Exhibition Environment


About India

India is a pictorial kaleidoscope of landscapes, opulent historical sites and royal cities, golden beaches, misty mountain retreats, colourful people, rich cultures and festivities. It is the seventh largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people and the most populous democracy in the world.

India has metamorphosised into one of the most sought after destinations for travel due to the presence of several renowned world heritage sites and an inherent spiritualistic force, which pulls enthusiastic travellers from all over the world.

Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal was built by the Muslim Emperor, Shah Jahan, in the memory of his dear wife and queen Mumtaz Mahal at Agra. It is built entirely of white marble.
Taj Mahal (meaning Crown Palace) is a Mausoleum that houses the grave of queen Mumtaz Mahal at the lower chamber. The grave of Shah Jahan was added to it later. It was constructed over a period of twenty-two years, employing twenty thousand workers and was completed in 1648 C.E. at a cost of Rs. 32 million.

Lotus Temple - Modern Temple of Delhi
The Bahá'í House of Worship in Delhi, popularly known as the Lotus Temple due to its flowerlike shape, is a house of worship and also a prominent attraction in Delhi. It was completed in 1986 and serves as the Mother Temple of the Indian subcontinent.The Lotus Temple is open to all, regardless of religion or any other distinction, as emphasized in Bahá'í texts.

Delhi Red Fort
The Red Fort or Lal Qila is a 17th century fort complex constructed by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the walled city of Old Delhi that served as the residence of the Imperial family of India. It also served as the capital of the Mughals until 1857, when Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was exiled by the British Indian government. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.
The fort is octagonal in shape, like most Islamic buildings in India. The north of the fort is connected to the smaller Salimgarh fort. It towers at a height of 33.5m. On the outside, you can still see the moat that was originally connected with the Yamuna River.

Humayun's Tomb
Humayun's tomb is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor, Humayun. The tomb was commissioned by Humayun's wife Hamida Banu Begum in 1562 CE and designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyath, a Persian architect.

It was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent and is located in Nizamuddin East, Delhi, close to the Dina- panah citadel also known as Purana Qila, that Humayun founded in 1533. It was also the first structure to use red sandstone at such a scale.

Qutub Minar in Delhi
The Qutub Minar is a tower located in Delhi, India. It is the world's tallest brick minaret with a height of 72.5 meters (237.8 ft). Construction commenced by Qutb-ud-din Aibak who won Delhi from Prithviraj under Muhammad Ghori as his commander in chief and finished by Iltutmish. The Qutub Minar is notable for being one of the earliest and most prominent examples of Indo- Islamic architecture. It is surrounded by several other ancient and medieval structures and ruins, collectively known as Qutub complex.


                        

About Mumbai

Welcome to Mumbai, the business, industrial, financial, and celluloid hub of India. Mumbai is also often referred to as the city that never sleeps. This city of dreams was once presented to King Charles II in 1661 as part of the dowry when he married Princess Catherine de Braganza of Portugal. Today, it is the state capital of Maharashtra and the financial capital of India. To the tourists Mumbai offers an amazing array of places to visit, these are given below:

Gateway of India
Mumbai's most striking monument, Gateway of India, was designed by George Wittet. It has an imposing gateway arch in the Indo- Saracenic style with Gujarati and Islamic elements such as wooden carvings. It was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to India in 1911. This area is also the departing point for ferries plying to Elephanta Island. Behind it is the beautiful old (and new) structure of the Taj Mahal Hotel.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Terminus)
This is a magnificent building and is considered to be architecturally one of the finest stations in the world. Built by the British in 1888, it has exquisite ornamentation on its facade along with beautifully executed panels and friezes. It holds the statue of Queen Victoria on its dome.

Flora Fountain and the Gothic/Victorian buildings of the Fort Area
The Flora Fountain stands on the site of the old church gate of the Bombay Fort, now a major crossroad named Hutatma Chowk. It was erected to honour Sir Bartle Frere, a former governor of Bombay and named after the Greek goddess Flora. Other buildings to see in the Fountain or Fort area are the University of Mumbai buildings including the imposing Rajabhai Tower, the Mumbai High Court, the Old Secretariat, the Institute of Science, St Thomas Cathedral, the Asiatic Society of Bombay or Town Hall, the Office of the Director General of Police, the General Post Office and the Thomas Cook building.

