The
visit to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus), one of the world
Heritage sites of Mumbai, was part of “Rock Cut Cave Temples of Maharashtra
Visit”, from 28th Feb February to 3rd March 2026.
The
World Heritage List includes 1248 properties forming part of the cultural and
natural heritage, which the World Heritage Committee considers as having
outstanding universal value. This Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is one of the
1248 sites listed by UNESCO, under Indo-
Saracenic Buildings.
The
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly known as Victoria Terminus Station, in
Mumbai, is an outstanding example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture in
India, blended with themes deriving from Indian traditional architecture. The
building, designed by the British architect F. W. Stevens, became the symbol of
Bombay as the ‘Gothic City’ and the major international mercantile port of
India. The terminal was built over 10 years, starting in 1878, according to a
High Victorian Gothic design based on late medieval Italian models. Its
remarkable stone dome, turrets, pointed arches, and eccentric ground plan are
close to traditional Indian palace architecture. It is an outstanding example
of the meeting of two cultures, as British architects worked with Indian
craftsmen to include Indian architectural tradition and idioms, thus forging a
new style unique to Bombay.
On
16th April 1853 at 3.35 pm, a train departed from Boribandar (today's
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) to Thane, which marked the beginning of Railways
in the whole of Asia. Next came the decision to replace the wooden shed at
Boribandar station with a huge building to function as the terminal station and
the office for the 'Great Indian Peninsular Railway (G.I.P). After this, as per the
plans drawn by Architect F.W. Stevens, construction for this new building
began in 1878 and was completed in May 1888. He has used the Gothic
style of architecture in his design.
During this period, about 16 lakh 35 thousand rupees were spent on the
construction of the offices, while 10 lakh 40 thousand rupees were spent on the station.
Meanwhile, in the year 1887, a few months before completion, Queen Victoria inaugurated
this building on the occasion of the State Anniversary and christened the building
as 'Victoria Terminus'.
The night view of the same place
Even
if the structure is inspired by Gothic-Italian styles, the use of Indian
architecture is marked. Some features of the building include carved stones, polished floors, brass latches and locks, iron grills, painted
glasses, granite pillars, and the central dome. The main octagonal dome is the
prime feature of the building. This was the first incident where an octagonal
dome was used in Gothic architecture. A 16-foot-6-inch high statue, which
symbolizes Progress, stands on this dome. The statue holds a torch in one hand
and a wheel in the other. Every corner and
hallway of the building has been decorated using mounted lion statues, ancient
gods, small statues of the Railway Board of Directors, and paintings of flowers.
The visible pointed spikes and small fort-style towers represent traditional
Indian architecture. Today, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is the largest Railway
Terminus building in India with a visible grandeur.
LOCATION
OF THE VICTORIA TERMINUS: CLICK HERE
---
OM SHIVAYA NAMA---
No comments:
Post a Comment