Thursday, March 17, 2016

Gateway of India


The iconic Gateway of India.

Ref Wikipedia
The Gateway of India was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Mumbai, prior to the Delhi Durbar, in December 1911. However, they only got to see a cardboard model of the structure since the construction did not begin till 1915. The foundation stone was laid on 31 March 1911, by the governor of Bombay Sir George Sydenham Clarke, with the final design of George Wittet sanctioned on 31 March 1914. The gateway was built from yellow basalt and concrete. Between 1915 and 1919, work proceeded at Apollo Bundar (Port) to reclaim the land on which the gateway and the new sea wall would be built. The foundations were completed in 1920, and construction was finished in 1924. The gateway was opened on 4 December 1924, by the viceroy, the Earl of Reading.
The last British troops to leave India following the country's independence, the First Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry, passed through the gateway on their way out in a ceremony on 28 February 1948, signalling the end of British rule.


15 comments:

  1. Fitting Gateway to such a great sub-continent!

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  2. Hari OM
    It is impressive - but so's the Taj Hotel!!! Great angle on this - out on a boat? YAM xx

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  3. I get delighted to see the crown of Mumbai :)

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  4. Thank you for this. I don't think I've ever seen it before nor did I know any of the history. Fascinating and quite a beautiful structure!

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  5. Beautiful angle. Always love this place.

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  6. This is my favourite view of the icon (i.e with Taj in the background).

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  7. Samundar, Aakash, Gateway aur Taj. Wah Wah... Kya baat :-)

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  8. Oh you have captured the gate beautifully here Deepak. What a sight the parade must have been as the British made their last exit through the gate. Wonder if there are any old shots of that occasion somewhere?

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