Colaba Causeway
Encyclopedia
The Colaba Causewayis a commercial street (officially known as Shahid Bhagat Singh Rd. ), and a major causeway
or land link between Colaba
and the Old Woman's Island
in the city of Mumbai
, India
.
It lies close to the Fort
area, and to the east of Cuffe Parade
, an upmarket neighbourhood in South Mumbai
, and close by are Mumbai's famous landmarks, the Gateway of India
and Taj Mahal Palace & Tower
.
By the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Fort area and part of older town were overcrowded, as the island of Colaba, the southern tip of the city , had already been declared a cantonment
area in 1796, barring all construction by the civilian population. Soon the boat traffic to area increased in the next few decades, and several people died due the capsizing of overcrowded boats, making the construction of the causeway imperative . What also added to the urgency to its construction was that, Mountstuart Elphinstone
, Governor of Bombay (1819-1827), had already built the first home on Malabar Hill
, following which the rich quickly started moving in to the centrally placed, Fort) area .
The Causeway as it is known to the locals, was constructed by the British East India Company
, during the tenure of Sir Robert Grant
(1779-1838) as the governor of Bombay (1835-1838) , and its construction completed in 1838, which used the Old Woman's Island as a part of it ; with this the last two islands of Colaba and Old Woman's Island (out of the Seven islands of Bombay
), which were first taken in 1675, got connected with the mainland of Bombay. Until 1839, Colaba was accessible only during the low tide, though soon it saw rapid development in the area, especially after the construction the Cotton Exchange at Cotton Green
in 1844 . The Causeway was later further widened in 1861 and 1863 .
Horse-drawn tram-cars were introduced here , in 1873 by Stearns and Kitteredge, for their offices on the west side of the Causeway, where the Electric House now stands .
(NGMA), Regal Cinema
, Prince of Wales Museum
(now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum) and Cusrow Baug, a Parsi
residential colony, built in 1934, covering an area of 84,000 square yards, which home to over 500 families . Plus the area is also hub of various art galleries, which makes this area a natural destination for artist community.
Apart from upmarket retail showrooms, and small shops dealing in electronic goods, cosmetics, and music, its has pavement book stall dating back several decades , besides having numerous small shops and footpath outlets selling everything from artifacts to shawls, carpets and minor antiques to slippers of all kind, which make tourists, backpackers and local from South Mumbai, throng the area through the year .
Among the restaurants, cafes and roadside eateries that make the street popular with tourists and locals alike are the Indian Mughlai fame Delhi Darbar restaurant, Piccadilly restaurant, Cafe Churchill, Mings Palace, Kailash Parbat and Gokul
. Cafe Mondegar, and the Cafe Leopold were founded by Iranians in 1871 .
Other visitors' attractions in the area are historical structures like Church of St John the Evangelist
(Afghan Church) in the nearby Navy Nagar
, built by the British to commemorate the dead of the disastrous First Afghan War of 1838, and the Sassoon Docks
, built in 1875 , by Albert Abdullah David Sassoon
(1818 - 1896), son of David Sassoon
, a philanthropist Baghdadi Jew . Today the Sassoon Docks house, one of the largest fish market of Mumbai city
Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
or land link between Colaba
Colaba
Colaba is a part of the city of Mumbai, India, and also a Lok Sabha constituency. During Portuguese rule in the 16th century, the island was known as Candil...
and the Old Woman's Island
Old Woman's Island
The Old Woman's Island, also known as Little Colaba is one of the seven islands composing the city of Mumbai, India, and part of the historic Old Bombay....
in the city of Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
It lies close to the Fort
Fort (Mumbai precinct)
Fort is a business district in Mumbai, India. The area was the heart of the city during the 18th century. The area gets its name from the defensive fort, Fort St. George, built by the British East India Company around Bombay Castle...
area, and to the east of Cuffe Parade
Cuffe Parade
Cuffe Parade is an upmarket neighbourhood in South Mumbai. It is in the southernmost region of the city just north of Navy Nagar. To the north of Cuffe Parade lies Badhwar Park, Ambedkar Nagar the slum area of the Cuffe Parade.-History:...
