Mumbai, India’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) is more than a railway station to its people. It has a long urban history being built in 1888 as the majestic reminder of the British Raj pre-independence and to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, hence the former name “Victoria Terminus.” Today, this Gothic-Victorian structure designed by British architect F.W. Stevens is still considered as one of the most iconic landmarks within the Central Business District (CBD) of the city named as a UNESCO “World Heritage Site” in 2004.
Mumbai, India’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) is more than a railway station to its people. It has a long urban history being built in 1888 as the majestic reminder of the British Raj pre-independence and to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, hence the former name “Victoria Terminus.” Today, this Gothic-Victorian structure designed by British architect F.W. Stevens is still considered as one of the most iconic landmarks within the Central Business District (CBD) of the city named as a UNESCO “World Heritage Site” in 2004.
A busy terminus, it is connected to the rest of the country. It stood as witness to the city that changed and flourished over the years. Businesses were born and boomed with this railway station.
It isn’t Your Regular Train Station
Thus, CTS isn’t just a typical rail station; it’s more than that, says Srinath Perur in The Guardian’s blog Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai’s iconic railway station – a history of cities in 50 buildings, day 20. Perur writes, “The old Victoria Terminus was the first truly public building in Bombay. So when it became a target of the 2008 terrorist attacks, what was violated was much more than just a railway station.”
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is a part of life of Mumbai for over a century.
“Almost anyone who has lived in Mumbai has paused in the common area at the head of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus suburban train platforms – not least to relieve the pervading mugginess by getting in the way of the industrial strength blowers that pass for fans.”
“From here one sees trains pull in, and commuters step off even before the train has stopped. A residual momentum propels them out into the city, as if the characteristic buzz of Mumbai is generated entirely in its trains.”
The entry of the CST is flanked by two statues – a lion and a tiger – to signify Great Britain and India. The core structure consists of limestone and sandstone while the interiors of the terminus are gorgeously lined with first-rate Italian marble.
What the Terroristic Attack Violates
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is the building most symbolic of Mumbai. It is one of the finest colonial edifice in the city and over three million people pass through its portals daily.
- CTS is a vital piece of Mumbai’s growth and functioning. It is, after all, the city’s first public transport system.
- The location of this terminus is strategic. It connects residential areas in the suburbs to the business and administrative sector of Mumbai.
- It has a history, that of the city and its people. It all started in the 1860s as Bombay began evolving from a British military post to a business capital.
- CTS have a unique architecture dubbed as “Bombay Gothic.” It is a fusion of gothic revival fashionable in England at the time of construction courtesy of its designer and Indian craftsmen, material, motifs and climate.
- “Mumbai and the railways were made for each other.” The topography of Mumbai discourages other means of shuttle. It makes it impractical to travel with a private vehicle, even for those who can afford it. CTS remains to be the most reliable form of commute in Mumbai and its suburbs.
- CTS (or VT for Victorian Terminus as commuters still call it by habit) was the first colonial structure in the city that was opened to the entire public without discrimination. Thus, it was a building shared by everyone regardless if the colors of their skin, castes, religion or classes.
- CTS is accessible to several nearby tourist attractions, such as the Gateway of India, Elephanta Caves, Flora Fountain, Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Marine Drive, Juhu Beach, and Mumbai University,
Thus, when it was attacked by terrorists in 2008, it wasn’t just the terminus that was violated. The city’s history, the iconic symbol of Mumbai, the businesses’ struggles to clamber up against recession and inflation, every resident’s memory of their commutes to their work and back home, and more. “Fifty-eight people died here; more than 100 were injured. Few Mumbaikars had seen the insides of the five-star hotels that were also attacked, but everyone had walked on the platforms that were seen bloodied in news reports. To strike CST was to get at the heart of Mumbai”
Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is among the city’s most cherished landmarks; it is something you shouldn’t miss. Being well-connected to a host of important landmarks and destinations, the CST or VT will reliably take you where you want to go in India.
