Rajabai Tower, Mumbai

On your visit to South Mumbai, one structure that has an overpowering presence in the region is the Rajabai Tower. One just cannot miss the glorious, ornate tower, standing poignantly, overlooking the High Court in Mumbai.

The construction of the Rajabai Tower was initiated on 1 March 1869. Financed by Premchand Roychand, the founding father of the Bombay Stock Exchange, the construction of this structure is believed to have taken a sum of Rs. 200,000 a great amount for any construction. The Tower gets its name from Premchand’s mother, Rajabai. It is said that Rajabai was blind and the Tower with its chimes every hour allowed her to keep time.

Flaunting a brilliant blend of Venetian and Gothic style of architecture, the Tower was designed by renowned British architect, Sir Gilbert Scott, who also worked on the Big Ben in London. Soaring at a height of 85m, the Tower took nine years to be completed and when the project concluded in 1878, it was the tallest building in the region. Constructed with the famous buff coloured Kurla stone, the Tower boasts some of the best stained glass windows in the country. The insides of the Tower are not open for visitors since like most tall structures around the world, the site became prone to suicide attempts.