Rewind: Echoes of 26/11 — Mumbai’s landmarks that refused to fall
Leopold, Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus are more than bullet-riddled memories — they are living, breathing chapters of Mumbai’s story
By N Shiva Kumar
As the US formally designates The Resistance Front (TRF) as a terrorist organisation responsible for the brutal killings in the once serene meadows of Pahalgam, the horrors of terrorism serve as a chilling reminder. Let us momentarily shift our gaze and journey back 17 years to a wound that still throbs in the heart of India’s western seaboard. We return to 26/11 — the terrifying 60 hours when Mumbai (formerly Bombay), the city that never sleeps, was brought to its knees. Ten terrorists swept into the city like a merciless tide, turning landmarks of hope and resilience into battlegrounds of horror.
The historic Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, where daily life came to a halt under a hail of bullets; the luxurious Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and its domes lit with the fury of war; the Oberoi Trident, dripping with fear and blood; and the cozy confines of Leopold Café, shattered in seconds — these weren’t just places, they were emblems of the city’s spirit, suddenly caught in the crosshairs of hate.
Where time stands still and tides whisper history, the majestic Gateway of India, flanked by the timeless elegance of the Old and New Taj, gazes over the Arabian Sea, echoing Mumbai’s soul. Photos: N Shiva Kumar.
This was not merely an attack — it was a merciless assault on the heart of a nation. Having visited Bombay (now Mumbai) several times, here is a narrative of three iconic hotspots which I revisited this March to catch up with the ecology of flamingo congregations.
On the night of November 26, 2008, armed terrorists infiltrated India’s financial capital by sea, carrying out a series of attacks that shook the city — and the world. Among the 11 sites they struck, three stand out not just for the horror endured, but for their resurgence, architectural splendour, and their symbolic place in Mumbai’s soul: Leopold Café, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus), still lovingly called VT.
Today, these three, over 100-year-old landmarks, once etched in blood, now radiate vitality, resilience, and history — offering any tourist a deeply layered and profoundly moving journey through time, culture, and historic attractiveness.
Leopold Café: The Soul of Colaba
• Then: A Stage of Chaos
On the eve of 26/11, Leopold Café, established in 1871 and tucked into the bustling Colaba Causeway, was a beacon of old Bombay charm. It was the quintessential stopover for backpackers, journalists, and nostalgic locals sipping chilled beer under lazy ceiling fans. That night, two terrorists entered the café with assault rifles, indiscriminately opening fire. Twelve people died. The café, once a stage for laughter and chatter, turned into a scene of carnage within seconds.
• Now: A Living Museum of Mumbai’s Spirit
What’s extraordinary is not just that Leopold reopened four days later — it’s how it chose to wear its scars. Bullet holes still pockmark the walls, framed by glass, like solemn reminders frozen in time. But around them, the café lives on exuberantly. The interior, lined with mirrors, vintage advertisements, and sepia photographs, channels a sense of history and nostalgia that transcends the tragedy.
From iconic mugs to tees stamped with legacy, Leopold’s memorabilia isn’t just merchandise, it’s a piece of Bombay’s heartbeat, carried home by wanderers and legends alike.
Leopold Café’s architecture is quintessential Indo-European colonial. Arched windows open into the street, letting in soft daylight. Original wooden beams and antique ceiling fans whisper the tales of another era. Despite its fame, the café maintains an informal, almost bohemian atmosphere, one where architecture and energy combine to preserve the spirit of free-spirited Bombay.
For tourists, it’s not just about sipping a cold Kingfisher with a chicken sizzler — it’s about occupying a seat in history. The walls don’t talk, but they remember. And in a city that rarely stops, Leopold Café feels like a heartbeat that simply refuses to be silenced — even after 154 years.
Taj Mahal Palace Hotel: Crown of Arabian Sea
• Then: The Burning Jewel
Across from the Gateway of India stands one of the most iconic hotels in the world, the twin towers of the Taj Mahal Palace. On the night of 26/11, four terrorists stormed its halls, taking hostages and engaging in a siege that lasted nearly 60 harrowing hours. Over 30 people were killed within its palatial walls. Fire licked its dome. Black smoke billowed into the sky, and live TV captured the horror as it unfolded.
