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One of the rich legacies of India’s colonial era is its wonderful architecture. These glorious reflections of lofty thoughts, grand visions and awesome dexterity dot the country’s landscape. They exude charm, grandeur and romance of a bygone era: one outstanding example being the Victoria Terminus in Mumbai (formerly Bombay).
The Victoria Terminus has now been renamed the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), but mercifully, a change in name cannot alter or dilute the aesthetics of this magnificent piece of colonial architecture, without which much of the city of Mumbai will lose its charm and appeal as this grand edifice—exemplar of the
Indo-Saracenic style that flourished during the Raj— is considered architecturally to be one of the finest stations in the world.
It would be a gross understatement to categorise CST as simply a railway station, although that is its rudimentary function. But realities are not only apparent, but also latent; in fact they are
multilayered. You can say that CST is a railway station whose regality can match a king’s palace, but it would be more apt to say that, like Victoria Memorial, it is a testimony to the rich architectural heritage of our colonial era. Standing tall, in the vicinity of Flora Fountain—the commercial hub of
Mumbai—the building has been a silent witness to many tumultuous chapters in Mumbai’s past.
People’s own palace
The construction of this Victorian Gothic Revival style architectural masterpiece was started in 1878, and it took ten years to complete. However, though the colonial stamp is very much evident across the building, its architecture has also imbibed some traits of Indian architectural tradition. A case in the point is the dome above the south-western part of the building, which holds aloft a ‘statue of progress.’ The CST was designed by F W Stevens and cost a princely sum of more than a million and a half rupees.
After reaching the station, you can’t help but marvel at the appealing filigrees, carvings and arches with an assortment of coloured stones, together reflecting the awesome dexterity and imagination of the craftsmen. However, to observe some of the carvings, you have to look skywards, so a ride in one of Mumbai’s BEST double-decker buses may afford a better view of them.
A microcosm
As you enter the building, you feel you are entering a grand cathedral; however within moments such a romantic illusion would be dispelled with the swarming crowds of Mumbai and its suburbs jostling for their respective locals especially pronounced during peak hours. Thus the station presents a microcosm of Mumbai in all its myriad, cosmopolitan hues. CST, despite its one hundred and eighteen years, is still an integral part of the business of being
Mumbai; being always on the move. Presently the station is the western most point of the Central Railways and also the southern most point of the central and harbour lines of Mumbai’s local train route.
Where the past is the future
This palace of a railway station has come a long way since the days of the Raj, when it used to house assorted municipal offices besides, of course, the departments of railway personnel. Then the railway station also doubled up as the office of the Superintendent of Police. In September 1999, a subway was added to the suburban railway terminus whose cost far exceeded that of the original building!
In July 2004, the building got its deserved recognition when it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list, being the first functional administrative building to have received such an
honour.
Today as the stately building greets you amidst the cacophony of bustling Mumbai, you realise that it is not only about the past; it is also an integral part of Mumbai’s future....
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