, an upmarket neighbourhood in South Mumbai
South Mumbai
South Mumbai , sometimes incorrectly referred to by English Media as "SoBo" , the southern-most precinct of the city of Mumbai, India, comprises the city's main business localities and its adjoining areas...
, and close by are Mumbai's famous landmarks, the Gateway of India
Gateway of India
Its design is a combination of both Hindu and Muslim architectural styles, the arch is in Muslim style while the decorations are in Hindu style. The Gateway is built from yellow basalt and reinforced concrete. The stone was locally obtained, and the perforated screens were brought from Gwalior.The...
and Taj Mahal Palace & Tower
Taj Mahal Palace & Tower
The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower is a five-star hotel located in the Colaba region of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, next to the Gateway of India. Part of the Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, this building is considered the flagship property of the group and contains 565 rooms...
.
History
Cantonment
A cantonment is a temporary or semi-permanent military or police quarters. The word cantonment is derived from the French word canton meaning corner or district, as is the name of the Cantons of Switzerland. In South Asia, the term cantonment also describes permanent military stations...
area in 1796, barring all construction by the civilian population. Soon the boat traffic to area increased in the next few decades, and several people died due the capsizing of overcrowded boats, making the construction of the causeway imperative . What also added to the urgency to its construction was that, Mountstuart Elphinstone
Mountstuart Elphinstone
Mountstuart Elphinstone was a Scottish statesman and historian, associated with the government of British India. He later became the Governor of Bombay where he is credited with the opening of several educational institutions accessible to the Indian population...
, Governor of Bombay (1819-1827), had already built the first home on Malabar Hill
Malabar Hill
Malabar Hill, a hillock in southern Mumbai , India is an extremely upmarket residential area, most known for the Walkeshwar Temple which houses the Banganga Tank. Situated at a height of 50 metres Malabar Hill, a hillock in southern Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India is an extremely upmarket...
, following which the rich quickly started moving in to the centrally placed, Fort) area .
The Causeway as it is known to the locals, was constructed by the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, during the tenure of Sir Robert Grant
Robert Grant (MP)
Sir Robert Grant GCH was a British lawyer and politician.He was born in India, the son of Charles Grant, chairman of the Directors of the Honourable East India Company, and younger brother of Charles Grant, later Lord Glenelg. Returning home with their father in 1790, the two brothers were entered...
(1779-1838) as the governor of Bombay (1835-1838) , and its construction completed in 1838, which used the Old Woman's Island as a part of it ; with this the last two islands of Colaba and Old Woman's Island (out of the Seven islands of Bombay
Seven islands of Bombay
The seven islands of Bombay were an archipelago of islands that were, over a span of five centuries, connected to form the area of the modern city of Mumbai in India. The seven islands were gradually physically united through land reclamation projects...
), which were first taken in 1675, got connected with the mainland of Bombay. Until 1839, Colaba was accessible only during the low tide, though soon it saw rapid development in the area, especially after the construction the Cotton Exchange at Cotton Green
Cotton Green
Cotton Green is a suburb of Mumbai, and a noted residential and commercial area east of Parel, in central Mumbai, 8 km north of Colaba. It is also the name of a railway station on the Mumbai suburban railway, which lies along the Harbour line, which is a part of the Central...
in 1844 . The Causeway was later further widened in 1861 and 1863 .
Horse-drawn tram-cars were introduced here , in 1873 by Stearns and Kitteredge, for their offices on the west side of the Causeway, where the Electric House now stands .
Overview
Today, it is termed as the 'Culture Square' of Mumbai . The architecture of the area is reminiscent of the old Bombay, fact highlighted by buildings like, National Gallery of Modern ArtNational Gallery of Modern Art
The National Gallery of Modern Art is the leading Indian art gallery. The main museum at New Delhi was established on March 29, 1954 by the Government of India, with subsequent branches at Mumbai and Bangalore...
