Mumbai's Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel gets trademarked; a look at its history

The Gateway of India R and Taj Mahal Palce amp Tower PicAFPMumbais iconic The Taj Mahal Palace amp Tower hotel has received its own trademark On this occasion we take a look at some interesting facts about Jamsedji Tatas finest architectural contribution to Mumbaigtgt Built 21 years before the Gateway of India which was opened on December 4 1924 the Taj Mahal Palace amp Tower is considered Mumbais first harbour landmarkgtgtThe hotel is the site of Mumbais first licenced barAn unusual panorama of the Apollo Bunder showing the Gateway of India and the Taj from the early 1940s The Gateway was a latecomer completed in 1926 to commemorate the earlier visit of the King Emperor George V Pic The Taj Magazine amp Taj MemoriesgtgtThe Taj Mahal Palace amp Tower hotel has 560 rooms including 44 suites 1500 staff members including 35 butlersgtgtDuring World War I the legendary Mumbai landmark was converted into a hospital with 600 bedsgtgtJamsetji Tatas family members were critical of his decision to build the Taj Mahal Palace hotel with once sister remarking why the man who is building an institute of science in Bangalore a great iron and steel factory and a hydroelectric project wants to put up a bhatarkhana or boarding housegtgtThe Taj Mahal Palace amp Tower hotel was home to leaders of the Indian Freedom movement such as Muhammad Ali Jinnah Sarojini Naidu and many others One of first major speeches representing Independent India was given at the hotel in 1947Jamsetji Tata 18391904gtgtPopular legend states that Jamsetji Tata decided to build the Taj Mahal Palace amp Tower hotel after he was denied entry at Watsons Hotel as it was restricted to white patrons only This theory is debunked by many who feel Tata wanted to build the hotel at the urging of the editor of a major Indian newspaper that a hotel worthy of Bombay was neededgtgtThe Taj Mahal Palace amp Tower hotel boasts of an extraoridnary international guests list that includes personalities such as George Bernard Shaw Irving Stone Barbara Cartland Douglas Fairbanks Sir Richard Attenborough Baz Luhrmann Yehudi Menuhin Andrew Lloyd Weber Mick Jagger Margaret Thatcher Prince Charles Jacqueline Onassis William Jefferson Clinton David Rockefeller Robert McNamara and Lord Wedgwood among many othersgtgtIn 1973 an additional wing to the hotel the Taj Mahal Palace amp Tower designed by Melton Bekker was opened It had 20 storeys of arches and balconies and increased the number of rooms from 225 to 560The new archival corridor and show windows were inaugurated on July 29 2014 to mark the birth anniversary of JRD Tata PicBipin KokategtgtA new archival corridor and show windows were inaugurated at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel on July 29 2014 to mark the birth anniversary of JRD TatagtgtOut of the many casualities during the 2008 Mumbai Terror Attacks on November 26 31 died at the Taj Mahal Palace amp Tower hotel 12 of them were staff members and seven were injured The Taj Hotels fully paid the medical expenses of the victims Indian commandos killed the gunmen barricaded in the hotel to end the threeday battlegtgt About 450 people were staying at the Taj Mahal Palace amp Tower hotel during the Mumbai terrors attacks The hotels roof was destroyed during the seizureOne from the Tata family photo album The big four mdash JN Tata and his three partners his sons Ratan and Dorab seated and his cousin lsquoRDrsquo father of JRD TatagtgtAlthough official local history credits Englishman WA Chambers for the original design of the Taj notable contributions were made by engineer Raosaheb Sitaram Khanderao Vaidya who was assisted by one DN Mirza Sitaram Khanderao had served a long apprenticeship under the great masterbuilder of Victorian Bombay FW StevensgtgtAt the time of its inauguration the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel was the only hotel in India to have electricityA crescent moon lights up the night sky as the dome of the Taj Mahal Hotel looks resplendent in its regalia PicAFPgtgtDuring the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks Six explosions were reported at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel ndash one in the lobby two in the elevators three in the restaurant Firefighters rescued 200 hostages from windows using ladders during the first nightgtgtAfter noted filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma was denied permission to shoot his docudrama The Attacks of 2611 at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel he recreated the entire lobby of the Colaba hotel at another suburban hotel in Juhu for a whopping Rs 25 crore gtgtDuring his India visit in 2010 US President Barack Obama who was staying at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel reportedly refused a 9item Indian breakfast for a cheese sandwich leaving the Taj kitchen upsetgtgtUS President Barack Obamas entry in the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel guest book states We will always remember the events of 2611 not only the sorrow but also the courage and humanity that was displayed that day The United States stands in solidarity with all of Mumbai and all of India in working to eradicate the scourge of terrorism and we affirm our lasting friendship with the Indian peoplegtgtIn April this year 16 live cartridges were found in a lane near Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel Police sources said that the bullets belonging to a licensed 032 bore revolver were found by a patrolling team inside a hole in the lane used for public parking