Gateway of India

The Gateway of India is a 26-metre yellow basalt arch on Apollo Bunder, facing the Arabian Sea, completed in 1924 to commemorate the 1911 landing of King George V and Queen Mary at the same spot — the only reigning British monarchs to visit India during the Raj. The architect George Wittet combined Indo-Saracenic, Gujarati, and Roman triumphal-arch motifs; the four turrets carry mock minarets, the central dome rises above the harbour-facing arch. Ironically, the structure also marks the British exit: in February 1948 the last British troops, the 1st Battalion Somerset Light Infantry, marched through it before boarding ships home. Today the plaza is the launch point for ferries to Elephanta Caves, the photo-op for every Mumbai tourist, and the hangout where Mumbaikars eat bhel puri at sunset. The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel sits across the road; the Naval Dockyard begins immediately east.