(NGMA), Regal Cinema
Regal Cinema
The Regal Cinema is an Art deco Movie theater located at Colaba Causeway, in Mumbai, India. Built by Framji Sidhwa, the first film to be aired at the Regal was Laurel and Hardy starrer The Devil's Brother in 1933.-History:...
, Prince of Wales Museum
Prince of Wales Museum
The Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, officially Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya ), Mumbai, India was founded in the early years of the 20th century by some prominent citizens of Bombay, with the help of the government, to commemorate the visit of the then Prince of Wales. It...
(now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum) and Cusrow Baug, a Parsi
Parsi
Parsi or Parsee refers to a member of the larger of the two Zoroastrian communities in South Asia, the other being the Irani community....
residential colony, built in 1934, covering an area of 84,000 square yards, which home to over 500 families . Plus the area is also hub of various art galleries, which makes this area a natural destination for artist community.
Apart from upmarket retail showrooms, and small shops dealing in electronic goods, cosmetics, and music, its has pavement book stall dating back several decades , besides having numerous small shops and footpath outlets selling everything from artifacts to shawls, carpets and minor antiques to slippers of all kind, which make tourists, backpackers and local from South Mumbai, throng the area through the year .
Among the restaurants, cafes and roadside eateries that make the street popular with tourists and locals alike are the Indian Mughlai fame Delhi Darbar restaurant, Piccadilly restaurant, Cafe Churchill, Mings Palace, Kailash Parbat and Gokul
Gokul (restaurant)
Gokul is a pub in Colaba, Mumbai. Located behind the Taj Mahal Hotel next to Regal Cinema, it is renowned for its cheap alcoholic beverages sold almost at retail value...
. Cafe Mondegar, and the Cafe Leopold were founded by Iranians in 1871 .
Other visitors' attractions in the area are historical structures like Church of St John the Evangelist
Afghan Church
The Church of St John the Evangelist, better known as the Afghan Church is a Presbyterian Church in South Mumbai, India, built by the British to commemorate the dead of the disastrous defeat in the First Afghan War of 1838...
(Afghan Church) in the nearby Navy Nagar
Navy Nagar
Navy Nagar is a cantonment area, established in 1796 and now shared by the Indian Navy and Indian Army in the Colaba area of Mumbai, India.-Overview:...
, built by the British to commemorate the dead of the disastrous First Afghan War of 1838, and the Sassoon Docks
Sassoon Docks
thumb|250px|The Sassoon DocksThe Sassoon Docks is the biggest dock in Mumbai and one of the few docks in the city open to the public. It is situated just off Cuffe Parade in South Mumbai, and is today one of largest fish markets in the city...
, built in 1875 , by Albert Abdullah David Sassoon
Albert Abdullah David Sassoon
Sir Albert Abdullah David Sassoon, 1st Baronet, KCB, CSI, , a British Indian philanthropist and merchant, was born a Jew in Baghdad, a member of a family that had lived there since the beginning of the 16th century, having been expelled from Spain in the 1490s. He was named Abdullah at birth, but...
(1818 - 1896), son of David Sassoon
David Sassoon
David Sassoon was the treasurer of Baghdad between 1817 and 1829. He became the leader of the Jewish community in Bombay after Baghdadi Jews emigrated there.-Biography:...
, a philanthropist Baghdadi Jew . Today the Sassoon Docks house, one of the largest fish market of Mumbai city
External links
- Legends of the causeway (Photo Feature)
- Colaba Causeway at wikimapiaWikimapiaWikiMapia is a privately owned, online map and satellite imaging resource that combines Google Maps with a wiki system, allowing users to add information, in the form of a note, to any location on Earth. Users may currently use this information for free...
. - Colaba Causeway on Google Maps
- MSN Map