Gateway of India, Mumbai

The Gateway of India is an iconic Indian monument next only to the Taj Mahal. Situated on the waterfront in Apollo Bunder area in South Mumbai, Maharashtra, this 26-m high arch made of basalt was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay, the present-day Mumbai.

The gateway was designed by George Wittet , the Scotish-born architect, who was the then Consultatnt Architect to the Government of Bombay.

The foundation stone was laid on March 31, 1911, by the Governor of Bombay Sir George Sydenham Clarke and it was opened to the public on December 4, 1924, by the Viceroy, the Earl of Reading.

The Gateway of India has a unique place in the history of India, since it was through this monument that the ‘Somerset Light Infantry’, the last British troops left the country on February 28, 1948. Incidentally the regiment was also the first to enter India.

Hailed as a symbol of the Indo-Saracenic architecture, the Gateway of India is today maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. Every day hundreds of tourists visits the place.