Architectural, Cultural sights in India
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A
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram
Just south of Swarg Ashram, slowly being consumed by the forest undergrowth, is what's left of the original Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram. It was abandoned in 1997 and is now back under the control of the forest department, but the shells of many buildings, meditation cells and lecture halls can still be seen, including Maharishi's own house and the guesthouse where the Beatles stayed.
Indeed, in February 1968 Rishikesh hit world headlines when the four Beatles and their partners stayed, following an interest and earlier visit by George Harrison. Ringo and his wife didn't like the vegetarian food, missed their children and left after a couple of weeks, but the others staye…
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B
Vivekananda House
The Vivekananda House is interesting not only for the displays on the famous ‘wandering monk’, but also for the semicircular structure in which it’s housed. Swami Vivekananda stayed here briefly in 1897 and preached his ascetic philosophy to adoring crowds. The museum houses a collection of photographs and memorabilia from the swami’s life, a gallery of religious historical paintings and the ‘meditation room’ where Vivekananda stayed. Free one-hour meditation classes are held on Wednesday nights at 7pm.
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C
Malabar Hill
Mumbai's most exclusive neighbourhood of sky-scratchers and private palaces, Malabar Hill is at the northern promontory of Back Bay and signifies the top rung for the city's social and economic climbers. Surprisingly, one of Mumbai's most sacred and tranquil oases lies concealed among apartment blocks at its southern tip.
Banganga Tank is a precinct of serene temples, bathing pilgrims, meandering, traffic-free streets and picturesque old dharamsalas (pilgrims rest houses). The wooden pole in the centre of the tank is the centre of the earth - according to legend Lord Ram created the tank by piercing the earth with his arrow. The classical music Banganga Festival is held h…
reviewed
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Sabarmati Ashram
About 5km from the centre, peacefully set on the river Sabarmati's west bank, this ashram was Gandhi’s headquarters during the long struggle for Indian independence. He founded the ashram in 1915 and it moved to its current site a few years later. It was from here on 12 March 1930 that Gandhi set out on his famous Salt March to the Gulf of Cambay in a symbolic protest. Handicrafts, handmade paper and spinning wheels are still produced on the site. There’s a paper factory over the road that’s worth a look (ask at the ashram for permission). Gandhi’s poignant, spartan living quarters are preserved and there’s a pictorial record of his life. The library contains the lett…
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D
Tagore's House
Within Rabindra Bharati University, Rabindranath Tagore's comfortable 1784 family mansion (Tagore's House) has become a shrine-like museum to India's greatest modern poet. Even if his personal effects don't inspire you, some of the well-chosen quotations might spark an interest in Tagore's deeply universalist philosophy.
There's also a decent gallery of paintings by his family and contemporaries. The photo of Tagore with Einstein could win a 'World's Wildest Hair' competition.
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E
Anand Bhavan
The picturesque two-storey Anand Bhavan is a shrine to the Nehru family, which has produced five generations of leading politicians from Motilal Nehru to the latest political figure, Rahul Gandhi. This stately home is where Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and others successfully planned the overthrow of the British Raj. It is full of books, personal effects and photos from those stirring times. Indira Gandhi was married here in 1942.
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F
Nehru Memorial Museum
Teen Murti Bhavan is the former residence of Jawaharlal Nehru (India’s first prime minister), and was previously Flagstaff House, home to the British commander-in-chief. Just off Teen Murti Rd, it has been converted into a museum, a must-see for those interested in the Independence movement. Some rooms have been preserved as Nehru left them, and there’s a wealth of photographs, though some contextualisation would come in handy.
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Viceregal Lodge
Built as an official residence for the British viceroys, the Viceregal Lodge looks like a cross between Harry Potter’s Hogwarts School and the Tower of London. Every brick used in its construction was hauled up here by mule. Today it houses the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, but you can take a guided tour of the buildings. Photography is not permitted inside. Tickets cost Rs20 if you just want to look around the gardens.
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G
Professed House
The Professed House, next door to the basilica, is a two-storey laterite building covered with lime plaster. It was completed in 1585, despite much opposition to the Jesuits from the local Portuguese. There is a modern art gallery attached to the basilica; even if the art isn't to your taste it's worth popping your head in to look through a small window down on the tomb of St Francis Xavier.
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H
Netaji Bhawan
Netaji Bhawan, an interesting museum celebrating the life and vision of controversial independence radical Subhas Chandra Bose, maintains several rooms decorated in 1940s style. It was Bose’s brother’s residence from which Subhas made his famous ‘Great Escape’ from British-imposed house arrest in January 1941. The veteran getaway car is parked in the drive.
reviewed
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I
Raj Bahvan
Beyond the Sahid Minar is a sombre WWI cenotaph and a statue of LBG Tilak who disdains the perfectly framed (if gated) view of the grand 1799 Raj Bahvan. Though designed to resemble Lord Curzon's English country house, the Raj Bahvan actually looks more like the US White House. It's now the highly-guarded official residence of the West Bengal governor.
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Curzon Mansion
Directly south of the zoo's entrance, the access road to the National Library loops around the very regal Curzon Mansion, once the colonial Viceroy's residence. It's not (yet) a museum.
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K
Swaraj Bhavan
Swaraj Bhavan was bought by Motilal Nehru in 1900 and is now a run-down museum housing bits of furniture and family portraits.
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