• A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area which is chosen
by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation (UNESCO) as having cultural, historical,
scientific or other form of significance, and is legally protected
by international treaties. The sites are judged important to the
collective interests of humanity.
• To be selected, a World Heritage Site must be an already-
classified landmark, unique in some respect as a geographically
and historically identifiable place having special cultural or
physical significance (such as an ancient ruin or historical
structure, building, city, complex, desert, forest, island, lake,
monument, mountain, or wilderness area). It may signify a
remarkable accomplishment of humanity, and serve as
evidence of our intellectual history on the planet.
• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are important
places of cultural or natural heritage as described in the
UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972.
• There are 38 World Heritage Sites located in India. These
include 30 cultural sites, seven natural sites and one mixed site.
India has the sixth largest number of sites in the world.
WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN MAHARASHTRA 3

4
1) Agra Fort (1983)
2) Ajanta Caves (1983)
3) Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar (2016)
4) Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi (1989)
5) Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park (2004)
6) Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) (2004)
7) Churches and Convents of Goa (1986)
8) Elephanta Caves (1987)
9) Ellora Caves (1983)
10) Fatehpur Sikri (1986)
11) Great Living Chola Temples (1987,2004)
12) Group of Monuments at Hampi (1986)
13) Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram (1984)
14) Group of Monuments at Pattadakal (1987)
15) Hill Forts of Rajasthan (2013)
16) Historic City of Ahmadabad (2017)
17) Humayun's Tomb, Delhi (1993)
18) Jaipur City, Rajasthan (2019)
19) Khajuraho Group of Monuments (1986)
20) Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya (2002)
21) Mountain Railways of India (1999,2005,2008)
22) Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi (1993)
23) Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat (2014)
24) Red Fort Complex (2007)
25) Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka (2003)
26) Sun Temple, Konârak (1984)
27) Taj Mahal (1983)
28) The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the
Modern Movement (2016)
29) The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur (2010)
30) Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai (2018)
31) Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area (2014)
32) Kaziranga National Park (1985)
33) Keoladeo National Park (1985)
34) Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (1985)
35) Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks (1988,2005)
36) Sundarbans National Park (1987)
37) Western Ghats (2012)
38) Khangchendzonga National Park (2016)

• According to UNESCO, these are masterpieces of Buddhist religious art that
influenced the Indian art that followed. The caves were built in two phases, the
first phase starting around the 2nd century BCE, while the second phase was built
around 400–650 CE, according to older accounts, or in a brief period of 460–480
CE according to later scholarship. The site is a protected monument in the care of
the Archaeological Survey of India, and since 1983, the Ajanta Caves have been
a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• The Ajanta Caves constitute ancient monasteries and worship-halls of different
Buddhist traditions carved into a 75-metre (246 ft) wall of rock. The caves also
present paintings depicting the past lives and rebirths of the Buddha, pictorial
tales from Aryasura's Jatakamala, and rock-cut sculptures of Buddhist
deities Textual records suggest that these caves served as a monsoon retreat for
monks, as well as a resting site for merchants and pilgrims in ancient India.`
While vivid colours and mural wall-painting were abundant in Indian history as
evidenced by historical records, Caves 16, 17, 1 and 2 of Ajanta form the largest
corpus of surviving ancient Indian wall-painting.
• The Ajanta Caves are mentioned in the memoirs of several medieval-era Chinese
Buddhist travellers to India and by a Mughal-era official of Akbar era in the early
17th century. They were covered by jungle until accidentally "discovered" and
brought to Western attention in 1819 by a colonial British officer Captain John
Smith on a tiger-hunting party. The caves are in the rocky northern wall of the U-
shaped gorge of the river Waghur, in the Deccan plateau. Within the gorge are a
number of waterfalls, audible from outside the caves when the river is high.
5
• The Ajanta Caves are 30 rock-
cut Buddhist cave monuments which
date from the 2nd century BCE to
about 480 CE in Aurangabad
district of Maharashtra state
of India. The caves include paintings
and rock-cut sculptures described as
among the finest surviving examples of
ancient Indian art, particularly
expressive paintings that present
emotion through gesture, pose and
form. THE AJANTA CAVES
WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN MAHARASHTRA

