Heritage Walk in CSMT in Mumbai

It was 2017 when I had first set my eyes on this iconic railway station. My fascination has only increased in all these years of living in Mumbai. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus(CSMT), also known by its older name Victoria Terminus, is one of the most important railway stations in Mumbai and in India. Built in 1887, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the headquarters of Central Railways.

The impressive edifice of the CSMT is something to be enjoyed from a distance. Beyond the platforms and ticketing counters, entrance is restricted to just railway staff. This rule was enforced after the ghastly terrorist attack of 2008 where Pakistani terrorists opened fired here, killing, and injuring many.

After going on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) building tour and hearing anecdotes about the CSMT, I really hoped someday I could go inside the CSMT building and see the fine architectural elements from close quarters. My wish was granted when I came across a heritage walk promising the same on Book My Show. The tour is called “The Crown Jewel of Mumbai.” I signed up without thinking twice. The guided walk is being conducted daily by Raconteur Tours, a Mumbai-based walking tour company. Central Railways has outsourced the walk to them.

The history of Mumbai

Mumbai or rather south Mumbai (SoBo) was an archipelago of seven marshy islands—Bombay, Colaba, Little Colaba, Worli, Mahim, Parel and Mazgaon. These islands were separated by swamps and creeks. The islands had forests and hills. Kolis or the fishing community are the indigenous people of Mumbai who have always lived here.

The archipelago was controlled by the Portuguese since 1534. When Catherine of Braganza married King Charles II of Britain in 1662, these islands were given to the British as dowry. Charles rented it to the East India Company(EIC). In the island of Bombay, the EIC built a fort. Inside the fort the Europeans and wealthy Indians resided.

Eventually, the British broke the hills of the archipelago and used it to fill the creeks. They constructed causeways and joined the seven islands, now known as reclamation. 60% of South Bombay is reclaimed land. Over time, more than 23 islands were joined to form the whole city of Mumbai as we know it today.

How CSMT came to be

Mumbai takes its name from “Mumbadevi” temple. Mumbadevi was worshipped by the fishing community called the Kolis, the indigenous people of the archipelago of Mumbai. The ruling deity of this Hindu temple is Goddess Parvati in her fisherwoman avatar. Mumbadevi is the patron deity of the city of Mumbai.

The first Mumbadevi temple was built by the Kolis in the location of the current CSMT station. The temple was demolished by the British when they built Fort George. The British used the area to execute public hangings. It was known as ‘Phansi Talao’.

Later, as the British realized the natural harbour here had minimum turbulence and tide fluctuations, the Bombay port grew in importance. To ensure smooth expansion of business, a humble railway station was established near this port, at the location of Phansi Talao—Bori Bunder railway station.

India’s first passenger train was flagged off from Bori Bunder and ran till Thana in 1853. When the American civil war struck in 1861, stalling all cotton export, England looked at India to quench its demand. Cotton export boomed in India and the businessmen in Bombay became rich.

To better facilitate this trade, Bori Bunder station kept on expanding. Finally, in 1882, it was demolished only to build a much greater edifice which would symbolize ‘progress’—Victoria Terminus. Two Indian businessmen who traded in exports invested heavily in the construction. This is the backstory behind the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

The walk

25 or more people have gathered for this walk. Like a shepherd grazing his flock, the guide leads the group along the pavement and subway to emerge at the mouth of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. Once he shows his Id-card, we are also allowed entry into the restricted part of CSMT.

The Museum

We enter an air-conditioned room— The Railway Heritage Museum — and once everyone gathers around, the guide starts the tour. Entry to the museum is restricted. Visits can be arranged only through special permission.

The museum is a repository of the history of the railways in India, with focus on the history of the CSMT. Here myriad objects like lamps, bells, tools, medical equipment, exquisite construction materials (like Mangalore tiles), stamps, newspaper cut-out of railway schedules and more are displayed with a QR code on their side. Scanning the QR code would give us the history of each article. Our guide walks us through every single display item.

For me, the most important thing that I learn here is the existence of the Great Indian Peninsular Railways(GIPR), a British private railway company which was the predecessor of the Indian Railways.

Old photos of different stations of Mumbai are another interesting display. Pictorial representations of the-then racist classification of train compartments—first class with a lounge for the Europeans and third class with floor seating for ‘natives’. and the story of how new railway lines came into action as Bombay grew wider is also depicted through many info-boards.

Routes of railway lines are represented on infographics. Interestingly, it shows undivided India, so the Punjab Mail goes from Bombay to Peshawar(in Pakistan). The most fascinating is the story of establishing railways to Matheran— a hill station near Mumbai. A British person who was tired of going to Matheran on horseback had sent his son to Germany to build a customized track suitable for Matheran’s terrain!

Architecture and design of the CSMT

All of us have been waiting for this moment. The time when we get out of the museum room and experience the grandeur of the building. The moment is here. We step into the grand hallway with a palatial staircase. Taking a pause, we look up. “Whoaaaa”, “Wow”, “oooh”, a cacophony of exclamations emanate. The 60 metres high octagonal dome has taken our breath away.

The building was designed by Frederick William Stevens and the construction took about 10 years to be completed. The building is a mix of Victorian Gothic, Italian Gothic and Moorish styles of architecture. Just like BMC building, even here the 8 feet wide staircase is a cantilever one, which essentially means the staircase goes 8 feet inside the wall as well.

A statue of a lion guards the entrance of the staircase. The masonry is made of exquisite stones like granite, basalt, and many types of Italian marble. Climbing this staircase, we go on the first floor. Every single point in this building reveals a picturesque perspective.

We reach the ‘star chamber’ —a balcony-like structure that overlooks the ticketing counter below. I see passengers queuing in front of the ticketing chambers. We pass through the ‘fire escape’—a set of narrow stairs made of teak wood.

Next, we go out on a porch and view the chaos in the city. We look at the BMC building that is diagonally opposite to us. This is fun, because in January, I stood in BMC’s porch and looked over at the CSMT building. Now the position is reversed. Here we see the various Indian animals carved by students of Sir JJ School of Arts under the deanship of John Lockwood Kipling, father of Rudyard Kipling.

The most interesting are the gargoyles spitting water. Gargoyles are design elements installed on buildings to drain excess water during heavy downpours. Here we learn about the interesting origin story of the gargoyles.

The design marvels behind the stained-glass windows, jaali windows from the Mughal-era, and the mysterious breeze inside the building is explained to us. The walk ends in the garden area, in front of the giant clock of CSMT.

Here on wall panels, we notice faces caved—Europeans who held important positions during the construction of the monument and the two Indian businessmen who invested in it. On another panel we see representation of 16 different communities that constitutes Bombay, again similar to BMC.

The unsolved mystery

A statue of Queen Victoria was installed beneath the clock by the British. It was removed soon after independence by the Indian government. The statue was dumped in Bhau Daji Lad Museum for a long time and then ‘vanished.’ No one knows what happened to it! How fascinating!

On this mysterious note, our tour ends. At this point, I feel like Indiana Jones whose life’s mission is now to trace the missing statue of Queen Victoria!

Details:

Price – INR 500 per adult.

Duration – 1.5 hours

Timing – Weekdays 4PM; Saturdays and Sundays at 11AM and 4PM(two tours every Saturday and Sunday).

How to book – Search for ‘The Crown Jewel of Mumbai’ on Book My Show and book the tickets.

Requirement – You have to keep your identity card ready.

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