Description of the attraction
The Gateway to India is a 26-meter-high basalt triumphal arch located in the southern part of Mumbai, in the Apollo Bander area, at the water's edge in the city's main port. The building is a kind of monument to the time of British rule in India. The arch was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to India in 1911. George Wittet was the chief architect of the project. The beginning of construction was laid in the same year, but only in 1915 it got off the ground and continued until 1924, when the grand opening of the monument took place. Therefore, the high-ranking guests, in whose honor the project was conceived, could see only a cardboard model of the arch.
The gate to India is made in the Indo-Saracenic style, i.e. a mixture of Muslim, Hindu and European styles. The central dome is 15 meters high and 25 meters in diameter. There are halls on both sides of the arch, each of which can accommodate up to 600 people.
The implementation of the project required not only a lot of time, but also significant material investments. Almost all construction was funded by the Indian government, but unfortunately, funds for the construction of an access road were not found, so the arch stands aside from the main road. Also, almost the entire frontal part of the harbor has been rebuilt so that all buildings are in harmony with the Indian triumphal arch.
The gate to India can also be called the gate from India, since it was through them that the last British troops, leaving the Indian coast in 1948, when India gained its long-awaited independence, solemnly passed.
