Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly Prince of Wales Museum) is one the premier art and history museums in South Mumbai. Visiting museums is often a part of the tourist experience. I walked several times through this place but for one reason or another, visiting inside the museum had not yet happened.

Once you enter the museum compound, you will be surprised to see the Indo-Saracenic style building which was designed by the British architect, George Wittet and it features  British, Hindu and Islamic architecture. The  largest dome atop  is similar to  Agra’s Taj Mahal and the entire compound is beautifully decorated with  tall palm trees and pristine lawns.

This museum has three floors . Two of the upstairs galleries are air-conditioned.

The Three Floors of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya

Sculpture Gallery

The sculpture gallery features many Indian religious figures. One section is dedicated to Akhnoor Terracottas, Wood work of Gujarat etc. It exhibits Buddhist, Jain and Hindu sculptures.

There is a section dedicated to Lord Vishnu with different engraved sculptures on stone.

Lord Vishnu Sculpture

Pre & Proto History Gallery

The gallery has a display of Assyrian Collections. These alabaster stone reliefs once decorated walls of the palaces which are of great importance in the history of ancient art and civilisation.

The Royal Chariot

The great bath at Mohenjodaro is a brick structure surrounded by varandha's, rooms and galleries. A flight of steps lead to the pool.

The Great Bath

Himalayan Art Gallery

The Himalayan Art Gallery on the first floor showcases many artifacts from Nepal. As soon as you enter, you see a six-foot clay sculpture of Maitreya Buddha. thirteenth-century gilt bronze Maitreya that is the gallery’s most valuable exhibit.

Also on display are various ceremonial items such as musical instruments, water jugs, lamps and incense burners; figurines of Buddhist icons such as  Goddess Tara and poet-saint Milarepa and mythological paintings.

It has a display of seventeenth-century wood sculpture of Mahabhairava, Shiva’s angry avatar; a nineteenth-century jewelled plaque of the deity Chintamani Lokeshvara and a drawing of an eleventh-century Tibetan fresco.

Indian Miniature Painting

These miniature paintings showcase in intricate detail the life, culture, looks of people from yesteryear's.

Mughal Style paintings

Krishna Gallery

Cheera Harana

Sir Ratan Tata Gallery

Tata Gallery has a good collection of  European Paintings. The Tata collection comprises two major sections, the European and the Far Eastern.  Sir Edwin Ward, James Jebus Shannon, Jorge Romney, Thomas Gainsborough and Robert Hillingford are just some of the artists whose works are on show.

Lady Ratan Tata donated the furniture for the galleries.

Sir Dorab Tata Gallery

Indian Textile and Consume Gallery

This climate-controlled room showcases glimpses of the textile traditions of India. The Otni & Balni at the entrance reminds  us of  an era when hand picked  cotton and spinning wheels were used to spin yarn. The gallery has a good collection of  Religious items and  Royal Costumes.

The gallery has a large collection of shawls from Kashmir, ikat cloths from Gujarat and Sarees from Thanjavur and Kanchipuram.

Arms and Armour Gallery

This gallery exhibits a large collection of Indian weapons through the ages.

You can admire a collection of swords and armour belonging to Emperor Akbar, Shahjahan and Aurangzeb.

 Chinese and Japanese Art Gallery

The Chinese and Japanese Gallery occupies part of the top floor. Many snuff bottles from China are on display in a large glass case.

Natural History Section

Natural history section is situated on the  right of the ground floor. This section has a large selection of stuffed animals, including  fish, snakes and birds.

The entry fees to the museum is Rs.60 and Rs. 20 for permission to take photographs.

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A walk through Kamala Nehru Park and The Hanging Gardens

Old Woman's Shoe at Kamala Nehru Park, Mumbai

After visiting Mani Bhavan, I took a cab to Kamala Nehru Park which is located in the posh area of Mumbai Malabar Hills. I could not postpone visiting this place for a later time since I would be released from my current assignment on 12th and might have to leave Mumbai soon. In the end, we would be judged and keeping this in mind, I always work and live to my satisfaction.

Soon I was in Kamala Nehru Park. I had entered through the open gates. There was a huge old woman's shoe located inside it.  I stood infront of the shoe structure to take a photograph.  I could see kids trying to climb on the shoe and some of them even climbed to the top through the dingy steps inside the shoe. I have always been a kid and  I was trying to run away from that kid for the last several years but now trying to get closer to him.

I walked again. The pathways were nicely laid out with a couple of pergolas and benches, several lawn areas and lots of trees and shrubs.

I stopped at a viewing gallery from where I got  a spectacular view of the Chowpatty, Marine Drive and Nariman point.

View of Marine Drive from Malabar Hill

 

Just opposite to Kamala Nehru Park is the Hanging Garden which is a terraced garden and is made on a  water reservoir. I  crossed the road. My plan was to take  a quick walk, and then to go home. There were many people inside the garden.  The garden is situated on a slight elevation on Malabar Hill and  is a favourite spot of Mumbaites. 

