Gateway of India would be kept closed for four days from December 1 to 4th. Indian Navy is carrying out some crucial work there during these four days. Commuters travelling to Alibaug, Mandwa or Elephanta Caves during these four days may have to go via Bhaucha Dhakka. Gateway is a tourist destination and every day lakhs of visitors visit the monument. December 4, is celebrated as Navy Day in India. Every year on this day, beating the retreat is celebrated and this year it won’t be different.
The Gateway of India is an arch-monument built in the early twentieth century in the city of Mumbai, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It was erected to commemorate the landing in December 1911 at Apollo Bunder, Mumbai (then Bombay) of King-Emperor George V and Queen-Empress Mary, the first British monarch to visit India. At the time of the royal visit, the gateway was not yet built, and a cardboard structure greeted the monarch. The foundation stone was laid in March 1913 for a monument built in the Indo-Saracenic style, incorporating elements of 16th-century Gujarati architecture. The structure is an arch made of basalt 26 metres (85 feet) high. The architectural design of Gateway of India was fashioned by architect George Wittet.
After its construction, the gateway was used as a symbolic ceremonial entrance to British India for important colonial personnel. It has been called a symbol of “conquest and colonisation” commemorating British colonial legacy. The gateway is also the monument from where the last British troops left India in 1948, following Indian independence. It is located on the waterfront at an angle, opposite the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel and overlooks the Arabian Sea. The Gateway of India is a monument that marks India’s chief port and is a major tourist attraction for visitors. The total construction cost of this monument was approximately 21 lakhs and the entire expense was borne by the Indian government. In March 1911, Sir George Sydenham Clark who was the then Governor of Bombay laid down the monument’s first foundation. This plan was approved in 1914, the reclamation at Apollo Bunder was completed in 1919. It took four years to complete the construction of the monument. The monument is built in yellow basalt and indissoluble concrete. The best time to visit the Gateway of India is from November to March.