• The Ajanta Caves are generally agreed to
have been made in two distinct periods, the
first during the 2nd century BCE to 1st
century CE, and a second several centuries
later.
• The caves consist of 36 identifiable
foundations, some of them discovered after
the original numbering of the caves from 1
through 29. The later-identified caves have
been suffixed with the letters of the alphabet,
such as 15A, identified between originally
numbered caves 15 and 16. The cave
numbering is a convention of convenience,
and does not reflect the chronological order
of their construction
6
CAVE 19, AJANTA, 5th -
CENTURY CHAITYA HALL.
• The Ajanta Caves are generally agreed to have been made in two distinct periods,
the first during the 2nd century BCE to 1st century CE, and a second several
centuries later.
• The caves consist of 36 identifiable foundations, some of them discovered after the
original numbering of the caves from 1 through 29. The later-identified caves have
been suffixed with the letters of the alphabet, such as 15A, identified between
originally numbered caves 15 and 16. The cave numbering is a convention of
convenience, and does not reflect the chronological order of their construction.
• Four of the later caves have large and relatively well-preserved mural paintings
which, states James Harle, "have come to represent Indian mural painting to the
non-specialist", and represent "the great glories not only of Gupta but of all Indian
art“. They fall into two stylistic groups, with the most famous in Caves 16 and 17,
and apparently later paintings in Caves 1 and 2.

SITE :~
• The caves are carved out of flood basalt rock
of a cliff, part of the Deccan Traps formed by
successive volcanic eruptions at the end of
the Cretaceous geological period. The rock is
layered horizontally, and somewhat variable
in quality. This variation within the rock
layers required the artists to amend their
carving methods and plans in places. The
inhomogeneity in the rock have also led to
cracks and collapses in the centuries that
followed, as with the lost portico to cave 1.
Excavation began by cutting a narrow tunnel
at roof level, which was expanded
downwards and outwards; as evidenced by
some of the incomplete caves such as the
partially-built vihara caves 21 through 24 and
the abandoned incomplete cave 28.
6
CAVE 24, AJANTA CAVES
HAVE BEEN CARVED INTO
A MASSIVE ROCK OF THE
DECCAN PLATEAU
MONASTERIES :~
• The majority of the caves are vihara halls with
symmetrical square plans. To each vihara hall
are attached smaller square dormitory cells cut
into the walls. A vast majority of the caves were
carved in the second period, wherein a shrine or
sanctuary is appended at the rear of the cave,
centred on a large statue of the Buddha, along
with exuberantly detailed reliefs and deities
near him as well as on the pillars and walls, all
carved out of the natural rock. This change
reflects the shift from Hinayana to Buddhism.
These caves are often called monasteries.
A MONASTERY, OR VIHARA,
WITH ITS SQUARE HALL
SURROUNDED BY MONKS'
CELLS. CAVE 4.
• The central square space of the interior of the viharas is defined by square
columns forming a more-or-less square open area. Outside this are long
rectangular aisles on each side, forming a kind of cloister. Along the side and rear
walls are a number of small cells entered by a narrow doorway; these are roughly
square, and have small niches on their back walls. Originally they had wooden
doors. The centre of the rear wall has a larger shrine-room behind, containing a
large Buddha statue.

• Ellora is a UNESCO World Heritage
Site located in the Aurangabad
district of Maharashtra, India. It is one of the
largest rock-cut monastery-temple cave
complexes in the world,
featuring Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monume
nts, and artwork, dating from the 600–1000
CE period. Cave 16, in particular, features
the largest single monolithic rock excavation
in the world, the Kailasha temple, a chariot
shaped monument dedicated to Shiva. The
Kailasha temple excavation also features
sculptures depicting the gods, goddesses and
mythologies in Vaishnavism, Shaktism as
well as relief panels summarizing the two
major Hindu Epics.
7
• There are over 100 caves at the site, all excavated from the basalt cliffs in the
Charanandri Hills, 34 of which are open to public. These consist of 12 Buddhist
(caves 1–12), 17 Hindu (caves 13–29) and 5 Jain (caves 30–34) caves, each
group representing deities and mythologies prevalent in the 1st millennium CE,
as well as monasteries of each respective religion.[6] They were built close to one
another and illustrate the religious harmony that existed in ancient India. All of
the Ellora monuments were built during Hindu dynasties such as the Rashtrakuta
dynasty, which constructed part of the Hindu and Buddhist caves, and the Yadava
dynasty, which constructed a number of the Jain caves. Funding for the
construction of the monuments was provided by royals, traders and the wealthy
of the region.
• Although the caves served as monasteries, temples and a rest stop for
pilgrims, the site's location on an ancient South Asian trade route also made it an
important commercial centre in the Deccan region. It is 29 kilometres (18 miles)
north-west of Aurangabad, and about 300 kilometres (190 miles) east-northeast
of Mumbai. Today, the Ellora Caves, along with the nearby Ajanta Caves, are a
major tourist attraction in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra and a protected
monument under the Archaeological Survey of India.
THE ELLORA CAVES

