- Gateway of India
The Gateway of India ( _mr. भारताचे प्रवेशद्वार) is a
monument inMumbai ,India . Located on the waterfront inSouth Mumbai , the Gateway is abasalt arch 26metre s high. In earlier times, the Gateway was the monument that visitors arriving by boat would have first seen in the city ofBombay .The Gateway is built from yellow basalt and
reinforced concrete . WhileIndo-Saracenic in architectural style, elements are derived from the Muslim architectural styles of 16th centuryGujarat . The central dome is 15 metres in diameter and 26 metres above ground at its highest point. The whole harbour front was realigned in order to come in line with a plannedesplanade which would sweep down to the centre of the town. The cost of the construction was Rs. 21lakh s, borne mainly by the Government of India. For lack of funds, the approach road was never built, and so the Gateway stands at an angle to the road leading up to it.History
The Gateway of India was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay, prior to the
Durbar inDelhi in December 1911. The foundation stone was laid on March 31, 1911 by the Governor of BombaySir George Sydenham Clarke , withGeorge Wittet 's final design sanctioned in August 1914. Between 1915 and 1919 work proceeded on reclamations at ApolloBundar for 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 December 4, 1924 by the Viceroy, the Earl of Reading.The last British troops to leave India, the First Battalion of the
Somerset Light Infantry , passed through the Gateway in a ceremony on February 28, 1948.ee also
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List of tourist attractions in Mumbai
*Middle Ground Coastal Battery
*Royal Bombay Yacht Club The gateway is constructed by Gammon India Ltd.References
External links
* [http://theory.tifr.res.in/bombay/architecture/building/gateway.html "Gateway of India"]
* [http://www.indiaprofile.com/monuments-temples/gatewayofindia.htm "India Profile page on the Gateway"]
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