• Now: Restoration and Radiance
But today, the Taj has been restored to its full glory. If anything, it has emerged even more majestic. Its 240-foot red Florentine dome once again crowns Mumbai’s skyline like a phoenix reborn. For architecture lovers, the hotel is an unmatched blend of styles: Moorish domes, Indo-Saracenic arches, Renaissance flourishes, and Edwardian grandeur.
Originally completed in 1903, it was among the first buildings in Bombay to be lit by electricity. Inside, the sweeping staircases, Belgian chandeliers, hand-knotted carpets, and Italian marble floors create a sensory feast. Its famed Sea Lounge, overlooking the Arabian Sea, continues to serve high tea in an atmosphere of serene opulence.
Loya at The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, a new restaurant celebrating the rich, bold flavours of north Indian hills.
A stay here isn’t just a luxury, it’s an encounter with living heritage. The corridors that once echoed with gunfire now hum with the clink of cutlery and hushed conversation. Every detail, down to the Raj-era wooden elevators, speaks of a bygone age that has elegantly met the present. For any traveller, visiting or staying at the Taj is to witness the triumph of architectural grace and human resilience. It is a building that was not only reconstructed in stone, but reimagined in spirit and standing bold on the seaside skyline for over 122 years.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (Victoria Terminus): A Cathedral for Commuters
• Then: A Massacre in Motion
Known informally as VT, this grand railway terminus was one of the first targets on that fateful night. Just before 10 PM, two gunmen entered the station, opening fire on passengers in the main hall. In just 90 minutes, they killed five dozen people and injured over 100. The assault on the railway station — every day a sea of ordinary Mumbaikars commute to and from work — felt like an assault on the lifeblood of the city.
• Now: A Gothic Revival Masterpiece
In daylight, however, it’s hard to imagine a more majestic railway station anywhere in the world. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, CST is a marvel of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture fused with Indian sensibilities. Designed by British architect FW Stevens and completed in 1887, the building’s turrets, pointed arches, and rose windows seem to leap from a fantasy.
The station façade is adorned with gargoyles, stained glass, and friezes featuring peacocks and monkeys, blending Gothic and indigenous elements. The central dome, topped with a statue of Progress, overlooks an interior that feels like the nave of a cathedral, echoing with footsteps and train whistles.
The night-time view is a symphony of lights and legacy as Victoria Terminus glows like a crown jewel in Mumbai’s skyline.
Tourists often miss the upper administrative floors, but heritage walks now offer access to these areas. Inside, carved teakwood staircases and stained-glass panels immerse you in a colonial grandeur rarely seen in functioning public buildings. To walk through CST today is to walk through history in motion. Over three million people use the station daily. But above the chaos and honking, the building stands serene — for 137 years, a monumental ode to Mumbai’s tenacity.
Touring the Triumph: A Path for Curious Travellers
These three over 100-year-old landmarks, each representing a different facet of the 26/11 tragedy, are more than crime scenes or bullet-riddled memories. They are living, breathing chapters of Mumbai’s story, and no visit to the city is complete without experiencing them in a sequence.
Start your day at CST, arriving early as the soft golden sun lights up the stone carvings while commuters ease into the day. Take a heritage walk that includes the central dome and the old colonial offices. Next, walk down to Leopold Café for lunch. Soak in the 19th-century charm, study the bullet holes, leaf through one of the many books left behind by travellers, and imagine the many lives that intersected there before and after that November night.
Finally, as dusk falls, make your way to the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel after a walk around the 101-year-old Gateway of India. Whether you stop for a cocktail at the Harbour Bar or simply gaze up at its dome from the Gateway promenade, you will feel the weight of history and the lightness of beauty intertwined.
From Tragedy to Timelessness
What unites these three places is not just the tragedy they witnessed, but how they transcended it. In cities around the world, sites of violence are often cordoned off, sanitised, or forgotten. But in Mumbai, these places are not sanitised — they are sanctified. They are celebrated not because of what happened there, but because of what rose after, carrying a hoary history with them.
For the tourist who seeks more than beaches and Bollywood, Mumbai offers a different kind of magic — a chance to step into architecture that bleeds, breathes, and blooms. These aren’t just stops on a sightseeing tour. They are monuments to survival, where marble and brick have absorbed both horror and hope. They are testaments to what cities, and people, can become when they refuse to fall.
(The author is a wildlife writer and photographer)