• The Hindu caves were constructed during the Kalachuris period, from the mid-6th
century to the end of the 8th century in two phases. Nine cave temples were excavated
early in the 6th century,[ followed by a further four caves (caves 17–29). Work first
commenced, in order, on Caves 28, 27 and 19 then Caves 29 and 21, which were
excavated concurrently with Caves 20 and 26. Caves 17 and 28 were the last ones to be
started.
• The later caves, 14, 15 and 16, were constructed during the Rashtrakuta period, some
being dated to between the 8th to 10th centuries. Work first began in Caves 14 and 15
with Cave 16, the world's largest monolith, being the last of the three to be
constructed. These caves were completed in the 8th century with the support of
king Krishna.
8
PARVATI & DANCING SHIVA IN AN ELLORA CAVE
RAMESHWAR TEMPLE :~
• Cave 21, also called Rameshwar Lena, is another early
excavation whose construction has been credited to the
Kalachuri dynasty. The cave was completed prior to the
ascension of Rashtrakuta dynasty which went on to expand
the caves at Ellora.
• Although the cave features similar works to those in other
Ellora caves, it also has a number of unique pieces, such as
those depicting the story of goddess Parvati's pursuit of
Shiva. Carvings depicting Parvati and Shiva at leisure,
Parvati's wedding to Shiva, Shiva dancing and Kartikeya
(Skanda) have been found in other caves. The cave also
features a large display of the Sapta Matrika, the seven
mother goddesses of the Shakti tradition of Hinduism,
flanked on either side by Ganesha and Shiva. Inside the
temple are other goddesses important to Shakti tradition, for
example, the Durga. The entrance to Cave 21 is flanked by
large sculptures of the goddesses Ganga and Yamuna
representing the two major Himalayan rivers and their
significance to the Indian culture.
GODDESS GANGAAT
THE ENTRANCE OF
RAMESHWAR TEMPLE

KAILASA TEMPLE :~
• Cave 16, known as the Kailasa temple, is a particularly notable cave temple in
India as a result of its size, architecture and having been entirely carved out of a
single rock.
• The Kailasha temple, inspired by Mount Kailasha, is dedicated to Shiva. It is
modeled along similar lines to other Hindu temples with a gateway, an assembly
hall, a multi-storey main temple surrounded by numerous shrines laid out
according to the square principle, an integrated space for circumambulation, a
garbha-grihya wherein resides the linga-yoni, and a spire-shaped like Mount
Kailash – all carved from one rock. Other shrines carved from the same rock are
dedicated to Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, the ten avatars of Vishnu, Vedic gods
and goddesses including Indra, Agni, Vayu, Surya and Usha, as well as non-Vedic
deities like Ganesha, Ardhanarishvara (half Shiva, half Parvati), Harihara (half
Shiva, half Vishnu), Annapurna, Durga and others. The basement level of the
temple features numerous Shaiva, Vaishnava and Shakti works; a notable set of
carvings include the twelve episodes from the childhood of Krishna.
9
DASHAVATARA TEMPLE :~
• The Dashavatara temple, or Cave 15, is another significant excavation that was
completed sometime after Cave 14 (Ravan ki Khai, Hindu). Cave 15 has cells
and a layout plan that are similar to Buddhist Caves 11 and 12, which suggests
this cave was intended to be a Buddhist cave; however, the presence of non-
Buddhist features, such as a Nrtya Mandapa (an Indian classical dance pavilion)
at its entrance, indicated otherwise. According to James Harle, Hindu images
have been found in Buddhist Cave 11, while many Hindu deities have been
incorporated in Buddhist caves of the region. This overlap in disparate designs
between Buddhist and Hindu caves may be due to the sites being worked on by
the same architects and workers, or perhaps a planned Buddhist cave was adapted
into a Hindu monument.
KAILASANATHA TEMPLE, REMARKABLY CARVED OUT OF ONE
SINGLE ROCK WAS BUILT BY RASHTRAKUTA KING KRISHNA

