Marine Drive, Promenade in Mumbai, India
Marine Drive is a banana-shaped, six-lane concrete road and promenade along a natural bay, built on reclaimed land facing west-south-west. It runs 3 kilometres from Nariman Point to Girgaon Chowpatty, with a low dark stone parapet on the landward side and a sloping barrier of large irregular dark grey rocks along the seaward edge.
Marine Drive was built by Pallonji Mistry in 1940 on reclaimed land facing west-south-west along a natural bay. The six-lane concrete road and its promenade link Nariman Point at the southern tip with Babulnath and Malabar Hill to the north. In 2012 the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai resurfaced the entire road, 72 years after it was first laid, and installed bollards.
The Art Deco structures facing this waterfront boulevard form part of Mumbai's UNESCO World Heritage designation, representing one of the world's largest concentrations of early twentieth-century modernist architecture outside the United States and reflecting the city's cosmopolitan aspirations during that era.
The promenade can be reached via Churchgate station on the Western Line or through numerous bus routes, with early morning and late afternoon visits recommended for cooler temperatures and favorable photography light, though weekend evenings draw large crowds of families and street food vendors.
The street lamps positioned along the curved route create a pearl necklace pattern when viewed from elevated buildings at night, earning the boulevard its popular nickname Queen's Necklace and making it a favorite viewpoint for photographers capturing the city's evening skyline from surrounding high-rises.
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