The Taj, as the hotel is affectionately known, has stood proudly next to the Gateway of India for over 80 years-and, in fact, preceded it by 20. (Before the gate was built, the hotel was the first sight for ships coming into the Bombay port). From the beginning, the scale and magnificence of its architecture, combined with the service of its staff, made it a landmark. It became synonymous with, as Jan Morris wrote, "the quintessence of imperial amplitude." The London Times called it the finest hotel in the East, where a British viceroy could mix with Indian mahara-jas and where anyone who was anyone simply had to stay.
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