Among the many heritage monuments of island city of Mumbai Town Hall has an important place and you can say that this building is one of last structures representing Victorian style of architecture in Mumbai city. You might be wondering what this town hall is actually. It is public state library. Situated at Horniman Circle on Shahid Bhagat Singh Road in Mumbai, Town Hall houses the Asiatic Society of Bombay. The Town Hall was initially known as Tondal in the nineteenth century. The building can be called the powerhouse of information due to the large volumes of books stored in here. this Town Hall houses more than 800000 antique volumes in its library. Thus now you can imagine why I called it a power house of information. The main aim behind this vast storage of old volumes is to encourage and inspire research work and to conserve the literature, science as well as arts of ancient period. This majestic structure was created in the year 1833 after twenty three years of planning as its actual plan started in the year 1811.The construction cost was partly funded by the Literary Society of Mumbai through lottery but the fund was just Rs. 10000 which was not sufficient to create the entire complex. That is why rest of the funds were sourced from government. The things materialised in ten years and then this marvellous Victorian structure came to life with a museum and a library. Engineer Colonel Thomas Cowper designed this magnificent structure which clearly reflects Greek and Roman styles of Architecture. The structure with a length of 200 feet and height of 100 feet has eight grand Doric styles pillars in the front. With a flight of thirty steps one can reach the entrance of the building. In the construction of the building stones were used and you may be surprised to know that these stones were brought in from England. The floor is made of wood while wrought iron is used in the terraces. The stair case inside the building is in spiral shape. There are several stunning marble statues placed in the hall. These are the statues of Indian patrons of nineteenth century.The building has a library and a museum inside it. Some of the treasures of Town Hall includes following:
- Ancient Manuscripts in Persian
- Scripts in Urdu
- Manuscripts in Prakrit and Sanskrit
- 1000 ancient coins
- Gold Mohur belonging to great Mughal Emperor Akbar
- Dante’s First issue of Inferno
- Other significant priceless treasure
- Special security is provided to the hall having the precious collection of ancient period.
AccessibilityThe nearest rail head is Churchgate. Another terminus situated in the close vicinity is Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. State buses, Auto rickshaw or taxi can be used to reach here.Timings of Town HallFrom 10.30 am to 5.30 pmOpening daysThe Town Hall is open on all days of the week but closed on Sundays.Contact number+91-22-22660956Surrounding attractions
- Horniman Circle Gardens
- St. Thomas Cathedral Church
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