Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus 🇮🇳 India

The Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly the Victoria Terminus Station in Mumbai, is an outstanding example of Victorian Gothic revival architecture, blended with themes deriving from traditional Indian architecture. The building was designed by British architect F. W. Stevens and became the symbol of Bombay as the Gothic city and the major international mercantile port of India. The station, when designed, was the first terminus station in the subcontinent, a trendsetter, a commercial palace representing the new economic wealth of the nation. It was the symbol, or signature, of a city that claimed to be the jewel in the crown. The scale and grandeur of the building produce a sense of wonder and awe. It is the most prominent and symbolic landmark of Mumbai. Bombay City has been described as the finest Victorian city east of the Suez. The Gothic revival style was deliberately chosen as most suitable to express the aspirations of the wealthiest and most dynamic of Indian cities. The structure is a symbol of the city because of the transport and technological revolution it celebrates. The building is therefore directly associated with the ideas of Indo-British development and has become a symbol of national pride. The terminus was built to the design of the consulting British architect F. William Stevens. Work began in 1878 and was completed 10 years later. It is in high Victorian Gothic style based on late medieval Italian models. This style was acceptable to both European and Indian tastes thanks to its use of colour and ornamentation being compatible with the Mughal and Hindu architecture of the subcontinent. The skyline, turrets, pointed arches and eccentric ground plan are close to traditional Indian palace architecture. The Victoria terminus was constructed using a high level of engineering both in terms of railway engineering and civil engineering. In India it is one of the first and best examples of the use of industrial revolution technology merged with Gothic revival style. The centrally domed office structure has a 330ft deep platform connected to a 1200ft long train shed and its outline provides the skeleton plan for the building. The dome was created more for aesthetics and drama rather than practical use. The construction materials were selected with care. The main structure is built from a judicious blend of Indian sandstone and limestone whilst high quality Italian marble was used for key decorative elements. The main interiors are lavishly decorated. The ground floor of the north wing, now known as the star chamber where the booking office is located, is embellished with Italian marble and polished Indian blue stone. The stone arches are covered with carved foliage and grotesques. It must surely stand among the half dozen greatest railway stations in the world. The railway epitomises the industrial revolution. The technological development is also highlighted in the architecture of the concourse, the large uninterrupted span of which consists of an extensive steel structure. The site on which this property is situated, Borebanda, is of great historical importance and is directly associated with the origins of the city of Bombay, now Mumbai. The city derives its name from the goddess Mumbadevi and the earliest temple dedicated to her is believed to have stood on the site of the Victoria Terminus. The original shrine was demolished in 1317 by Mubarak Shah and later reconstructed. The second shrine was demolished by the Portuguese in 1760. The Bombay island had formed a coastal Hindu outpost in western India but was not used for commerce. It was first passed to the Portuguese and then, in 1661, to the British. In 1667, the island was transferred to the East India Company which was principally responsible for its commercial development. Merchants started settling here from elsewhere and shipbuilding and cotton trade industries prospered. The town flourished noticeably after the inland railway connections were constructed and the Suez Canal was opened in 1869. With the growth in trade, the Governor of Bombay planned a series of works aimed at developing a more representative city. The Victoria Terminus, the most impressive of these buildings, was named after Queen Victoria, Empress of India, on whose Silver Jubilee it was formally opened in 1887. Originally intended only to house the main station and the administrative offices of the great Indian Peninsula Railway, a number of ancillary buildings were subsequently added, all designed to stand in harmony with the main structure. The side wings enclose the courtyard, which opens onto the street. The wings are anchored by monumental turrets at each of their four corners, balancing and framing the central dome. The façade gives the appearance of well-proportioned rows of windows and arches. The ornamentation in the form of statues, bas-reliefs and friezes is exuberant yet well-controlled. The station is still very much in use, both as a terminus and as the administrative headquarters of the Central Railway, as was intended 115 years ago. Unlike many other stations across the world that have become redundant on account of a drop in railway passengers, this station has expanded in its use and is as active as ever. The terminus is one of the major railway stations in the metropolis of Mumbai, and some 3 to 3.5 million people use it on a daily basis. In fact, from its initial four railway tracks, the terminus has expanded and now boasts six suburban and ten regional lines. This expansion has naturally led to the restructuring of several surrounding areas, as well as the addition of new buildings. Nevertheless, according to recent plans, the railways are working to decongest this terminus and divert some of the traffic to other stations. The nomination