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Mumbai is located on India's
central-western coast along the Arabian Sea. The city
developed for 150 years in isolation from its hinterland and
still seems to belong in a different world to the huge,
predominantly Hindu state of Maharashtra, which encompasses
a 500km (310mi) coastal strip, a portion of the Western
Ghats and a significant part of the Deccan plateau. The
Western Ghats (literally, steps) start to rise just north of
Mumbai and run parallel to the coast. They have an average
elevation of 915m (3001ft) and are covered with tropical and
temperate evergreen forests and mixed deciduous forest and
harbour a rich array of plant and animal life, including 27%
of India's flowering plants.
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS OF MUMBAI
Chowpatty Beach
Mumbai's famous beach is no place for a sunbathe or a dip.
In fact, there's not much going on at Chowpatty at all
during the day, but in the evening it develops a magical
atmosphere as locals come to stroll among the balloon
sellers, nut vendors and beach entertainers. Eating bhelpuri
at the collection of garishly lit stalls on the edge of the
beach at night is an essential part of the Mumbai
experience, as is getting a vigorous massage from a
malish-wallah. Chowpatty is a great place to witness the
annual Ganesh Chaturthi Festival in August/September when
large images of the elephant-headed god are immersed in the
murky sea.
Crawford Market, Mumbai
The colourful indoor Crawford Market (or Phule Market) is
the last outpost of British Bombay before the tumult of the
central bazaars begins. It used to be the city's wholesale
produce market before this was strategically moved to New
Bombay. Today it's where central Mumbai goes shopping for
its fruit, vegetables and meat.
Bas reliefs by Rudyard Kipling's father, Lockwood Kipling,
adorn the Norman-Gothic exterior, and an ornate fountain he
designed stands buried beneath old fruit boxes at the
market's centre.
Fort, Mumbai
The extravagant Victorian gothic buildings in the Fort area
reinforce the European roots of the city, and send shivers
of recognition down the spines of visitors from the
industrial cities of northern England. This lively area
occupies the site of the old British built fort and is the
established commercial centre of Mumbai. It's jampacked with
commuters, street stalls and the grand facades of 19th
century British institutions and trading houses.
Victoria Terminus
T the city's most exuberant Gothic building, looks more like
a lavishly decorated cathedral or palace than anything as
mundane as a transportation depot. Carvings of peacocks,
gargoyles, monkeys, elephants and British lions are mixed up
among the buttresses, domes, turrets, spires and
stained-glass windows. Topping it all is a 4m (13ft) high
image of 'Progress' - though the rest of the building looks
more like a celebration of Pandemonium. Don't wait until you
have to catch a train to see it.
Haji Ali Mosque
This whitewashed fairytale mosque contains the tomb of the
Muslim saint Haji Ali. The saint is believed to have been a
wealthy local businessman who renounced the material world
and meditated on a nearby headland following a pilgrimage to
Mecca. The mosque and tomb were built by devotees in the
early 19th century.
Alternative versions say Haji Ali died while on a pilgrimage
to Mecca and his casket amazingly floated back to Bombay and
landed at this spot.
Kalbadevi
No visit to Mumbai is complete without a foray into the
bazaars of Kalbadevi, north of Crawford Market. The narrow
lanes of this predominantly Muslim area are hemmed in by
laundry-draped chawls, and a seething mass of people bring
Mumbai's traffic to a standstill. It's in complete contrast
to the relative space, orderliness and modernity of South
Mumbai.
Entire streets are often devoted to a single product since
caste traditions remain stronger than capitalist marketing
theories; this can make browsing a strange experience as you
suddenly encounter shop after shop selling bathroom fittings
or copper pipes. Some people consider the bazaars a
spectacle rather than a place to shop, but it's a lot more
fun doing both.
Malabar Hill
On the northern promontory of Back Bay is the expensive
residential area of Malabar Hill, favoured for its cool
breezes and fine views over Back Bay. The colonial bungalows
that peppered the hillside in the 18th century have now been
replaced by the jerry-built apartment blocks of Mumbai's
nouveau riche. The formal Hanging Gardens (or Pherozeshah
Mehta Gardens) on top of the hill are an interesting spot to
study the courting rituals of coy Indian couples nestled
among the bestial topiary, and there are superb views of the
city from neighbouring Kamala Nehru Park. Beside the Hanging
Gardens, but carefully shielded from view, are the Parsi
Towers of Silence.
Marine Drive
Built on land reclaimed from Back Bay in 1920, Marine Drive
runs along the shoreline of the Arabian Sea from Nariman
Point past Chowpatty Beach to the foot of Malabar Hill. It's
one of Mumbai's most popular promenades and a favourite
sunset-watching spot. You certainly won't be loitering on
the sea wall long before you're engaged in conversation,
even if it's with someone offering to show you how well
their monkey can breakdance. The promenade is lined with
decaying Art Deco apartments just begging for a paint
manufacturer to prove what their product can do to brighten
up an area. Tourist brochures are fond of dubbing it the
Queen's Necklace, because of the dramatic curve of its
streetlights at night. It's less spectacular during the day,
though there are plans afoot to beautify the area.
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