Monument – Taj Hotel, Mumbai
Built by – Indian architects Raosaheb Vaidya and DN Mirza
Built in – 1902

“‘Diamond by the sea’ – the Taj Mahal Palace is an architectural jewel in Mumbai. The foundation of the Taj was laid in 1898, and the hotel opened its gates to guests for the first time on December 16, 1902, even before the foundation for the Gateway of India was laid in 1911.

The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel is located in Colaba, beside the Gateway of India. It used to be the first sight calling at the Bombay port before constructing the Gateway of India. The Taj Hotel was also the first building to be lit by electricity in Bombay.

The six-storied hotel has a magnificent Indo-Saracenic architectural style with a central Moorish dome. The hotel boasts of many firsts in the Indian hospitality industry – it used American fans, German elevators, Turkish baths and English butlers to give the people of its city an experience like no other hotel in the country.

Taj was converted into a hospital with 600 beds during World War I. On 26th November 2008, it was hit by a series of unfortunate incidents. Taj reopened its gates after restoration on 15th August 2010. It symbolises the strength and resilience of the people of India.”

Photo Courtesy – realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com