The third day of this summer’s retreat to the Western Ghats
saw us driving to the city of dreams Mumbai! The expressway lived up to its
name and reputation allowing us to reach the city within forty minutes.
There it was – the city building tier on tier daily with the
high-rises looming overhead, crowded roads, the plethora of people from
everywhere milling on the streets. This was Mumbai!
We wound our way through the forests of concrete for a short
while before we took an exit through a road more frequented by port authorities
and goods carriers. We joined the masses next at Colaba, near the iconic Taj
hotel. The old style architecture that this landmark flaunts is mesmerizing. Sitting
across the road from the Arabian Sea, the building and the surrounding area
represents a well preserved piece of urban history. The feeling to just suck in
the beautiful sight was delightful.
To the left at the very edge of land stands the Gateway of India. This historical
monument was our next stop and we continued there on foot after locating
parking spot on the narrow by lanes. The mammoth structure has been on our text
books since kindergarten but to see it all in person was again another delight!
Let the photos narrate further.
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| The Taj Hotel |
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| Gateway of India |
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| Quite realistic,eh? |
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| A black and white photograph of the Gateway from the front |
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| Engraving at the top of the monument |
After this it was time to board the ferry and head to the Elephanta Caves, remnants of a great
temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The hour long ferry ride was more boring than
anything. The smell of diesel wafted from below the deck and this coupled with
the rhythmic swaying of the boat resulted in a bad headache. An hour later we
disembarked on Elephanta Island. After devouring fruits and other offerings
from the vendors whose stalls lined the narrow street we boarded the small toy train
that took us further. The climb to the top was not intense but the weather was!
The transition from the dry Delhi summer to the extremely humid climate in
Mumbai was difficult. By the time we reached the top the handkerchiefs were
dripping wet!
The caves having being cut more than a millennia and a half
ago still boasted of intricately carved statues. This extreme example of
ancient engineering and art is one of the few remaining pieces from the Golden
Era in India’s history. Lord Shiva and his various forms have been depicted in
a number of caves that have been cut from a side of a hill. This was a nice
experience and I took liberty in exhausting the batteries of my camera.
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| Boarding the ferry |
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| On the toy train |
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| Mom and dad |
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| Entrance to the caves |
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| The caves in the background |
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| One of the various forms of Lord Shiva |
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| Inside the cave temple |
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| A courtyard in the middle |
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| A shivalinga |
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| The three faces of Lord Shiva in one of the most famous sculpted pieces of rock |
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| Another branch of the caves |
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| Accurate engineering of the past! |
An hour
or so later we trudged back downhill, had a huge thali for lunch and boarded the next ferry back. The return journey
on the ferry was more pleasant as this time we decided to sit on the deck above
in the open. The view of the Mumbai skyline was quite picturesque and I took
quite a few pictures.
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| A stall on the way up to the caves. |
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| On the way back! |
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| Mumbai- a view from the ferry |
Forty five minutes later we stood at a dock where we were
off loaded on account of high tide conditions near the Gateway of India. So, a
short walk and a taxi ride later we were back where we had started.
Next, was the ride to the very famous Marine Drive and Nariman Point. As the sun prepared for its dive into the sea, we
strolled on the boulevard that countless movies had turned into an attraction.
The scenic views from this place are a memory to remember.
And as the sun set, I
looked yonder
Nature turned a new
color
I looked further, it
spoke
And lulled me into a
world another
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| Nariman Point |
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| Marine Drive |
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| Posing |
With the setting of the sun, we set off too. Through the
streets of Mumbai as it now glittered in silver and gold lighting sitting atop
those mighty structures, we wound our way to the outskirts and so zipped back
home on the expressway.
Thus ended, another wonderful day on my travels this summer.
