Places to visit in Mumbai, India

1. Dhobi Ghat:

It's a fascinationg place, a huge human powered laundry factory, where 100s of washermen wash clothes in large concrete wash pens under the open sky. It's a hereditary profession for many and most of the washerman (Dhobi in Hindi) families are working here since last 2 or may be 3 generations and their technique have remained same.

Clothes are soaked up in boiling water with Caustic Soda and then they are flogged on a flogging slab to get rid of stains etc.

After drying them in the open, clothes are ironed with age old charcoal presses with heavy wooden handles. It's a great photo opportunity if nothing else, you can get a view from the bridge next to the Mahalaxmi station. If you have given your clothes for washing, most probably they are being washed here. Most of the local people find it rather amusing that an activity as mundane as washing arouses such curiosity.

2. Jain Temple:

The temple is dedicated to Lord Adishwar (also known as Rushabhdev), the first of 24 Jain "Tirthankaras" (omniscients - also called "Arihants" or "Jinas") of the current era. The temple is presently used by thousands of devotees of the Jain religion for their daily worship. The core belief of Jainism is that "moksha" (freedom from the cycle of birth and death) can be achieved by the three-fold path of right knowledge, right faith and right conduct.

Compared to most Jain temples, it is very large. In addition to the main idol of Lord Adinath, it contains idols of several other Arihants and also many tableaux of scenes from the Jain scriptures. In the outer courtytard there is a small shrine dedicated to Shri Ghantakaran Mahavir, a "deva" (celestial being) whose worship is believed to provide powerful protection from various kinds of harm through the invocation of a special mantra.

All visitors are required to remove footwear before entering the temple (socks are permitted). Women should dress modestly (no shorts, skirts or low-cut tops) and should not enter the temple if they are menstruating.

3. Gateway Of India:

The Gateway of India is of course, the logical place from where to begin your tour of Mumbai. 

After all, you're following in the footsteps of royalty!

The English King George V landed in India in 1911 at this very spot, and the citizens of Bombay pooled money and ideas to build this grand memorial to him.

Gandhi returned to India from South Africa through this very arch. People thronged to the gate to see him, they had heard stories of his success in South Africa. They called him Mahatma - Great Soul.

After Indian independence, the last British soldiers departed through this arch.

But the most important thing about the Gateway is not the arch at all - it's the sea beyond it. You see, it was this deep and safe harbour that first attracted the Portguese, who called it "Bom Bahia" - Good Bay (that's where the city's name comes from).

The Portuguese later gave away the island to the English as part of the dowry of the Portuguese princess Catharine Braganza. And the English East India Company developed Bombay into a major shipping and trading harbour.

So, you see, the city's very existence is because of this stretch of calm water.

To view the Gateway and its environs from the comfort of an aiconditioned ambience, get a table by the window at the Sea Lounge at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel opposite. The Sea Lounge is a quintessentially Mumbai institution and a must on the itinerary of a first-time visitor. Apart from the restaurant itself, the lobby and the staircase of the heritage wing of the Taj Mahal hotel are worth a look.

4. Kanheri Caves:

Located 10 km  from Borivali, and in the midst of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, lies these caves. The word Kanheri originates from Sanskrit word "Krishnagiri"  and means, "Black Mountain".

Considered to be in use during the period of 1st century BC to 9th century AD, primarily by Buddhist monks, the caves were chiseled out of a massive basaltic rock outcropping. Most of the 109 Buddhist caves chiseled out of the volcanic rock are spartan and unadroned simple small chambers, known as viharas. However,  the most appealing is the Chaitya cave, built sometime during the 4th to 5th Century AD, shows signs of decorative woodwork on the roof still present, and is definitely a big draw for the tourists.There are many sculptured statues of Buddha, on the outer sides of the wall, mainly in the Avalokiteswara incarnation. 

                                                                                                        -By Anirudh