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Photo: Aw1805, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Completed in 1718, it is the first Anglican church in Mumbai, to improve the "moral standards" of the growing British settlement. One of the gates in the Fort which the East India Company had built to protect their settlement was the entrance to the St. Thomas Church. It was called Churchgate. That is why the whole area towards the West of the Church is called “Churchgate” even today. The church was consecrated a cathedral in July 1837. The tower and the clock at the western end were added in 1838. About 25 years later a major renovation scheme was launched to enlarge the chancel. This was completed by 1865. The cathedral marks colonial Bombay's point zero, the exact centre of the city. Today a plaque at the entrance of the cathedral narrates the history of zero point.
St. Thomas Cathedral, Mumbai, is the 300-year old cathedral church of the Diocese of Mumbai of the Church of North India. It is named in honour of Saint Thomas the Apostle, who is believed to have first brought Christianity to India. The cathedral is located in Horniman Circle, the historic centre of Mumbai. It is in close proximity to famous Mumbai landmarks such as Flora Fountain and Bombay House. It is the oldest church in Mumbai. The Cathedral and John Connon School is run by the cathedral.
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Flora Fountain is an ornamental fountain dedicated to the Roman Goddess Flora. The walls of the Bombay Fort were demolished in 1862 and the gate leading to the church was replaced by the Flora Fountain in 1864. It was built at a cost of ₹64,000 or £9,000. The Flora Fountain is surrounded by several Victorian-era buildings. In 1960, the square was renamed "Hutatma Chowk" (Martyr's Square) in memory of the people who laid their lives during the birth of the state of Maharashtra. Next to the Flora Fountain stands a stone statue in memory of the martyrs. The statue consists of a pair of martyrs holding a torch.
दलाल पथ Dalāl Path
The historic financial heart of Mumbai, and home to the iconic Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). Like New York's Wall Street, Dalal Street is a metonym for India's big business, stock market and the entire financial industry based in Mumbai. A narrow alley running between Mumbai Samachar Marg and Nagindas Master Rd, Dalal Street is named after the Marathi word for broker, as local brokers were trading informally under banyan trees near Horniman Circle in the 1850s. In 1875, they formed the Native Share and Stock Brokers’ Association, which is now the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
The Asiatic Society of Mumbai is a learned society in the field of Asian studies. The library of the Society has over 100,000 books out of which 15,000 are classified as rare and valuable. It also has priceless artefacts and over 3,000 ancient manuscripts in Persian, Sanskrit and Prakrit, mostly on paper but some on palm leaf. The numismatic collection of 11,829 coins includes a gold coin of Kumaragupta I, a rare gold mohur of Akbar and coins issued by Shivaji. Its map collection comprises 1300 maps. The Town Hall (colloquially called "Tondal" in the 19th century) that houses the Asiatic Society of Mumbai was not built in 1804, the year in which the Literary Society of Bombay was formed. Though Sir James Mackintosh mooted the proposal for a grand edifice, it was not completed until 1830 (year to be confirmed with tablet on the entrance) after many fits and starts, when the Bombay Government agreed to make up for the shortfall in funds in return for office space. The after-effects of this compromise can still be seen in the unseemly crowds gathered at the Stamp Office and other government departments in the Town Hall. It is now classified as a heritage structure. Heavily influenced by Greek and Roman architecture, it has a portico with eight Doric columns. A flight of 30 steps lead up to the town hall and a wrought iron divided Regency staircase leads to the vestibule. In 1830 Sir John Malcolm, governor of Bombay stated: "It is the most magnificent structure that taste and munificence combined have as yet erected in India."
The massive building of Bombay High Court lies on the northeastern side of the Oval Maidan. It follows the Victorian Neo-Gothic style of architecture and was constructed by Col. James A. Fuller of the Royal Engineers. The building was completed in 1878 and is 562 feet (171 m) long and 187 feet (57 m) wide. The central part of the western side is an elevated section flanked by two octagonal towers. The towers are crowned with the statues of Justice and Mercy. The Bombay High Court is best viewed and photographed from the Oval Maidan.
The oldest Zoroastrian temple in Mumbai, built in 1709. It has a fortress-like structure.
मुद्रा संग्रहालय Mudrā Saṅgrahālay; मैद्रिक संग्रहालय Maudrik Saṅgrahālay
One of the museums in India that covers the evolution of money in the country, from the earliest barter system and the use of cowries to paper money, coins, stock markets and modern-day electronic transactions.