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.

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.

History and significance

The Gateway, in 1911

Departure of the last British troops from the Gateway, in 1948

The Gateway of India is located in Mumbai. It is built on 2 December 1911. It was completed in 1920. The Gateway of India was built to commemorate the arrival of George V, Emperor of India and Mary of Teck, Empress consort, in India at Apollo Bunder, Mumbai (Bombay) on 2 December 1911 prior to the Delhi Durbar of 1911; it was the first visit of a British monarch to India.  However, they only got to see a cardboard model of the monument, as construction did not begin until 1915.

The foundation stone for the Gateway was laid on 31 March 1913 by then Governor of Bombay, Sir George Sydenham Clarke with the final design of George Wittet for the Gateway sanctioned in August 1914. Before the Gateway’s construction, Apollo Bunder used to serve a native fishing ground.  Between 1915 and 1919 work continued at the Apollo Bunder to reclaim the land on which the Gateway was to be built, along with the construction of a sea wall. Gammon India had undertaken construction work for the gateway.

Its foundations were completed in 1920 while construction was finished in 1924.  The Gateway was opened to the public on 4 December 1924 by then Viceroy, Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading.  Following Indian independence, the last British troops to leave India, the First Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry, passed through the Gateway with a 21-gun salute, as part of a ceremony on 28 February 1948, signalling the end of the British Raj

N. Kamala, professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University,  refers to the Gateway as a “jewel in the crown” and a “symbol of conquest and colonisation”. The monument commemorates the legacy of British colonial rule, namely the first visit of a British monarch to India and its use as an entry point for prominent colonial personnel into British India. Today the Gateway is synonymous with the city of Mumbai. Since its construction, the gateway has remained amongst the first structures visible to visitors arriving in Bombay by the sea. 

Since 2003, the Gateway has been the location for the local Jewish community to light the menorah for Hanukkah celebrations every year. This ritual was started by Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg of the chabad in Mumbai (located in Nariman House)  It also became a site for prayers following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks which targeted, amongst others, Nariman House. Rabbi Holtzberg lost his life in the 2008 terror attacks

Design and architecture 

The structure, in yellow basalt and concrete, is rectangular, with two long sides and two much shorter ones. Three arched passageways run between the long sides, as well as a single arched passageway between the two shorter sides. The central arch is higher and wider, with an extra storey above, from which four turrets rise. The arches on the short sides are the same size and design as the smaller arches on the long sides. The style of the Gateway of India is Indo-Saracenic architecture, with many details taken from the Gujarati regional style. The facade is reminiscent of Gujarati mosque facades, for example the Jama Mosque, Ahmedabad of 1424, while the basic shape is, in the terminology of classical architecture, an octopylon with a floor plan of eight piers, as used in some triumphal arches and memorials, including the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in Paris. The exterior features restrained but intricate bands of ornament, and jali screens around the smaller arches.

The sea-facing side

The Gateway’s arch has a height of 26 metres (85 feet) with its central dome being 15 metres (49 feet) in diameter.  The monument is built of yellow basalt and reinforced concrete.  The stones were sourced locally while the perforated screens were brought in from Gwalior.  The monument faces towards the Mumbai Harbour. There are four turrets on the structure of the gateway, and there are steps constructed behind the arch of the Gateway which lead to the Arabian Sea.  The monument features intricate stone latticework (also known as the jali work).  The Scottish architect, George Wittet combined indigenous architectural elements with elements of 16th-century architecture of Gujarat. The harbour front was realigned in order to make an esplanade, which would sweep down to the centre of the town. On each side of the arch, there are large halls with the capacity to hold 600 people. The cost of the construction was ₹21 lakh (US$26,000), borne by the then government. Due to a paucity of funds, the approach road was never built. Hence, the Gateway stands at an angle to the road leading up to it.

In February 2019, Seagate Technology and CyArk embarked on a mission to digitally record and preserve the Gateway, by digital scanning and archiving of the monument. The images and data collected will be used to make photo-real three dimensional models. This is a part of CyArk’s international programme for digitally preserving heritage monuments. It involves aerial surveys conducted with terrestrial laser scanning (LiDAR), drones, and photogrammetry exercises. The drawings and three-dimensional models will inform any future reconstruction works.