Mumbai, India – the good and the bad: Bollywood, British Raj relics, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, but pricey accommodation, traffic jams and deadly trains

With a population of over 20 million, Mumbai is the home of Bollywood film studios and boasts some stunning colonial-era buildings

But the streets are traffic-choked and dirty and hotel rooms expensive. Then there are the trains, which are so crowded passengers are sometimes killed

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Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, once Victoria Terminus, is an example of architecture from the British colonial era found in Mumbai, India’s City of Dreams. For all its plus points, it has some negatives too. Photo: Tim Pile

Published: 11:15am, 13 Jan 2024

Originally made up of seven islands separated by mosquito-infested swamps, India’s richest and most powerful metropolis is now home to 21 million people. Or is it 23 million?

A land of opportunity, Mumbai is known as the City of Dreams. An estimated 10,000 new migrants swell the population every day, most of them arriving at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT).

The railway station was built by the British to commemorate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria, in 1887. It was a time of grandiose colonial statements and no expense was spared.

On completion, Victoria Terminus, as it was then called, became the largest man-made structure on the subcontinent. A Unesco World Heritage site since 2004, its Gothic spires, neoclassical sculptures and stained-glass windows help make it the most photographed building in India after the Taj Mahal.

A holy cow makes its way into the main railway station, CSMT. Photo: Tim Pile

Not everyone comes to Mumbai (or Bombay, as it was known until 1996) by train, however.

In 1911, King George V and Queen Mary arrived at Apollo Bunder pier aboard the HMS Medina. To honour the royal visit, the Gateway of India was constructed at the site.

Mumbai, India – the good and the bad: Bollywood, British Raj relics, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, but pricey accommodation, traffic jams and deadly trains

With a population of over 20 million, Mumbai is the home of Bollywood film studios and boasts some stunning colonial-era buildings But the streets are traffic-choked and dirty and hotel rooms expensive. Then there are the trains, which are so crowded passengers are sometimes killed

With a population of over 20 million, Mumbai is the home of Bollywood film studios and boasts some stunning colonial-era buildings

But the streets are traffic-choked and dirty and hotel rooms expensive. Then there are the trains, which are so crowded passengers are sometimes killed