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Photo: Pradeep717, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Literally "Black Horse", Kala Ghoda is Mumbai's crescent-shaped art district. The name originally referred to a black equestrian statue of King Edward VII built by Jewish businessman and philanthropist David Sassoon. There used to be an urban legend that the Kala Ghoda statue and another equestrian statue of Shivaji at the Gateway of India come to life at midnight and fight together on the street. Although Edward VII's statue was removed in 1965 and placed inside the Jijamata Udyan, a new "Kala Ghoda" statue was sculpted and installed at the precinct without the rider in 2017. An arts festival is held here annually on February, which is a must-see.
Kala Ghoda is a crescent-shaped art district/neighborhood in Mumbai, India. It hosts several of the city's heritage buildings including museums, art galleries and educational institutions like the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, the Jehangir Art Gallery, the National Gallery of Modern Art, and The Arts Trust - Institute of Contemporary Indian Art.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
The building has been designed by Durga Bajpai and is one of the early concrete structures in the city. The gallery has been turned inwards due to a combined function of an auditorium and an art gallery.
This is a famous library and heritage structure. The idea for a library to be built in the centre of the city was the brainchild of Albert Sassoon, son of the famous Baghdadi Jewish philanthropist, David Sassoon. The building was designed by architects J. Campbell and G. E. Gosling, for Scott McClelland and Company, at a cost of ₹125,000. David Sassoon donated ₹60,000, while the rest was borne by the Government of Bombay Presidency. The building, completed in 1870, is built using yellow Malad stone, much like the abutting Elphinstone College, Army and Navy Buildings and Watson's Hotel. Above the entrance portico is a white stone bust of David Sassoon.
formerly Watson's Hotel
It was once one of the most posh hotels in the area, now in a pathetic condition due to negligence. There's a popular myth that Jamsetji Tata was refused entry to the hotel and he went on to build the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel near the Gateway of India. However, there's no evidence behind this story, and it's mainly shared to highlight his success stories.
Eliphinstone College is affiliated with Dr Homi Bhabha State University since 2019. The college was established in 1856 and was part of Mumbai University till 2019. The grand building housing the college came up in 1888. The building was designed by Trubshaw, and supervised by Khan Bahadur Muncherjee Murzban. It follows Gothic architecture and is a Grade I heritage building.
בית הכנסת אליהו
Synagogue built in 1884 by Jacob Elias Sassoon and his brother Albert Sassoon in memory of their father Eliyahoo David Sassoon, who was the son of David Sassoon. It was designed by the British architectural firm Gostling & Morris. The exteriors are a combination of blue and white and it is known as Mumbai's Blue Synagogue. The synagogue is a combination of Neo-Classical and Gothic-Victorian architecture. The exterior faces contain Corinthian columns and triangular pediments. The interior contains beautiful stained glass windows with floral motifs. The floor is laid out with beautiful tiles and there are ornamental pillars. The women's gallery is on the first floor. The central platform has metal ornamental railings. The Ark facing Jerusalem has a beautiful ornate wooden door and inside there are several Torah scrolls.
Scots' Kirk
A church with two buildings dedicated to St Andrew and St Columba respectively. It is the city's first Scottish church, built in 1819 after the arrival of the city's first Presbyterian minister, James Clow, who was appointed chaplain for the East India Company in 1815. The Greek Revival architecture of St Andrew is said to have been inspired by St Martin-in-the-Fields, London.