Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus – A World Heritage Site
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus or CST (formerly known as Victoria Terminus or Bori Bunder) is the most identifiable landmark of Mumbai (Maharashtra, India). This architectural marvel, designed on the lines of St Pancras Railway station in London UK, is a UNESCO World heritage site.
CST is probably the most photographed structure in the city. The building is a case study for Architectural students and a canvas for Photographers.
The entire building is adorned with awesome symmetrical statues and figures. But, the center of attraction is the Statue of Progress mounted on the Central Dome. Intricate carvings and designs along with the numerous arched windows, towers and domes provide scope for decorative patterns and abstracts. The surrounding area is buzzing with street activity and traffic , thereby giving ample opportunities for candid and street shots.
Best time to shoot:
CST is beautiful to shoot in the day time, but becomes much more interesting in the night under illumination. On special occasions like the Republic Day or Independence Day, the structure glows in the three colours of the Indian flag. The landmark is also illuminated on some other important dates like New Year’s Day, Diwali, etc. Half of Mumbai’s cameras are busy imaging it’s beauty.
Nearby is the Mumbai Municipal Corporation building, another superb piece of architecture . This structure is also illuminated decoratively along with CST on special days.
Note:
The Landmark faces West, so the best time to shoot the building is in the evening. Also there is a very busy crossroad bang in front of the station. This gives great opportunity for some creative long exposure images. Tripods can be used while shooting from the roadside.
Being a huge structure with not much of a shooting distance one would need an UltraWide (10-22mm) to capture CST in a single frame.