Bombay

Bombay, which the king of Portugal gave as dowry of Charles II of England in 1661, has grown in 300 years from an unpretentious marshy fishing village to one of the world's great seaports and perhaps the most modern and cosmopolitan of Indian cities. Once leased by Charles for Rs. 130 to the East India Company, it is the centre of the country's industry, commerce and finance, having the biggest stock exchange and commodity trading centres. The palm-fringed shore and the hills studded with gardens, the long seafront with the picturesque Marine Drive along which rise rows of modern flats, the two-trains-a minute suburban railway system, the towering chimneys of one of the world's largest clusters of cotton textile mills, the fishing villages as primitive as when Catherine took Bombay a study in contrasts. The Park on top of Malabar Hill and the hanging gardens and the Juhu beach 15 kms from the centre of the city offer a haven of relaxation from the bustle of the metropolis. Other attractions are the Taraporevala Aqaurium on Marine Drive, the Prince of Wales Museum, the Gateway of India, the Zoological Garden and the Jehangir Art Gallery.

About 10kms south-east of Bombay by boat are the famous cave temples Elephanta dating back to the eighth century. Elephanta cannot be visited during the rainy monsoon months. In these caves there are five temples and they contain huge images of deities and panels in relief. The most impressive of the images is that of Trimurti, an 5.5 metres high threel-headed bust hewn from a single rock, representing the three aspects of God-the creator the preserver and the destroyer.