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Monday, October 03, 2005

Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai


Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai


Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai more commonly called by it's shorter abbreviation CST. This is how CST looks during the night. Earlier known as Victoria Terminus, Bombay or simply as VT.

The Victoria Terminus (known as CST), was opened in 1888 and is one of the world’s grandest railway stations, on a par with New York’s Grand Central Station or London’s St Pancras. Built in the Italian Gothic style, it looks more like a lavishly decorated cathedral than a railway station; massive arches soar splendidly above the scurrying crowd and carved into the pillars and buttresses are images of monkeys, peacocks, elephants and lions. The station is topped by a tall dome crowned with a statue representing ’Progress’.

Serving as the headquarters of the Central Railways in India, this is one of the busiest stations in India. On July 2, 2004 the station was nominated a World Heritage Site by the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO.

The building exhibits a fusion of influences from Victorian Italianate Gothic Revival architecture and traditional Indian architecture. The station stands as an example of 19th century railway architectural marvels for its advanced structural and technical solutions.

Till 1996 the station was named "Victoria Terminus" to honour Queen Victoria. It was renamed for Chatrapati Shivaji, a famed Maratha king, by the state government in keeping with policy of renaming locations with Indian names. Since the moniker Victoria Terminus has been long-standing, its use among the city inhabitants is still widespread.

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