Prince of Wales Museum
This is one of Mumbai's finest examples of Victorian architecture. Built to commemorate King George V's visit to Mumbai (while still Prince of Wales), it was designed by George Wittet and completed in 1923. It is undoubtedly one of India's finest museums and houses treasures, artefacts, paintings and sculpture from the many periods covering India's history, including the Indus Valley Civilization. Open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10.30 am to 6 pm.

Jehangir Art Gallery
Close by to the Prince of Wales Museum, this gallery is the showcase for contemporary art. The displays change regularly. Outside is the Artist's Plaza with many paintings on display and sale. Open daily from 11 am to 7 pm.

National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA)
This is the former Cowasji Jehangir Hall, of the Institute of Science. It has been renovated to serve as a four-storey exhibition hall, displaying the best of Indian contemporary art. Open daily except Monday, from 10 am to 5 pm.

Mani Bhavan
This simple and charming museum was where Mahatma Gandhi lived on his visits to Mumbai between 1917 and 1934. Gandhi's room and belongings including his books are on display. Mani Bhavan is situated on Laburnam Road, near the August Kranti Maidan, where the 'Quit India' movement was launched in 1942. Open daily from 9.30 am to 6 pm.

Mahalaxmi Temple
The Mahalaxmi Temple is a popular holy site as Mahalaxmi is the goddess of wealth. It is situated at one end of Breach Candy -- a trendy residential and shopping area, now known as B. Desai Road.

Siddhivinayak Temple
Located in the Prabha Devi area of Mumbai, this popular temple dedicated to Lord Ganesh was rebuilt on the site of a 200-year old temple. Built of black stone, the idol of Ganesh is two and a half feet in height and two feet in width. An unusual feature of the statue is that the trunk turns to the right, not often found on Ganesh idols. Tuesday is the main day of darshan and puja, but this temple is frequented by hundreds of devotee’s every day.

Haji Ali Shrine
Further along the seashore, at the end of a long pathway surrounded by seawater is the shrine dedicated to Haji Ali, a Muslim saint. Access is only at low tide via the pathway.

Mount Mary Chruch, Bandra
The Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount, more commonly known as Mount Mary, is a Roman Catholic church in the Bandra suburb. It is one of the most visited churches in Bandra. It is very close to Bandstand. Every September, the feast of St. Mary is celebrated on the Sunday following 8 September, the birthday of the Virgin Mary. This festival goes on for an entire week and thousands of people visit this festival also known as the Bandra Fair.

Marine Drive and Chowpatty Beach
This is the stretch now known as Netaji Subhashchandra Bose Road with Nariman Point on one end to Babulnath, at the foot of Walkeshwar on the other. For the most part, a pleasant promenade continues along the beach with the Chowpatty area situated somewhat in the middle. Chowpatty Beach is a teeming mass of people, vendors, masseurs and roadside restaurants with its specialties being bhelpuri and kulfi. Across the Chowpatty Beach area is the Taraporewala Aquarium. Marine Drive is also referred to as the Queen's Necklace because of the dramatic line of street lamps lit up at night.

Juhu Beach
This suburban beach is great favourite with Mumbaites, and has plenty to offer everyone. Juhu 'Chowpatty' is a vendor's delight with innumerable food counters. It is a wonderful place to bring kids, as it doubles up as an amusement park, play ground, and open-air restaurant. An unusual sight at this beach is the horse ride, which is both fun and popular.

Malabar Hill
This is essentially an up-market residential area with some spectacular views of the city surroundings. On the road climbing up, is a Jain temple dedicated to Adinath, the first Jain tirthankara. At one end, on the top are the Hanging Gardens (Pherozeshah Mehta Gardens) and the Kamala Nehru Park. Beside the Hanging Gardens are the Parsi Towers of Silence. But these are off-limits to all except those who have come to dispose and pay respect to the dead. Towards the other end is the Banganga temple complex at Walkeshwar, considered to be one of Mumbai's holiest sites. Further away is the British built Raj Bhavan, the residence of the governor of Maharashtra. The Banganga Festival of Music is a yearly highlight, and is in the month of January usually.

Crawford Market
A busy market area, this is best visited early on in the day. The fruits and vegetable section offers the best of produce. Depending on when you visit, the fruit/s of the season is always a good buy.

Esselworld
This is Mumbai's only international-style theme park and amusement centre situated close to Gorai Beach. Special ferries get you across to the park and the entrance fee normally takes care of a fixed number of rides. These include the standard roller coaster and adventure themes, plus a water world section where kids can literally run amok. Summer is usually crowded, but the place also offers low budget monsoon packages and special deals on weekends.