When my Japanese friends came to visit, I took them to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus which is also known as CST for short. I picked the location because I thought that it would be fun for them to see the magnificent architecture that has been featured in many places and named as the Unesco World Heritage Site. We went and checked out CST first and then moved onto the area little further south called Kala Ghoda.
Here is a little summary of the background of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is a historic railway station in Mumbai, India which was named in honor of the 17th-century king Chhatrapati Shivaji, a founder of the Maratha Empire. The station was known as Victoria Terminus until it was renamed to the current name in March, 1996. The station was designed by an English architectural engineer, Frederick William Stevens with influences from Victorian Italianate Gothic Revival architecture. The original Victoria Terminus was built in 1887 in Mumbai and named after the reigning queen at the time, Queen Victoria. If you would like to read more about Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, you can find the information on wikipedia. To find information about the trains, here is the site by the Central Railway.
I was very sad to learn that during the Mumbai attack in November 2008, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus was one of the targeted locations.
On the lighter note, the station was the location of filming the “Jai Ho” song in Slumdog Millionaire.
It was quite hot outside in May, so we tried to make our trip as quick as possible. I ended up spending the longest time among my friends to snap away and my friends patiently waited for me to finish. I just loved taking photos of the CST, but I found it difficult and I feel badly that my photos look like the building was chopped in pieces.
Frederick William Stevens, the designer of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, also designed the head offices of the BB&CI Railway at Churchgate Station in Mumbai. Churchgate Station was about 5 to 10 minute drive from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.
If you are curious how the inside of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus building looks like, you should go check out this post written by Sheena of This Is Sheena Blog.
I hope that those who have never been to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus were able to enjoy the virtual tour of the famous site in Mumbai even though the architecture of the CST in real life is even more beautiful. Thank you for visiting my post!!
I love “This Is Sheen” blog. Sheena’s photos are gorgeous.
I think you managed very well! It is too magnificent and colossal a structure to fit into any one image and the prettiest details are in the ‘chopped up’ images so don’t feel too badly!
Thank you, Sheena, for your kind word! It makes me feel better to hear that from you!
I am just loving your blog. I visit North India and haven’t made it yet to Mumbai as yet. I am making notes of all the beautiful places to visit thru your blog and istagram.
Thank you, Zamina, for your kind words! I have never visited North India, so I don’t have any point of reference to compare Mumbai with, but Mumbai definitely has a great modern flare to the traditional and historical part of India which makes this city really cool!
Hi Kaho
Fabulous blog as always. Did you know you can actually have a tour of the inside of the building? The tour is available to small groups and starts at 14:30 weekdays only and last about 2 hours. The tour cost around Rs800-Rs1000, but you get to enter offices and gain access to the roof, to enjoy all the architecture. There is usually a signboard advertising the tour outside, to the right of the main entrance. (as shown in picture 23 on your blog).
Natasha, thank you! Thanks for mentioning that. I remember seeing the sign, but the day we went was a weekend day and the tour was not available. I didn’t know that you get to see offices and gain access to the roof! I would’ve loved to see the architecture from inside!! It will make a great photo opp, won’t it?