Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus :

History
One of the prime attractions of Mumbai, Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus has an interesting history. One of the areas along the eastern shore line of mumbai, it was used as a storehouse for goods imported and exported from Mumbai( then Bombay). In the 1850s, the Great Indian Peninsular Railway built its railway terminus in this area and the station took its name as Bori Bunder, which literally means a place where sacks are stored. It was eventually named Victoria Terminus, after the then reigning Queen and has been subsequently renamed Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus after Maharashtra's and India's great king and patriot Chatrapati Shivaji. Though the new abbreviated term for the terminus is CST, the tongues of people are used to refer to it as VT.

Architecture
The credit for designing Victoria Terminus-the most barmy of Mumbai’s buildings goes to Mr F W Stevens, who was inspired by St. Pancras station in London. Built in 1887 as the largest British edifice in India, it is an interesting amalagam of domes, spires, Corinthian colums and minarets. An impressive example of engineering genius, this icon of British imperial architecture has been declared as a heritage site and is a protected building. Buit in Gothic style of architecture, it is one of the most magnificent buildings in Mumbai. A large statue of queen Victoria is kept at the entrance of the terminus. The main structure is surmounted by a statue of progress. The clock on tower is 3.19m in diameter. Carvings of peacocks, gargoyles, monkeys, elephants and British lions are mixed up among the buttresses, domes, turrets, spires and stained glass windows. The terminus looks more like a cathedral than a terminus.

Serving as the headquarters of the Central Railways in India, this is one of the busiest stations in India. Inside, presents a very chaotic scene. One can see anxious passengers, porters with oversize headloads, ticket collectors in black, cullies in red, hawkers selling tea, beggars, sweepers; all adding to the noise at station.