Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12.5 million (1.25 crore). Mumbai is the centre of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, the sixth-most populous metropolitan area in the world with a population of over 23 million. Mumbai lies on the Konkan coast on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. In 2008, Mumbai was named an alpha world city. Mumbai has the highest number of billionaires out of any city in Asia.
The Elephanta Caves are a collection of cave temples predominantly dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, which have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They are on Elephanta Island, or Gharapuri, 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, a few Buddhist stupa mounds that date back to the 2nd century BCE, and two Buddhist caves with water tanks.
The Gateway of India is an arch-monument completed in 1924 on the waterfront of Mumbai (Bombay), India. It was erected to commemorate the landing of George V for his coronation as the Emperor of India in December 1911 at Strand Road near Wellington Fountain. He was the first British monarch to visit India.
The Seven Islands of Bombay were 16th-century Portuguese colonial possessions lying off the Konkan region by the mid-west coast of India.
Mumbai Harbour, is a natural deep-water harbour in the southern portion of the Ulhas River estuary. The narrower, northern part of the estuary is called Thana Creek. The harbour opens to the Arabian Sea to the south. The historical island of Elephanta is one of the six islands that lie in the harbour.
The Middle Ground Coastal Battery is a heritage site of an antique coastal artillery battery managed by the Indian Navy on an islet off the coast of Mumbai, India. It is situated on Middle Ground isle in Mumbai Harbour, a few hundred metres away from the Gateway of India, in Thane Creek.
Cross Island, locally known as Chinal Tekdi, meaning hill of prostitutes, is an uninhabited or sparsely inhabited island located in Mumbai harbour, India, between the coast at Dockyard Road, and Elephanta Island, about 400 m from Ferry Wharf on the east coast of Mumbai. The island is host to an oil refinery and several large gas holders, and features the ruins of a fort.
The Jogeshwari Caves are some of the earliest Hinduism cave temple sculptures located in the Mumbai suburb of Jogeshwari, India. The caves date back to the sixth century, Chalukya dynasty. They were found during the excavation of Ajanta and Elephanta. These caves belong to the Hindu deity Jogeshwari. According to historian and scholar Walter Spink, Jogeshwari is the earliest major cave temple in India and "the largest".
The Mandapeshwar Caves is an 8th Century rock-cut shrine dedicated to Shiva located near Mount Poinsur in Borivali, a suburb of Mumbai in Maharashtra, India. The caves were originally Buddhist viharas.
Raigad district, previously Colaba district, is a district in the Konkan division of Maharashtra, India. The headquarters of the district is Alibag. Other major cities in the district are Panvel, Karjat, Navi Mumbai, Khopoli, Shrivardhan and Mahad.
Belapur Fort is a fort near the township of Belapur in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The fort was built by the Siddis of Janjira. It was later conquered by the Portuguese, and then Marathas. In the early 19th century, the fort was captured by the British. After the British gained supremacy in the region, with the expansion of the Bombay Presidency, the strategic importance of the fort declined, and it fell into disuse.
Kolaba Fort located at Alibag beach is an old fortified maritime base in Alibag, Konkan, India. It is situated in the sea at a distance of 1–2 km from the shores of Alibag, 35 km south of Mumbai, in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, India. It is a popular tourist destination and a protected monument.
Maharashtra attracts tourists from other Indian states and foreign countries. It was the second most visited Indian state by foreigners and fifth most visited state by domestic tourists in the country in 2021. Aurangabad is the tourism capital of Maharashtra.
Wellington Pier was an important pier for embarkation and disembarkation of passengers and goods in the city of Mumbai, India in the late 19th century. It is the location of the famed Gateway of India and the only passengers using it now are those who are taking the ferry to Gharapuri.
Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum is the oldest museum in Mumbai. Situated in the vicinity of Byculla Zoo, Byculla East, it was originally established in 1855 as a treasure house of the decorative and industrial arts, and was later renamed in honour of Bhau Daji Lad.
Many heritage structures are found in Mumbai, India.
Water transport in Mumbai consists of ferries, hovercraft and catamarans.
Tourism in Mumbai (Bombay) is an industry that attracts almost 6 million tourists per year, making it the 30th-most visited location worldwide. According to United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai was the second most populous city in India after Delhi and the seventh most populous city in the world with a population of 19.98 million.
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Smarak or Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial is a proposed monument Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. The statue will be located in Mumbai's Back Bay. As of May 2024, construction of the monument has not yet started despite being expected to be completed by October 2022.
Tourism in India is economically important and ever-growing. The World Travel & Tourism Council calculated that tourism generated ₹14.02 lakh crore (US$170 billion) or 9.6% of the nation's GDP in 2016 and supported 40.343 million jobs, 9.3% of its total employment. The sector is predicted to grow at an annual rate of 6.8% to ₹28.49 lakh crore (US$340 billion) by 2027.
