Kala Ghoda means 'black horse' in Hindi and Marathi. The name comes from a dark bronze equestrian statue of Edward VII as Prince of Wales, who toured India in 1875 and 1876. It was sculpted in London by Joseph Edgar Boehm, given to the city by the businessman Albert Sassoon and unveiled at this junction in June 1879.

1A missing horse

After independence, a statue of the imperial heir in the middle of the financial district felt out of place. In August 1965 it was removed and taken to the Jijamata Udyan gardens in Byculla, where it still stands. The curious thing is that the district kept its name: for more than fifty years Mumbai went on calling a place without a horse 'black horse'. In 2017 the local association installed this new riderless sculpture, called 'The Spirit of Kala Ghoda'.

2The iron hotel

Look at the tall building on the corner. It is the former Watson's Hotel, now Esplanade Mansion, built between 1867 and 1869 from cast-iron parts made in England and assembled here. It is considered the oldest surviving cast-iron building in India. In July 1896 the Lumière brothers' cinematograph was shown here, the country's first film screening. It is also the hotel of the famous Jamsetji Tata legend. Today it is in poor condition, and its future has even been argued over in the courts.

A horse that left and a hotel that is crumbling: the two ghosts of Kala Ghoda.

3What to look for

  • The riderless horse from 2017.
  • The iron balconies of the former Watson's Hotel.
  • The galleries and murals of the district, home to an arts festival every February.
Equestrian statue of Edward VII as Prince of Wales among trees
The original 'black horse', now in the Jijamata Udyan gardens in Byculla.
Old engraving of Watson's Hotel seen from above, with the bay behind
Watson's Hotel in the nineteenth century, today Esplanade Mansion.

Documented

Boehm's statue of Edward VII, a gift from Albert Sassoon, was unveiled in 1879 and removed in 1965; Watson's Hotel was built in 1867-1869 from cast iron shipped from England.

Oral tradition

That Jamsetji Tata was refused entry to Watson's Hotel for not being European is a popular legend with no documentary support.

Sources and credits

Kala Ghoda Association, history of the district; Sharada Dwivedi and Rahul Mehrotra, 'Fort Walks' (1999); Jio Institute, Jijamata Udyan digital archive, 'Equestrian statue of King Edward VII'.

Photos:

  • Sculpture of a riderless black horse on a pedestal in Kala Ghoda: Pradeep717, CC BY-SA 4.0.
  • Equestrian statue of Edward VII as Prince of Wales among trees: Elroy Serrao, CC BY-SA 2.0.
  • Old engraving of Watson's Hotel seen from above, with the bay behind: British Library, Dominio público.

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