• Elephanta Caves are a UNESCO World
Heritage Site and a collection of cave
temples predominantly dedicated to the
Hindu god Shiva They are on Elephanta
Island, or Gharapuri (literally "the city of
caves"), in Mumbai Harbour, 10
kilometres (6.2 mi) east of Mumbai in
the Indian state of Mahārāshtra. The
island, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) west of
the Jawaharlal Nehru Port, consists of
five Hindu caves and a
few Buddhist stupa mounds that date back
to the 2nd century BCE, as well as a small
group of two Buddhist caves with water
tanks.
10
• The Elephanta Caves contain rock cut stone sculptures that show syncretism of
Hindu and Buddhist ideas and iconography. The caves are hewn from
solid basalt rock. Except for a few exceptions, much of the artwork is defaced
and damaged. The main temple's orientation as well as the relative location of
other temples are placed in a mandala pattern. The carvings narrate Hindu
mythologies, with the large monolithic 20 feet (6.1 m) Trimurti Sadashiva (three-
faced Shiva), Nataraja (Lord of dance) and Yogishvara (Lord of Yoga) being the
most celebrated.
• The origins and date when the caves were constructed have attracted
considerable speculations and scholarly attention since the 19th century. These
date them between 5th and 9th century, and attribute them to various Hindu
dynasties. They are more commonly placed between 5th and 7th centuries. Most
scholars consider it to have been completed by about 550 CE.
• They were named Elefante – which morphed to Elephanta – by the colonial
Portuguese when they found elephant statues on it. They established a base on
the island, and its soldiers damaged the sculpture and caves. The main cave
(Cave 1, or the Great Cave) was a Hindu place of worship until the Portuguese
arrived, whereupon the island ceased to be an active place of worship. The
earliest attempts to prevent further damage to the Caves were started by British
India officials in 1909. The monuments were restored in the 1970s. In 1987, the
restored Elephanta Caves were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is
currently maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
20 FT HIGH TRIMURTI SCULPTURE

SADASIVA : TRIMURTI :~
• The Trimurti is considered a masterpiece and the
most important sculpture in the caves. It is carved in
relief on the south wall of the cave facing the north
entrance, along the north-south axis. It is also known
as Sadashiva and Maheshmurti. The image, 6 m
(20 ft) in height, depicts a three-headed Shiva,
representing Panchamukha Shiva.
• The three heads represent three essential aspects of
Shiva: creation, protection, and destruction. As per
another version, the three heads symbolize
compassion and wisdom. The right half-face (west
face) shows him holding a lotus bud, depicting the
promise of life and creativity. This face is symbolism
for Brahma, the creator or Uma or Vamadeva, the
feminine side of Shiva and creator. The left half-face
(east face) is that of a moustached young man. The
central face, benign and meditative Tatpurusha,
resembles the preserver Vishnu. The three-headed
Shiva are his creator, preserver and destroyer aspects
in Shaivism. They are equivalently symbolism for
Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma, they being equivalent of
the three aspects found in Shaivism
11
ARDHANARISHVARA :~
• On the wall to the east of the Trimurti is a damaged
four-armed Ardhanarishvara carving. This image,
which is 5.11 m (16.8 ft) in height. It represents the
ancient Hindu concept of essential interdependence
of the feminine and the masculine aspects in the
universe, for its creation, its sustenance and its
destruction. It is represented as half woman shown
as half of Parvati in this Elephanta panel on the right
side, with breast, waist, feminine hair and items
such as a mirror in the upper hand. The second half-
man side is Shiva with male characteristics and
items iconographically his symbol. In Shaivism, the
concept pictorially symbolizes the transcendence of
all duality including gender, with the spiritual
lacking any distinctions, where energy and power
(Shakti, Parvati) is unified and is inseparable with
the soul and awareness (Brahman, Shiva).
TRIMURTI SHIVA FLANKED BY
THE DVARAPALAS
ARDHANARISHVARA
(CENTRE) : HALF FEMALE
(PARVATI) AND HALF
MALE (SHIVA), FEMININE-
MASCULINE
EQUIVALENCEWORLD HERITAGE SITES IN MAHARASHTRA

