 people. The casualties were mostly Indian citizens, although westerners carrying foreign passports were specifically targeted. During the three-day siege of the Taj Mahal hotel itself, the results were the destruction of the hotel’s roof and many of the public areas of the hotel. The siege was over when Indian commandos finally killed the terrorists barricaded in the hotel. At least 31 people died at the Taj. The attack on the hotel served as the subject of the 2018 movie, Hotel Mumbai starring Rav Patal and Arnie Hammer.

photo of ornate roof inside staircase

So if you find yourself at the Gateway of India, please cross the street and enter the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower. Wander around and treat yourself to a sense of luxury that you will not find in many places in the world. Even if you can’t afford to stay at the hotel, treat yourself to High Tea in the Sea Lounge. It will be a memorable experience.

lobby waterwall sculpture

Some facts come from Wikipedia and the Taj Mahal Palace website.