Rajabai Clock Tower, Mumbai

Rajabai Clock Tower, Mumbai

The Rajabai Clock Tower, located in Fort campus of the University of Mumbai, is an iconic 19th century landmark heritage structure that stands as a relic of colonial architecture, resembling the Big Ben in London. The 280 feet high tower which was completed in 1878 to designs by Sir George Gilbert Scott, was sponsored by Bombay Stock Exchange founder Premchand Roychand to be named after his blind mother Rajabai.

The Rajabai Clock Tower, located in Fort campus of the University of Mumbai, is an iconic 19^th century landmark heritage structure that stands as a relic of colonial architecture, resembling the Big Ben in London.

The 280 feet high tower which was completed in 1878 to designs by Sir George Gilbert Scott, was sponsored by Bombay Stock Exchange founder Premchand Roychand to be named after his blind mother Rajabai. The chiming of the clock would enable her to tell the time.

The buff Kurla and Malad-stone Venetian and Gothic style building has beautiful stained glass windows and Burmese teak wood frames. There are 2 adjoining rooms at the base, and the tower rises with a square layout till the first floor viewing gallery, above which it has an octagonal crown and spire of Porbandar limestone. The tower façade is decorated with 24 8-feet high sculptures by Rao Bahadur Ramachandra representing the different social castes of Western India at the time. There is a spiral staircase that leads to the top, but has been closed due to suicide attempts. The clock, which chimes every 15 minutes, had a repertoire of 16 tunes earlier, but now rings to a single tune.