• The Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai is a collection of
19th century Victorian Neo Gothic public buildings and 20th century Art
Deco buildings in the Fort area of Mumbai in Maharashtra, India. This collection
of the Victorian Gothic buildings and Art Deco buildings are set around the Oval
Maidan, a large recreational ground that was once known as the Esplanade. The
east of the Oval is flanked by the Victorian Gothic public buildings and the
western side is flanked by the Art Deco buildings of Backbay Reclamation
and Marine Drive. This nomination aims to safeguard a total of 94 buildings.
• The 19th century Victorian Gothic buildings that lie to the east of the Oval are
mainly the Bombay High Court, The University of Mumbai (Fort Campus) and
The City Civil and Sessions Court (Housed in the Old Secretariat Building). This
stretch also houses one of the landmarks of Mumbai, the Rajabai Clock Tower.
The 20th century Art Deco buildings flank the western stretch of the Oval and
consist mainly of privately owned residential buildings and the Eros
Cinema among others.
12
• This ensemble of Victorian Gothic and Art Deco buildings was added to the
list of World Heritage Sites on 30 June 2018 during 42nd session of World
Heritage Committee at Manama, Bahrain.
BOMBAY HIGH COURT (VICTORIAN GOTHIC)

13
THE EROS CINEMA (ART DECO) The Municipal Corporation of Greater
Mumbai building
THE MUMBAI
POLICE HEADQUARTERS
THE CRAWFORD MARKET
CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ TERMINUS

• The Taj Mahal : 'Crown of the Palaces' is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on
the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra. It was
commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (reigned from 1628 to
1658) to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal; it also houses the
tomb of Shah Jahan himself. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 17-hectare (42-
acre) complex, which includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal
gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall.
• Construction of the mausoleum was essentially completed in 1643, but work
continued on other phases of the project for another 10 years. The Taj Mahal
complex is believed to have been completed in its entirety in 1653 at a cost
estimated at the time to be around 32 million rupees, which in 2015 would be
approximately 52.8 billion rupees (U.S. $827 million). The construction project
employed some 20,000 artisans under the guidance of a board of architects led by
the court architect to the emperor, Ustad Ahmad Lahauri.
14
• The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for
being "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired
masterpieces of the world's heritage". It is regarded by many as the best example
of Mughal architecture and a symbol of India's rich history. The Taj Mahal
attracts 7–8 million visitors a year and in 2007, it was declared a winner of
the New 7 Wonders of the World (2000–2007) initiative.
The Taj Mahal

• The Taj Mahal incorporates and expands on design traditions of Persian and
earlier Mughal architecture. Specific inspiration came from
successful Timurid and Mughal buildings including the Gur-e Amir (the tomb of
Timur, progenitor of the Mughal dynasty, in Samarkand), Humayun's
Tomb, Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb (sometimes called the Baby Taj), and Shah
Jahan's own Jama Masjid in Delhi. While earlier Mughal buildings were
primarily constructed of red sandstone, Shah Jahan promoted the use of white
marble inlaid with semi-precious stones. Buildings under his patronage reached
new levels of refinement.
• TOMB :~
• The tomb is the central focus of the entire complex of the Taj Mahal. It is a large,
white marble structure standing on a square plinth and consists of a symmetrical
building with an iwan (an arch-shaped doorway) topped by a large dome & finial.
• The base structure is a large multi-chambered cube with chamfered corners
forming an unequal eight-sided structure that is approximately 55 metres (180 ft)
on each of the four long sides. Each side of the iwan is framed with a
huge pishtaq or vaulted archway with two similarly shaped arched balconies
stacked on either side. This motif of stacked pishtaqs is replicated on the
chamfered corner areas, making the design completely symmetrical on all sides
of the building. Four minarets frame the tomb, one at each corner of the plinth
facing the chamfered corners.
15
TAJ MAHAL GALLERY

