3rd year Pic 112 - Nov 14 2010
CST terminus

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly Victoria Terminus, and better known by its abbreviation CST or Bombay VT, is a historic railway station in Mumbai which serves as the headquarters of the Central Railways. It is one of the busiest railway stations in India, and serves Central Railway trains terminating in Mumbai as well as the Mumbai Suburban Railway.

The station was designed by Frederick William Stevens, a consulting architect in 1887-1888. The design bears some resemblance to the St Pancras railway station in London. The station building was designed in the Victorian Gothic style of architecture. The building exhibits a fusion of influences from Victorian Italianate Gothic Revival architecture and traditional Indian architecture. Internally, the wood carving, tiles, ornamental iron and brass railings, grills for the ticket offices, the balustrades for the grand staircases and other ornaments were the work of students at the Bombay School of Art. The station stands as an example of 19th century railway architectural marvels for its advanced structural and technical solutions.

It took ten years to complete and was named "Victoria Terminus" in honour of the Queen and Empress Victoria.

In 1996, in keeping with the policy of renaming locations with Indian names, the station was renamed by the state government after Chatrapati Shivaji, the famed 17th century Maratha king. On 2 July 2004, the station was nominated as a World Heritage Site by the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO.

On 26 November 2008, two terrorists entered the passenger hall of the CST, opened fire and threw grenades at people. The terrorists were armed with AK-47 rifles. More than 50 people were killed in the attack.

from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhatrapati_Shivaji_Terminus

VT stationharsh JaverihershyMumbai