Taj Mahal Palace
The Taj Mahal Palace (now The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai , formerly also Taj Mahal Palace & Tower ) is a luxury hotel in the Indian city of Mumbai . It is located in the Colaba district near the Gateway of India and is owned by Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces . It is one of the Leading Hotels of the World .
history
The hotel opened on December 16, 1903 on behalf of the Parish industrialist Jamshedji Tata , one of the most influential entrepreneurs of his time. The plans came from the British architect WA Chambers based on the first drafts of the Indian architects Sitaram Khanderao Vaidya and DN Mirza. The building plot is located directly on the eastern coastline, called Apollo Bunder. Over the years, the hotel has become a legend and has hosted famous personalities such as Mick Jagger , Marianne Faithfull , Prince Charles , The Beatles , Bill Clinton and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis .
During the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November 2008 , the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel was also a target of terrorists. The hotel was damaged by a fire they started. Several dozen hostages were held in the hotel by armed men who describe themselves as the "Deccan Mujahideen" group. According to eyewitnesses, the hostages were specifically selected based on their American or British citizenship. On August 15, 2010 the hotel reopened.
With The Taj Mahal Hotel , the Taj Mahal Palace has got a sister hotel in New Delhi , which is also operated by the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces hotel chain .
architecture
The hotel consists of two separate buildings, the old building ( English Palace , 'palace') and a more recent high-rise building to the north ( tower , 'tower').
The floor plan of the Palace is a symmetrical three-wing complex around a central garden in front of the main facade. A large dome towers above them. In addition, smaller dome pavilions were erected at the distinctive corners of the building. The ground floor is characterized by a spacious arcade that runs along the east and south sides. The hotel management offices, shops and an art gallery are also located here. The first floor houses the dining room, drawing and reading rooms as well as several luxurious suites . The hotel rooms are located on the upper floors.
In terms of style, the Palace is a mixture of different medieval forms from Gujarat , Victorian-Gothic influences and Arabic and Islamic forms such as the arches of the ground floor arcades. With its large dome, the hotel is one of the defining buildings on Mumbai's skyline .
literature
- Christopher London: India Series: Bombay Gothic: India Book House Ltd., 2006, ISBN 8175083298
Web links
- Hotel page from Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces , accessed February 7, 2013
swell
- ↑ BBC News website on November 27, 2008 at 00:54 GMT . Retrieved November 27, 2008.
- ↑ Mumbai's Taj hotel reopens Sunday after 2008 attacks. The Times of India, August 12, 2010. ( Memento of August 15, 2010 in the Internet Archive ): “Holding balloons and flowers, employees pledged on Thursday to re-dedicate themselves to Mumbai's Taj Mahal hotel when it reopens at the weekend after the 2008 militant attacks in which guests and staff members died. "
Coordinates: 18 ° 55 ′ 18 ″ N , 72 ° 50 ′ 0 ″ E