India's first and finest luxury hotel in Mumbai, The Taj Mahal Palace, was built in 1903 by Jamsetji Tata as a symbol of luxury and as a gift “worthy of Bombay”.
However, it was believed that Jamshedji Tata was inspired to build this hotel after he was refused entry at Watson’s Hotel, which was restricted to ‘whites-only.’
Designed originally by Indian architects Raosaheb Vaidya and DN Mirza, the foundation of The Taj Mahal Palace was laid in 1898 and built by Sorabji Contractor who also designed the famous central cantilevered staircase.
The hotel opened its gates to its first 17 guests on 16 December 1903, even before the foundation for the Gateway of India was laid in March 1911.
The cost of construction was over INR 4 crores. The hotel offers 543 rooms including 54 suites, each adorned with original paintings and period furniture that exude an aura of old-world charm and elegance.
With its Indo-Saracenic arches and distinctive red-tiled Florentine Gothic dome, carved with Victorian Gothic and Romanesque details along with Edwardian touches on the roof, it is truly an architectural jewel. The massive 240-feet high central dome serves as an official daytime triangulation point for ships of the Indian Navy, to this day!
It is located in Colaba, beside the Gateway of India, and used to be the first sight for ships calling at the Bombay port before the construction of the Gateway. Taj Mahal Palace was the first building in Bombay to be lit by electricity.
Known as ground-breaking not only for its open-door policy, but the hotel was the first in India to be installed with electricity, German lifts and Turkish baths.
Since its inception, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel has been through a lot. During World War I, the hotel was converted into a military hospital with 600 beds. In 1947, independent India’s first speech to the industry was also made at the hotel.
Moreover, on November 26, 2008, the hotel was hit by an unfortunate series of terror attacks that took the lives of at least 167 people, with at least 31 people dying in the hotel. The hotel was re-opened after restoration on Indian Independence Day, August 15, 2010. It was on November 6, 2010, when US President Barack Obama became the first foreign head of state to stay at the hotel post attacks. He also delivered a speech from the terrace of the hotel, where he said that ‘the Taj has been the symbol of the strength and the resilience of the Indian people.
Also Read: St Patrick's Day: Taj Hotel goes green
Share
Tweet
