If you’re in Maximum City, Mumbai during February 2021, here is something that you must not miss – For the first time in its hundred year plus history, the iconic Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC, to most) is opening its doors for tourists!
After the Gateway of India and the UNESCO Heritage Building of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (erstwhile Victoria Terminus), the BMC is the most iconic building in Mumbai. Located just opposite the CSMT, this Venetian Gothic building in the Indo Saracenic style, proudly poses with its dome rising 200ft in the air. Constructed in 1893, this will be the first time that general public can get a view of the insides of this iconic lady.
As per news reports, the special tour termed “Urbs Prima – Inside the BMC Headquarters” is organised by BMC and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), and is curated by Khaki Tours, an expert in conducting heritage walks and tours in the island city.
Aptly named thus, for the First City in India, the tour will take the visitors into a visual experience of the building’s architecture, to its famous dome, and some lesser know facts about the building like a floating staircase and a hidden source of water.
What's in it for travellers?
The tour is not only for classical architecture enthusiasts. If you are somebody wanting a peak into the 300-year-old history of Mumbai, you will find this tour quite memorable. Once the batch of 15 visitors have gathered at the selfie point outside the BMC building, a historian will lead the tour through the main staircase, the heritage dome, the courtyards, the corporation hall, the mayor’s chamber, commissioner’s office, and the standing committee hall.
The tour will conclude at the museum, where photos and videos of the building are on display. The visitors will also learn the history of the “urbs prima in Indis” statue, the winged angel representative of the city, and the statue of Sir Pherozeshah Mehta, that stands tall just outside the headquarters.
The tour is open only on weekends, in limited slots of 15 people each. A charge of Rs. 300 is levied per visitor for the one and half hour tour. For tickets and more details click here.
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