OUTLYING BUILDINGS :~
• The Taj Mahal complex is bordered on three sides by crenellated red sandstone
walls; the side facing the river is open. Outside the walls are several additional
mausoleums, including those of Shah Jahan's other wives, and a larger tomb for
Mumtaz's favourite servant.
16
• The main gateway (darwaza) is a monumental structure built primarily of marble,
and reminiscent of the Mughal architecture of earlier emperors. Its archways
mirror the shape of the tomb's archways, and its pishtaq arches incorporate the
calligraphy that decorates the tomb. The vaulted ceilings and walls have elaborate
geometric designs like those found in the other sandstone buildings in the
complex
THE WESTERN BUILDING, A MOSQUE, FACES THE TOMB
TAJ MAHALAND OUTLYING BUILDINGS AS SEEN FROM ACROSS THE YAMUNA RIVER
• At the far end of the complex are two grand red sandstone buildings that mirror
each other, and face the sides of the tomb. The backs of the buildings parallel the
western and eastern walls. The western building is a mosque and the other is
the jawab (answer), thought to have been constructed for architectural balance
although it may have been used as a guesthouse.

• Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (officially Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
Terminus) (station code: CSTM (mainline/ST (suburban)), also known by
its former name Victoria Terminus (station code: BBVT/VT), is a
historic terminal train station and UNESCO World Heritage
Site in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
17
• The terminus was designed by British architectural engineer Frederick William
Stevens in the style of Victorian Italianate Gothic Revival architecture. Its
construction began in 1878, in a location south of the old Bori Bunder railway
station, and was completed in 1887, the year marking 50 years of Queen Victoria's
rule, the building being named, Victoria Terminus.
• The station's name was changed to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (station code
CST) in March 1996 to honour Shivaji, the 17th-century founder of the “Maratha
Empire”, whose name is often preceded by Chhatrapati, a royal title. In 2017, the
station was again renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (code CSTM),
where Maharaj is also a royal title. However, both the former initials "VT" and the
current, "CST" and "CSMT", are commonly used.
• The terminus is the headquarters of India's Central Railway. It is one of the busiest
railway stations in India, serving as a terminal for both long-distance-
and suburban trains.
CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ TERMINUS

VICTORIA TERMINUS :~
• The railway station was built to replace the Bori Bunder railway station, in
the Bori Bunder area of Bombay, a prominent port and warehouse area known for
its imports and exports. Since Bombay became a major port city at the time, a
bigger station was built to meet its demands, and was named Victoria Terminus,
after the then reigning Empress of India, Queen Victoria. The station was
designed by the consulting British architect Frederick William Stevens. Work
began in 1878. He received ₹1,614,000 (US$23,000) as the payment for his
services. Stevens earned the commission to construct the station after a
masterpiece water colour sketch by draughtsman Axel Haig. The final design
bears some resemblance to St Pancras railway station in London. GG Scott's
plans for Berlin's parliament building had been published four years before, and
also has marked similarities to the station's design.
• The station took ten years to complete, the longest for any building of that era in
Bombay. This famous architectural landmark in a Gothic-revival style was built
as the headquarters of the Great Indian Peninsular Railway.
RENAMING :~
• The station has been renamed several times. It was built to replace Bori Bunder,
the terminus of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway from 1853 to 1888, and was
named Victoria Terminus to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria.
In 1996, the station was renamed to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in honour of
Emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji, founder of the Maratha Empire. In December 2016,
the Modi Ministry passed a resolution to change the name to Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj Terminus in the Maharashtra Assembly and in May 2017, the home
ministry officially sent a letter to the state government denoting the name change,
following which the station was yet again renamed as the Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj Terminus. However, both the former name "VT" and the current name
"CST" are popularly used.
2008 MUMBAI ATTACKS :~
• On 26 November 2008, two terrorists entered the passenger hall of the CST,
opened fire and threw grenades at people. The terrorists were armed with AK-
47 rifles. One of the terrorists, Ajmal Kasab, was later caught alive by the police
and identified by eyewitnesses. The others did not survive. The attacks began
around 21:30 when the two men entered the passenger hall and opened fire, The
attackers killed 58 people and injured 104 others, their assault ending at about
22:45 after they exited the station via the North FOB towards the west to Cama
hospital back entrance. The CCTV evidence was used to identify and indict
Kasab. In 2010, Kasab was sentenced to death for his role in the attack, and in
2012 he was hanged
18WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN MAHARASHTRA

World Heritage Sites in Maharashtra

World Heritage Sites in Maharashtra

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