MOSTLY KILLED BY CONSERVATION, BUT SOME MADE IT TO HERITAGE LIST
Jogeshwari Caves
Dating to the 6th century AD, the Jogeshwari caves are among the biggest rock cut cave temples in India. Local belief is that the Pandavas rested here during their years in exile. Years of neglect have ensured that the marvellous carvings have been reduced to bumps in the walls. Illegal structures housing around 40,000 people sit atop the caves, discharging sewage into the very temple precincts. The Archaeological Survey of India faces a PIL that seeks to remove encroachments across all heritage caves in Mumbai but finds it an impossible task without the support of the BMC.
Banganga Tank
Lord Rama shot an arrow into this spot to quench Sitas thirst. Nothing else could give rise to a perennial sweet water spring barely a few metres from the salty sea, say believers. Now, the state department of archaeology is replacing the age-old steps with stone slabs that do not match the original. The tank of holy water that is layered with moss could do with the occasional clean-up, though. For over a decade, an annual music festival is held in this precinct but high-profile invitees fail to notice the steps for these are covered by a plush red carpet.
Sewri Fort
It is no longer the menacing ruin that kept drug users and lovers off bounds. In a bid to attract tourist inflow, the authorities (the state ASI) have neutered the British watchtower to look like a dolls house. Entombed in cement, it awaits a final coat of paint to rest in peace. In fact, all forts currently being restored in the city including Vasai, Bandra and Worli Fort, have been done to death with similar coats of concrete and cement
CST & WR HQ
Both buildings are beautiful examples of live heritage, and receive lakhs of commuters every day. The CST building, the most photographed site in the city, has
already been classified by Unesco as a World Heritage Site, while the WR building is making a bid for the tag this year. Gateway of India
This simple archway built to welcome an English monarch stands representative of all things bright and beautiful in the citys architectural history. It is currently being restored by the state department of archaeology, without even so much as a trained conservation architect at the helm.
Khotachiwadi (Girgaum)
The ageing Catholic couples whose children have migrated abroad find it difficult to maintain these old wooden houses. However, it is the removal of such Grade III, or cessed buildings, from the purview of the heritage committee that rings the death knell for these structures.
The ageing Catholic couples whose children have migrated abroad find it difficult to maintain these old wooden houses. However, it is the removal of such Grade III, or cessed buildings, from the purview of the heritage committee that rings the death knell for these structures.