Rendezvous with a city that never sleeps

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India is a land of many adventures, cultural immersions, cuisines, and cities that you will fall in love with. In this edition, we will take you to one of these cities that is often called by some “the city that never sleeps”, by few as “a city of dreams” and but by many “the Bollywood city”. If you are guessing Mumbai, you are guessing it right!! We all have heard, read and seen many beautiful things about Mumbai, but in this edition of Travnama, we will take you on an epic journey to explore the hidden places in Mumbai.


Once called the bom baim in Portuguese, or the "Good Little Bay," Mumbai was one of the major Indian trading ports of Portuguese. But if you look at Mumbai today, there is nothing “little” about this beautiful metropolitan city. With over 20 million inhabitants from all across India and the world, Mumbai's boundaries are growing with every passing year. Today, it is the capital of Maharashtra and a thriving centre for art, business, and culture. Mumbai is also famed for its huge crowds, and chaos like any other major city in India, but what makes Mumbai unique are the Bollywood, colonial heritage, migrant history, and food. This never sleeping city has had the magnetic power of attracting travellers for many centuries. Enjoy the magic of Mumbai in this short video.

Travellers here are spoilt with choice. If you are an Architecture enthusiast, the streets of South Mumbai and the marvels of the colonial building will mesmerize your imagination. If you have seen and admired the cave temples of Thailand or Sri Lanka, wait until you take a short ferry ride to witness the grandeur of Elephanta Caves, which are also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There is so much to see and enjoy during your stay in Mumbai. Today, we will take you on a journey to see the other side of Mumbai that many travellers may have missed.

Walkthrough Khotachiwadi

Specifically, photographers will find this place a beautiful delight amidst the high-end concrete building in South Mumbai. Khotachiwadi is a heritage village in Mumbai and is more than two centuries old! Situated in a small corner in Girgaon, it is a small community of beautiful houses, most of which have walls painted in vibrant colours of yellow, blue, pink, red, and more! The narrow lanes have houses that boast Portuguese style architecture, strikingly different from the architecture found elsewhere in Mumbai.

Sadly, today this beautiful village has reduced its number of houses and has revamped itself. But don't get disheartened. The beauty remains intact! Stroll around this picturesque village, spot the graffiti, marvel at its architecture, and don't forget to ask for due permission before you put your camera to use.

Prince of Wales museum

The Prince of Wales Museum is a majestic structure situated in Mumbai and is regarded as one of the city's heritage buildings. In 1905, George V, the Prince of Wales who came on a visit to India, laid its foundation stone.

George Wittet, an architect, designed this magnificent structure, and the construction work was concluded in 1914. Later, Lady Lloyd inaugurated the full-fledged museum in 1923. Art, Archaeology, and Natural History are three exclusive sections in this museum.

Now known as 'Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalay,' the Museum is one of the most stunning Heritage Buildings in Mumbai and is counted among the most prominent museums in India. The complex exhibits a diverse collection of ancient artefacts, sculptures of the country, and artwork that gives a deep insight into the past. The building also underwent a few renovations, after which several new galleries were added adorning textiles, the artworks of Hindu God Krishna, and Indian traditional costumes. The Prince of Wales Museum is very well preserved and is a wonderful testimony of India's glory and rich past.

Fashion Street

A variety of clothes, the latest trends, and the mouthwatering aroma of street food are what Fashion Street in Mumbai is all about. One of the favourite shopping hubs for locals, this place is all about the most fashionable clothes at jaw-dropping discounts. Remember, the trick to shopping here is to bargain and bargain hard!

Fashion Street is near the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station. It offers an array of around 150 shops that sell a huge variety of clothes and accessories. The number of things available inside Fashion Street makes it a heaven for shopaholics.

Sanjay Gandhi National park

Nestled between the suburbs of Mumbai and Thane, Sanjay Gandhi National Park is the perfect place for a reprieve from the city's chaos and buzz.

The Sanjay Gandhi National Park is thronged by thousands of visitors every year to spot Macaques, Leopards, Wild Boars, Flying foxes, Sunbirds, Kingfishers, and a considerable number of butterflies here.

The national park was earlier known as the Borivali National Park and covers around 20% of Mumbai's geographical area. The National Park is home to a huge thirteen hundred species of flora and more than five hundred fauna species. Sanjay Gandhi National Park is also considered the largest park in the world located within the city limits. Inside the National Park, two artificial lakes provide shelter to the migratory birds and crocodiles all around the year. These lakes are also the major source of drinking water for Mumbai. First introduced in 1974 to help get a change from the usual attractions, sights, and chaos of the big city, today, the Sanjay Gandhi National Park is a dense evergreen forest, home to a substantial bird, butterfly, and small tiger population.

Kanheri Caves

Kanheri Caves are a group of rock-cut structures in the form of caves, located inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The caves and paintings illustrate the Buddhist influence on Indian art and culture many centuries ago.

There are 109 special entrances to the Kanheri Caves. The carvings, paintings, ancient sculptures, and inscriptions inside these caves date back to the 1st century to the 10th century that adorn their basalt formations.

These caves stand in sharp contrast to the surrounding hill's verdant greenery and can be reached through a series of rock-cut steps.

While the caves give a deep insight into the history, it can be seen that they were built over an extensive period. The older Kanheri Caves are quite plain in the design. However, the newer caves are more decorated. What is common to these caves is a single stone plinth on which they all rest. Some of the other exciting aspects to witness here are a congregation hall, Buddhist stupas, intricately carved pillars, and ingenious water channels carved out of stone. Interestingly, one cave has been converted into a monastery and holds special significance among the Buddhist community.

Walkthrough the Kala Ghoda

Kala Ghoda (or a Black Horse) is a crescent-shaped sub-precinct developed into Mumbai's famous cultural centre. The crescent has a unique visual identity because of the fine collection of heritage structures in Indo-Saracenic, Victorian Neo-Gothic, Renaissance Revival, and Edwardian Neo-Classical styles.

The Kala Ghoda crescent also has several renowned art galleries, cultural spaces, and museums, including the pavement galleries. Numerous designer boutiques, shops, and restaurants also add diversity to the area.

A walk through the Kala Ghoda Cresent is listening to the stories of the British Heritage District. This walk will also introduce you to the vibrant world of contemporary Indian painting and sculpture right here in Mumbai!

The walk strives to give you first-hand knowledge of modern Indian art and its evolution from the early 1900s to the present day. Like countries that had a colonial past like India, artists here have also sought to examine and understand Western influences on India's artistic expression.

So next time you are planning a trip to Mumbai, do let your clients know about these hidden gems of Mumbai and explore a side that is a bit lesser known in the touristic circuit. Select any of these beautiful stops, and we are sure your clients with just love it!! We, at Indo Asia Tours, are all about the handcrafted tours, memories, and moments you take out of your trip, and believe us, this escapade will be a life-changing one!