1890sKalbadevi Road · Photo by Photoglob Co., Library of Congress, Public domain
Kalbadevi Road
A temple front carved like lace, on the road the cloth merchants made rich. We do not have a photograph of this stretch today yet.
The promenade, the parapet, and the whole bay in one look.
The station sits a road away from Marine Drive. By day it is joggers and the long curve of the bay. After dark the street lamps come on along the arc and the city calls it the Queen's Necklace.
Known for
- Marine Drive promenade
- Queen's Necklace at night
- Wankhede Stadium
- Sunset on the parapet
The guide
Around Marine Lines
10 places worth getting off the train for. See the whole guide
Walk
Marine Drive promenade
Three and a half kilometres of sea wall from Nariman Point to Chowpatty. Come at sunset, find a gap on the parapet and stay until the lamps come on.
Short walk from the stationMap for Marine Drive promenade (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
See
Wankhede Stadium
Mumbai's cricket ground, where India won the 2011 World Cup final. On match days you can hear it from the platform.
15 to 20 minute walkMap for Wankhede Stadium (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
See
Metro Cinema
Another 1938 Art Deco cinema, at the Dhobi Talao junction, still showing films as a multiplex.
Short walk from the stationMap for Metro Cinema (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
Eat
Kyani & Co.
An Irani café open since 1904. Bun maska, chai and bentwood chairs.
On the plate: Bun maska and chai
Short walk from the stationMap for Kyani & Co. (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
See
The Gymkhanas
The Islam, Hindu and Parsi gymkhanas sit in a row on Marine Drive, each with its own cricket ground. They were the home sides of the old Bombay Pentangular.
Short walk from the stationMap for The Gymkhanas (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
See
Liberty Cinema
An Art Deco cinema that opened in 1949 and was named for the country's new independence. The foyer and staircase are the reason to go in.
Short walk from the stationMap for Liberty Cinema (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
Eat
Sassanian Boulangerie
An Irani café and bakery from 1913, a few minutes from the station. Mawa cake, chicken puffs and chai under a slow ceiling fan.
On the plate: Mawa cake
Short walk from the stationMap for Sassanian Boulangerie (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
See
St. Xavier's College
A college founded in 1869, in an Indo-Gothic campus of stone arcades and a quadrangle. Look in from the gate; it is a working college.
15 to 20 minute walkMap for St. Xavier's College (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
Eat
Shree Thaker Bhojanalay
A first-floor dining hall in Kalbadevi that has served a Gujarati thali since 1945. Sit down and the plate keeps being refilled until you say stop.
On the plate: Gujarati thali
15 to 20 minute walkMap for Shree Thaker Bhojanalay (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
Shop
Bhuleshwar market
A knot of old lanes selling flowers, bangles, brass and everything needed for a puja, with a temple on almost every corner.
15 to 20 minute walkMap for Bhuleshwar market (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
Something missing or wrong around Marine Lines? Tell us
The city’s year
Coming up here
Then and now
Marine Lines in the 1890s
1890sFrom the people who were there
Postcards from Marine Lines
Nobody has sent one from here yet.