Topiary art is displayed in  animal and human shapes cut into hedges which  make this spot unique.  The garden is covered with numerous trees, shrubs, and an array of colorful flowers.  I spent  some more time there as I had no haste to reach home.

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Mani Bhavan, Mumbai

If you have not visited Mani Bhavan, Mumbai - the memorial dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, you might want to reconsider. It was Mani Bhavan that Gandhiji stayed between 1917 and 1934 during India's freedom struggle and it is the place from where Gandhiji initiated the Non-Cooperation, Satyagraha, Swadeshi, Khadi and Khilafat Movements.

This three storied building  is situated near Nana Chowk, Gamdevi, Mumbai. The  visiting time is restricted from 9.30 am to 6 pm and is open everyday.

A plaque outside the museum has the full name of the place with Gandhiji’s trademark  'Charkha'  on top of it.

There is a small counter at the entrance for enquiry.  Entry is free and photography is allowed inside the museum. Once you enter the place, there is a library with a statue of Gandhiji where people offer their tributes.

The library contains more than 50,000 books on Gandhiji, Gandhian thought and allied subjects. The rooms on the ground floor have been  converted into a picture gallery that displays an array of photos depicting important events, copies of documents, noteworthy clippings and letters.

Picture Gallery

On the wooden stairs leading to the first and second floor, Gandhiji's pictures depicting his life have been  installed.  On the first floor is a simple auditorium where you can see films related to Gandhiji.

On the second floor is Gandhiji’s room that was used during his stay . There is a glass partition and  people can see a small bed, a writing table, few books and his favorite Charkha with open windows and doors. You are not allowed into this room.

Gandhiji's Room

This room has miniature doll-like figures depicting Gandhiji's life.

Of course, visiting Mani Bhavan is something all of us need to do.

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A journey through the Nilgiri Mountain Railway

Since I saw the Hindi movie 'Dil Se' , travelling in Nilgiri Mountain Railway had been my dream. Since then I had fantasized with the song "Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya" in which Shahrukh Khan dances with Malaika Arora and other dancers.

Nilgiri Railway is one of the three railway lines in India that has made it to the UNESCO listed World Heritage Sites. The Nilgiri Express is also known as the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) or the Blue Mountain Railway. 

The train covers 46 kilometers from Mettupalayam to Ooty in five hours. For a shorter visit, we can prefer Ooty to Coonoor.  With a  lot of excitement, I reached  Ooty (also known as Udagamandalam) station in the morning.

They are running a trip between Ooty and Coonoor  for tourists.  This trip starts from Ooty at 9 AM and reaches Coonoor at around 10.15 AM. This will return at 4:30 PM and reaches Ooty by 5:45 PM. One way is just Rs.10/-  and you don't have to wait in the queue, as they have a separate reservation window just opposite the station.

There were five stations between Ooty and Coonoor (Fern Hill, Lovedale, Ketti, Aruvakkadu, and Wellington).  The train runs on a meter gauge track which is rare elsewhere.The old steam engine is replaced by diesel engine which runs with jetropha diesel. Running at a speed ranging between 15-20 kilometer per hour, NMR offers the perfect choice  to enjoy the delightful scenic beauty of the Nilgiris.

The train passed  adjacent to the  Ooty lake.  Some prominent songs and visuals of  Bollywood, Tamil and Malayalam movies were shot along the Ooty Lake that spreads across 65 acres of the land in Ooty.  You can enjoy the picturesque beauty of the eucalyptus trees that cover the lake.

Gorgeous views of tea plantations; houses atop on the small hills and lush green field added up to the beauty.

If you remember the Malayalam movie ,' Classmates' , there was a song, where this train was seen and even in Priyadarshan’s  ' Summer in Bethlehem'  this toy train appears in some of the scenes.

Several movies have featured this train,which was started by the British in 1908.  The beautiful scenes of nature - mountains on one side and deep valleys on the other  is something you can cherish. There are about three tunnels on the way to Coonoor where the train pass through.

Running along the narrow gauge through the Eucalyptus forests, the Nilgiri Toy train is yet another historical mountain railway in India.

Ketti station is the 3rd station and lies exactly midway between Ooty and Coonoor and the valley lies just ahead of the station. After the train left Ketti station , I was completely spell bound by the view I was offered by this majestic valley.  Make sure that you  get a window seat on the right side if you are travelling from Ooty to Coonoor.

After crossing Aravankkadu station, the train passed through a big arch bridge.

Then the toy train curves its way through dense forests. With every turn that the train took, our hearts skipped a couple of beats.

After an hour of shrieking with excitement and taking a dozens of  photos, we saw the Coonoor station in the distance.  Deep valleys, forests, cultivation , tunnels, mountain ranges, picturesque beauty all around  make you feel that the train should not stop at Coonoor.  Do not forget to capture those moments for your memory forever.  For me, the entire train journey felt like I had been transported into a Bollywood movie!

If you are holidaying in Ooty, your trip will not be complete, if you miss the toy train journey.

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