Rajabai Clock Tower#History
{{EngvarB|date=March 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2012}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Rajabai Tower
| image = Rajabai Clock Tower, Mumbai (31 August 2008).jpg
| caption = Rajabai Clock Tower in 2009
| building_type = Clock tower
| location_town = Mumbai
| location_country = {{flag|India}}
| coordinates = {{coord|18.92964|72.82999|type:landmark_region:IN_scale:100|display=inline}}
| completion_date = {{Start date and age|1878|11|df=yes}}
| height = {{convert|280|ft|m}}
| architect = Sir George Gilbert Scott
| public_transit = {{rint|mumbai|suburban}} Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus; Churchgate
| cost = {{INR}} 550,000
| map_type =
| structural_system = Buff coloured Kurla stone
| client = {{flagicon image|Flag of Maharashtra.svg}} Maharashtra
| engineer =
| construction_start_date = {{Start date and age|1869|03|01|df=yes}}
| size =
| embedded = {{designation list | embed = yes
| designation1 = WHS
| designation1_partof = Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai
| designation1_type =
| designation1_criteria = {{UNESCO WHS type|(ii), (iv)}}(ii) (iv)
| designation1_number = [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1480 1480]
| designation1_date = 2018 (43rd session)
}}
}}
The Rajabai Tower is a clock tower in Mumbai India. It is in the confines of the Fort campus of the University of Mumbai. It stands at a height of 85 m (280 ft or 25 storeys). The tower is part of The Victorian and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai, which was added to the list of World Heritage Sites in 2018.{{cite news | url=https://wap.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/mumbai-s-victorian-gothic-and-art-deco-buildings-enter-unesco-heritage-list-118063000590_1.html | title=Mumbai's Victorian Gothic and Art Deco buildings enter Unesco Heritage list | newspaper=Business Standard India | date=30 June 2018 | last1=Team | first1=BS Web }}
History
The Rajabai Clock Tower was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, an English architect.{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/business/companies/article2769290.ece |location=Mumbai |date=3 January 2012 |title=Re-setting the time |work=The Hindu |access-date=22 July 2012}} He modeled it on Big Ben in London. The foundation stone was laid on 1 March 1869 and construction was completed in November 1878. The total cost of construction came to ₹550,000, a large amount of money for the time period. A portion of the total cost of construction was donated by Premchand Roychand Jain, a wealthy broker who founded the Bombay Stock Exchange on the condition that the tower be named after his mother Rajabai.{{cite book|author=Rakesh Kumar Bhatt|title=History and Development of Libraries in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jbmdowzuv0QC&pg=PA39|date=1 January 1995|publisher=Mittal Publications|isbn=978-81-7099-582-1|pages=39–40}}
Premchand Roychand's mother was blind and as a staunch follower of Jain religion, she was supposed to consume her dinner before the evening. Legend says that the evening bell of the tower helped her to know the time without anyone's help.{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}}
The tower was closed to the public after it became a frequent spot for those attempting suicide.
Structure
The tower was built in a fusion of Venetian and Gothic styles. It is built out of the locally available buff coloured Kurla stone. The tower has one of the best stained glass windows in the city.Insiders guide to Rajabai clock Tower:https://www.hindustantimes.com/art-and-culture/insider-s-guide-to-rajabai-clock-tower/story-9Y1gNvrd1Yj1ormNC2DegL.html
File:Bombay University Hall Rajabai Tower.jpg
The ground floor has two side rooms, each measuring {{convert|56|x|27.5|ft|m|abbr=on}}. The tower forms a carriage porch {{convert|2.4|m2|ft2|abbr=on}}, and a spiral staircase vestibule of {{convert|2.6|m2|ft2|abbr=on}}. The Tower, over the carriage porch, has a square form up to the gallery at the top of the first level which is at a height of {{convert|68|ft|m}} from the ground. The form changes from a square to an octagon and the height from this gallery to the top of the tower is {{convert|118|ft|m}} and the third stage to the top of the finial is {{convert|94|ft|m}}, thus making a total height of {{convert|280|ft|m}}.
During its time, it was the tallest structure in the city of Mumbai.
Image:Rajabai under Const.jpg|A file photo of University of Mumbai taken in the 1870s. Rajabai Clock Tower here seen shrouded in scaffolding was completed in 1878
Chimes
File:Rajabai Clock Tower night.jpg
During the 19th century it played the tunes of "Home! Sweet Home!" and "A Handel Symphony", out of a total of sixteen tunes, which changed four times a day. It currently chimes only one tune every 15 minutes.
Restoration
From October 2013 to 11 May 2015, the tower underwent restoration work under the observation of Anita Garware (Heritage Society), Rajan Welukar (Vice-Chancellor; University of Mumbai) and N Chandrasekar (CEO, Tata Consultancy Services). It reopened in March 2015 after renovation.Mumbai's Rajabai Clock tower reopens after renovation:https://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-mumbai-s-iconic-rajabai-clock-tower-reopens-after-renovation-2085267
The restoration efforts were recognised by UNESCO in 2018 when the Library and the Rajabai Clock Tower received the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/mumbai-s-urban-heritage-conservation-movement-is-winning-accolades/story-gElDJ8nhBfLYCE565Xi8EL.html|title=Mumbai's urban heritage conservation movement is winning accolades|date=11 November 2018|website=www.hindustantimes.com|language=en|access-date=14 December 2018}}
References
{{commons category|Rajabai Clock Tower}}
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20001211151800/http://www.mumbainet.com/travel/rajabai.htm Rajabai Tower]}}
{{Tourist attractions in Mumbai}}
{{Skyscrapers in Mumbai}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Portal bar|India|Architecture}}
Category:Towers completed in 1878
Category:Clock towers in India
Category:Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai