Gilbert Hill in Mumbai (Andheri W)

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Gilbert Hill is located in Andheri (W) closeby to Andheri Railway Station and Bhavan's College.


I was enjoying the view from the 9^th floor of my brother’s flat in Andheri (West) when I espied in the distance an interesting rock formation surrounded by buildings all around. I googled the same (Thank God for Google maps) and got to know that the rock formation goes by the name of Gilbert Hill.

Gilbert Hill is 197 feet tall and is made up of black basalt rock. Its vertical face was formed when the molten lava was squeezed out from its clefts. It has been around for nearly 65 million years. Quite some time now.

Gilbert Hill

Another structure of the same type is located in USA and is called Devil’s Tower.

I asked Shailesh, a friend of mine who is not keen on going on outdoor trips. So I wanted him to accompany me on an easy trip. I asked him to join me on a visit to this structure. We boarded a BEST bus to Gilbert Hill from Andheri station, bus no. 250. From there we decided to walk to the base of the fort.

Stairway to Gilbert Hill

The staircase which leads to the top of the fort has been newly built and is very steep. Shailesh was quite tired on the upward climb. Finally we reached the top. There are two Hindu temples and a small garden in the fort. The hill offers a panoramic view of suburban Mumbai.

I was surprised to see that there is a structure like this in my backyard. Unfortunately, the land around the area has been taken over by the builder community and the area is seeing a lot of construction. I was not happy to see that new buildings blossoming around in the area.

View from Top

It took us around 30 minutes to see it. Later we decided to descend and head home.