Wellington Pier (formerly known as ''"Apollo Bunder"'') was an important pier for embarkation and disembarkation of passengers and goods in the city of

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in the late 19th century. It is the location of the famed Gateway of India and the only passengers using it now are those who are taking the ferry to Gharapuri. The first name for the pier (Bunder means ''port'' or more correctly, ''haven'') was derived from the ''Palla'' fish that were sold at this spot in old times. This was corrupted to the Portuguese ''Pollem'' and finally to the English ''Apollo''. This old name was popular among Indians and is still used today instead of ''Wellington Pier''. The pier was once a maze of wharves and docks where brisk trading took place. During the months of April and May the pier was particularly busy, with thousands of baskets of cotton being stacked ready for loading onto ships. There was frantic activity on the Cotton Green, at the Customs' House and at the hydraulic presses where the raw staple was baled for export. Since incoming passengers had to disembark together with their luggage at the Customs' House which was further north near the Mazgaon dock, passenger ships would make only a short stop at these piers in order to land the mail. Beginning in 1900, the Administration started to reclaim the area in order build the Gateway of India, designed to welcome Emperor George V. The entire area now serves as a magnet for tourists visiting the gateway and nearby Taj building, going to the

Elephanta Caves The Elephanta Caves are a collection of cave temples predominantly dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. They are on Elephanta Island, or ''Gharapuri'' (literally "the city of caves"), in Mumbai Harbour, east of Mumbai in the Indian state of Mahā ...

or coming in remembrance of the 26/11 attacks.

Literature and popular culture

"Next day, they all went down to the sea, and there was a scene at the Apollo Bunder when Punch discovered that Meeta could not come too, and Judy learned that the ayah must be left behind. But Punch found a thousand fascinating things in the rope, block, and steam-pipe line on the big P. and O. Steamer, long before Meeta and the ayah had dried their tears." –

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

's short story, ''Baa Baa Black Sheep'', published in 1888. File:The Apollo Bunder- the Gate of India.jpg, The Apollo Bunder - The Gate of India, c. 1905 File:Thane Creek and Elephanta Island 03-2016 - img36 ferry near Gateway of India.jpg, A boat at Apollo Bunder, 2016

References

India Revisited By Edwin Arnold, p. 54The Charm of Mumbai By R P Karkaria, p. 336A Financial Chapter In The History Of Mumbai City, ''Mumbai in 1864-65''
{{Reflist History of Mumbai Neighbourhoods in Mumbai Piers in India