Taj Mahal Palace & Tower

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A view of the hotel at night

The Taj Mahal Palace is a famous and prestigious hotel located in the Colaba district of Mumbai, India, next to the Gateway of India. It boasts a distinguished list of former guests including Mick Jagger, Prince Charles, Bill Clinton and Jacqueline Onassis.

From historical and architectural point of view, The Taj Mahal Palace and the Tower are two distinct buildings, built at different times and in different architectural designs. The "Tower" refers to the Taj Intercontinental.

[edit] History

Taj Mahal Palace and the Gateway of India before the construction of the Taj Intercontinental Hotel

The Taj Mahal Palace was commissioned by Jamsetji Tata and first opened its doors to guests on December 16, 1903. The original Indian architects were Sitaram Khanderao Vaidya and D N Mirza, but the project was completed by the English engineer W A Chambers. During World War I, the hotel was converted into a 600-bed hospital.

The side of the hotel seen from the harbor is actually it's rear. The front faces away to the west. There is a widespread misconception that the architects' building plans were confused by the builder so that he built it facing away from the harbor. However, this is false, as the hotel was deliberately built facing inland rather than to the harbor. This was probably a deliberate snub to the English king by Jameshedji Tata due to nationalist feelings. Over the last five decades, the old front is not longer being used for access, is closed off, and access is now from the seaside former rear^{[citation needed]}.

There used to be a Green's Hotel^[1] at the Apollo Bunder, which was purchased by the Taj Mahal Hotel. It was at the Green's Hotel, that a small group of pro-Indian Goans (largely employees of the Indian state and communists) assembled and formed the Goan Liberation Council demanding that Portugal cede Goa to India, in the 1950s. This was done at the instigation of Jawaharlal Nehru, and funded by the Kamani Group of Companies. Later, the Green's hotel was demolished and in its place the present Taj Mahal Intercontinental Hotel was constructed^{[citation needed]}.

Currently, the hotel is owned by Taj Hotels, one of the most successful Luxury Hotel & Resort chains in India.