Gateway of India

The Gateway of India stands on the waterfront at Apollo Bunder in the Colaba area of south Mumbai, facing the Arabian Sea and the harbour. It was built to commemorate the arrival of King George V and Queen Mary in December 1911, the first visit of a reigning British monarch to India.

The foundation stone was laid on 31 March 1913, but the final design was only approved later, and construction ran from 1915. The monument was completed in 1924 and opened on 4 December that year. It served as a ceremonial entrance to India for viceroys and governors arriving by sea, and on 28 February 1948 the last British troops to leave the country marched through it.

The architect George Wittet designed the arch in the Indo-Saracenic style, combining Hindu and Muslim elements and drawing on 16th-century Gujarati architecture. It is built of yellow basalt and reinforced concrete and rises 26 metres, about 85 feet, with four turrets and intricate latticework carved into the stone. The central arch opens onto steps leading down to the water.

Today the Gateway is one of Mumbai's best-known symbols and a busy gathering place for families, tourists and street vendors, especially in the evening. The Taj Mahal Palace hotel stands opposite, and a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji faces the arch. The monument is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.

The area around the Gateway is free and open at all hours, with security checks at the entrance to the plaza. Ferries to Elephanta Island, with its rock-cut cave temples, leave from the jetties beside the arch, and short harbour cruises also depart here. Early morning is the quietest time, while sunset brings the biggest crowds.

What did it cost to build? The Gateway cost 21 lakh rupees, paid by the government of the day. Before it could be built, the shore at Apollo Bunder had to be reclaimed and a sea wall raised, work that took from 1915 to 1919. The central dome is about 15 metres across, and on each side of the arch is a hall large enough to hold 600 people.

The statue of Shivaji on horseback was unveiled on 26 January 1961, India's Republic Day, and replaced a bronze statue of King George V. A statue of Swami Vivekananda also stands nearby. After the attacks of November 2008, which targeted the Taj Mahal Palace hotel opposite, crowds gathered at the Gateway, a solidarity march was held there on 3 December 2008, and access to the plaza has been more tightly controlled since.