Vestiges of the past find admirers among the young

Shortly after MTDC restarted its heritage tours of south Mumbai, the open-air buses found many takers in little children who wanted to explore Mumbai’s old and historic sites. Local fun fairs like Kala Ghoda and Bandra festivals also receive considerable response for the heritage walks they organize through the heritage mile at DN Road or gaothans in the suburbs.
Apart from the British-era buildings that are visible heritage locations, the city is home to a cluster of monuments, caves and forts that serve as eye-openers for children accustomed to air-conditioned classrooms and multi-storeyed buildings.
Pallavi Sharma, who organizes the Kala Ghoda Festival, makes it a point to include heritage walks for children aged six to 12. “We specifically prepare a different set of heritage tours each season to instil in young kids a sensitivity towards the city’s architecture so that they will learn to preserve our monuments and respect our history,” she says. “The little ones turn out in large numbers, and their attendance is a measure of the success of any effort at preservation.”
Sharma points out that India’s education system is geared towards professional achievement and fails to factor in subjects like Indian art and culture. Parents could do their bit as well, she says.
In fact, commuters who travel to CST and Churchgate could simply take their kids along one day and introduce them to the heritage value of these places. The magnificent CST building, the headquarters of the Central Railway, is Mumbai’s only Unesco World Heritage Site while the headquarters of the Western Railway, located opposite Churchgate station, is making a pitch for that status.
Families with little children thronged the Gateway of India at New Year’s Eve a few days ago. Parents could be seen reading out the inscription on the archway that was erected to welcome King George V to India.
Historically, the city has had coves and niches that are visited largely by those who know where to look. Residents of IC Colony, Borivli, are familiar with the Mandapeshwar caves that are located directly below the IC Church. There is a Shiva temple inside the main cave and the area is now being beautified.
Over in Andheri, the Mahakali Caves are perhaps the most protected and well-maintained of all caves in Mumbai. The local priest at the sixth century Jogeshwari Caves points out how this monument counts among the largest rock-cut cave temples in India. “It was here that the Pandavas rested during their years of exile,” he says to every outsider. A beautiful series of carvings at the forehead of the cave depicts the marriage of Lord Shiva with Parvati.
The famous Kanheri caves are located inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Borivli. Numbering over a hundred, these are believed to have been built between 1st century BC and 9th century AD. Chiselled out of volcanic rock, these were resting sites for Buddhist monks. Two seven-metre tall figures of the standing Buddha are located in the main cave that has a colonnade of 34 pillars and a stupa carved from basalt rock.