of the Victoria Terminus as a UNESCO site includes a comparative study on railway architecture and a particular comparison with St. Pancras Station in London, as well as with other railway stations in India. From the 1860s, and especially after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, Bombay flourished as the main trading port with Europe on the west coast of India. It was conceived as a free trade and commercial city, a European city, not a city under British rule, but a meeting place of two civilizations on equal footing. Gothic revival style came to be accepted by Europeans as well as by Indians. It is commonly recognised that the work of Sir G. G. Scott, in particular the station that he designed in St. Pancras in London, is the closest reference to F. W. Stevens's design of the Victoria Terminus in Bombay. That said, the Victoria Terminus has its own distinctive character, marked by its massive masonry dome, its exuberant Italian Gothic revival detailing in polychrome stone, its decorated tiles, its marble and its stained glass. When the Victoria Terminus was completed in 1887, it was considered the grandest Gothic revival building in the British Commonwealth. As a general conclusion, structurally the original building is considered to be nearly intact, even though, over time, there have been numerous alterations. These have been mainly additions and adjustments to accommodate the immediate needs of the personnel working in the building, resulting in the construction of partition walls, new ceilings and the installment of lifts. Most of these alterations are reversible, and the present restoration project is expected to improve the legibility of the original architecture by removing undesirable additions and restoring the original aspect. The area is part of the central city and is subject to huge development pressures and potential redevelopment. However, this zone is legally protected due to the presence of a large number of heritage-listed buildings. Considering the business interests in such a central area, it is obvious that there is a continuous challenge regarding development control. Another risk comes from the intense traffic flow and highly polluted air in the region around the railway station. Industrial pollution is reported to have diminished thanks to a reduction in industrial and harbour activities. Another problem for the area is the saline air blowing in from the sea. The protection of the site is a priority for the region. The administrative control and management of this property sit with the Divisional Railway Manager of the Mumbai Division of the Central Railway. The day-to-day maintenance and protection of the building is also the responsibility of the Divisional Railway Manager. Their aim is to reduce rail station traffic and protect the building. On a regional level, the railways are in the process of formulating a restructuring plan regarding railway zoning across the country. As a result, this would lead to decongestion and reduced pressure on the terminus station, which is now overcrowded by traffic. The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority is working on the Mumbai Urban Transportation Plan, aiming to upgrade the transport network. On a local level, there will be changes to the management system. These will have consequences on the eastern waterfront of the city. The terminus, which is situated in this area, is in a strategic position and will therefore also be affected by these developments. The interior of the building was conceived of as a series of large rooms with high ceilings. It is a utilitarian building and has undergone various changes as required by its users. These have not always been sympathetic. Its C-shaped plan is symmetrical on an east-west axis. Mumbai is one of the most populated cities in the world. The business capital of India is home to more than 12 million people. Like other Indian metropolises, the population of Mumbai has grown rapidly in the last 20 years. It is one of the largest cities of India in terms of population, business and trade activity. A large majority of Mumbai's population are migrants from other Indian states. This migrant population comes to the city in search of better employment opportunities and is one of the key contributing factors to Bombay's rising population. The credit for designing Victoria Terminus, described by some as the most balmy of Mumbai's buildings, goes to F. W. Stevens, who was inspired by the Sanpancras station in London. Built in 1887 as the largest British edifice in India, it is an interesting amalgam of domes, spires, Corinthian columns and minarets. An impressive example of engineering genius, this icon of British imperial architecture has been declared a heritage site and is now a protected building. Carvings of peacocks, gargoyles, monkeys, elephants and British lions are mixed up among the buttresses, domes, turrets, spires and stained glass windows. The terminus looks more like a cathedral than a station. Not only was the Mumbai transportation system modelled after the London system, it was basically developed in conjunction with it. As London developed a system, Mumbai would receive it approximately five years later. Tram service in Mumbai began in 1870. It remained until the 1950s when people felt that trams were becoming obsolete. Even though their passenger carrying capacity was 50% greater than buses, the latter were considered more energy efficient, cleaner and more easily upgradable. The last tram ran in 1964. The second change came in 1974 with the abolition of the trolley bus. The trolley bus was much like a bus but it ran on electricity, was quiet and was able to follow routes that the large diesel buses could not run on. After the termination of these two systems, transportation development has been extremely difficult in Mumbai.