Mumbai, earlier known as Bombay is the capital of Maharstra. One of the four metroes of the country, Mumbai is also called as the commercial capital of India. Mumbai is the most populous city of the country with a population of around 12 million. Situated on Salsette Island off the west coast of Maharashtra, the city has a natural harbour and port. Mumbai is home to Hindi film industry known as Bollywood, which is the second largest film industry after Hollywood. The city houses important financial institutions like Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange (NSE). Several corporate companies have their head offices in Mumbai.
Attractions around Mahabaleshwar :
» Wilson Point or Sunrise Point - It is the highest point at Mahabaleshwar, about 4710 feet above sea level. It is a vastplateau, there are three masonry round platforms which offer splendour viewof the sunrise. The platform no : 2 is the best platform to view sunrise,one can also see sunset from this point.
People :
The people of Mumbai are called as Mumbaikar and they live a fast-paced life, with very little time for social activities. The liberalminded people of this cosmopolitan city celebrate Indian and Western festivals with great enthusiasm. The people of the city like the road side fast food most such as Vada pavs, Paani puri, Pav bhaji and Bhelpuri etc.The South Indian and Chinese food are also very famous.
Attractions in and around Mumbai:
» Gateway of India -
The Gateway of India is one of the popular landmark of Mumbai. city. The monument was built in 1911 to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary. The gateway has important historical significance, as the British troops that left India by sea, marched through it. One can go for a short cruise through the natural harbour mixed with the splendour view of the sea.
» The Prince of Wales Museum - The museum built in1914 is considered one of the best museum in the country. The museum surrounded by a beautiful landscape houses art, sculpture, rare coins, and old fire arms and a priceless collection of miniature paintings.
» Mani Bhawan - Mani Bhawan used to be the Mumbai residence of Mahatma Gandhi, which is now operational as Gandhi memorial.Gandhiji was arrested from Mani Bhawan in 1932. The double storied building has a library with over 2000 books, a picture gallery based on Mahatama's life, some memorabilia, a charkha and a film and recording collections. To visit the Mani Bhawan one has to pay a reasonable entry fee.
» Marine Drive - This famous road with highbuildings on one side and beautiful sea on the other, runs from Nariman Point to Malabar Hills. It was once called as Queen's necklace due to its curved shape road jewelled with many street lights. Located along the seaside, Marina Drive attracts the local resident as well as the tourists.
» Malabar Hill - 
The attractive residential area is considered as the poshest area of Mumbai.Malabar hill houses the Chief Minister's residences and state guest house.In addition the colonial bungalows and tall apartments dotted all over the area.The cool breezes and splendour view over Back Bay attracts everyone.
» Juhu Beach - The beach spreads over an area of 5 Kms attracts a large number of people all through the year. The beach remains crowded by walkers, children and courting couples. Here one can do the beach activities like camel and pony rides, acrobats and performing monkeys. The 5 hotels nearby the beach, offer a splendid view of the coast.The beach is known through out the world for the suiting of Bollywood movies. The place famous for family outings and is not suitable for swimmingor sunbathing. Eating Bhelpuri along the beach provides a unique flavour to visitors.
» Hanging Gardens - Hanging gardens or Ferozeshah Mehta gardens is situated just opposite of the Kamala Nehru Park. The gardens was built in the early 1880 at the top of Malabar Hills. It was built over Mumbai's main water reservior to cover it from the contamaining activity of the nearby Towers of Silence. The garden offers spectacular viewof the sunset over the Arabian Sea.
» Kamla Nehru Park - This park is situated at the top of Malabar Hills. The park nearby the Marine Drive, houses 'Old Woman's Shoe', nicely maintained hazes and spacious walk aways. The park provides the beautiful view of the city and the setting sun.
» Jain Temple - The temple situated on the Malabar Hills, has frescoes depicting several events in the lives of the 24 Jain Tirthankaras. The temple houses a black marble shrine decorated with heavenly personification of different planet painted onto the ceiling. The temple is visited by a large number of devotees as well as tourists.
» Mahalaxmi Temple -
The temple is situated in Mumbai at one end of Breach Candy, now known as B.Desai Road. The temple is a famous holy site dedicated to Mahalaxmi the goddess of wealth.
» Haji Ali Shrine - The shrine dedicated to Haji Ali is situated in Mumbai, along the seashore. A long pathway surrounded by seawater is the only path to reach the shrine.
» Siddhivinayak Temple - The famous temple is situated in the Prabha Devi area of Mumbai. The temple dedicated to Lord Ganesh has a Ganesh idol built of black stone. This temple is visited by hundreds of devotees every day but Tuesday is the main day of darshan and puja.
Accessibility - Mumbai is the biggest city of India and it is well connected by Air, Rail and Road.
» Air - Santacruz and Sahar are the airports in Mumbai. These airport has the national and international flights. These airport are connected to major cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad etc.
» Rail - Mumbai is the headquarters of two railway zones namely central and western. The main railway station is Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) earlier known as Victoria terminus (VT). Other railway stations are Dadar, Churchgate and Kurla. Local as well as express trains run from these station for within the city and other cities of the country. The distance of some imporatnat places from Mumbai are ElephantaCaves (9 Kms), Kanheri Caves (142 Kms), Lonawala (101 Kms), Nasik (185 Kms), Pune (163 Kms) and Surat (313 Kms) etc.
» Road - Mumbai is well connected by good roads to the rest of the country. The buses operated by BEST (Bombay Electric Supply & Transport Undertaking) and private operators ply regularly on the routes to various tourists places within the state as well as outside.
Accommodation :
The hotels in Mumbai offer a comfortable stay to guests. There are several hotels ranging from star class to business class. One can stay at hotels according to his budget.
Best Time to Visit :
Mumbai is located at the coast of Arabian Sea, so the weather remain moderate. The temperature do not vary much during winters and summers. Heavy rainfall observed during Monsoon, so the best time to visit Mumbai is between October and March. One can also visit the city at the time of Ganesh Chaturthi, which is celebrated in the month of August September.
