Gateway of India

The Gateway of India is an arch-monument completed in 1924 on the waterfront of Mumbai (Bombay), India. It was erected to commemorate the landing of George V for his coronation as the Emperor of India in December 1911 at Strand Road near Wellington Fountain. He was the first British monarch to visit India.

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Gateway of India
The Gateway of India
Location of Gateway of India in Mumbai Show map of Mumbai Location of Gateway of India in Maharashtra Show map of Maharashtra Location of Gateway of India in India Show map of India
General information
Type	Triumphal arch
Architectural style	Indo-Islamic architecture of Gujarat[upper-alpha 1]
Location	Mumbai, India
Coordinates	18.9219°N 72.8346°E / 18.9219; 72.8346
Construction started	31 March 1913
Completed	1924
Inaugurated	4 December 1924
Cost	₹21.13 lakhs
Owner	Archaeological Survey of India
Height	26 m (85 ft)
Dimensions
Diameter	15 metres (49 feet)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	George Wittet
Architecture firm	Gammon India
Renovating team
Architect(s)	George Wittet
Website
gatewayofindia.org

The foundation stone was laid in March 1913 for a monument built in the Indo-Islamic style, inspired by elements of 16th-century Gujarati architecture. The final design of the monument by architect George Wittet was sanctioned only in 1914, and construction was completed in 1924. The structure is a memorial arch made of basalt, which is 26 metres (85 feet) high, with an architectural resemblance to a triumphial arch as well as Gujarati architecture of the time.

After its construction, the Gateway was used as a symbolic ceremonial entrance to India for important government personnel. The Gateway is also the monument from where the last British troops in the Army of India left in 1948, following British withdrawal from India a year earlier. It is located on the waterfront at an angle, opposite the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel and overlooks the Arabian Sea. Today, the monument is synonymous with the city of Mumbai, and is amongst its prime tourist attractions. The gateway is also a gathering spot for locals, street vendors, and photographers soliciting services. It holds significance for the local Jewish community as it has been the spot for Hanukkah celebrations, with the lighting of the menorah, since 2003. There are five jetties located at the Gateway, of which two are used for commercial ferry operations.

The Gateway was the site of a terror attack in August 2003, when there was a bomb blast in a taxi parked in front of it. Access to the gateway was restricted after people congregated at its premises following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, in which the Taj Hotel opposite the gateway and other locations in its vicinity were targeted.

In March 2019, the Maharashtra state government proposed a four-step plan to develop the location for the convenience of tourists, following a direction issued by the state governor in February 2019.