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The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai was built by:
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Answer: Option D — Jamsetji Tata
Detailed Solution
The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai was built by Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, the founder of the Tata Group. It opened on 16 December 1903.
About the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel:
It stands at Apollo Bunder in Colaba, South Mumbai, facing the Gateway of India and the Arabian Sea. The Gateway was built later (completed in 1924).
According to a popular story, Jamsetji decided to build it after he was refused entry to a European-only hotel. Historians are not sure this story is true; another view is that he wanted to give Bombay a world-class hotel.
It was designed by the Indian architects Sitaram Khanderao Vaidya and D. N. Mirza, and the project was completed by the British engineer W. A. Chambers.
It was the first hotel in India to have electricity, American fans, German elevators and Turkish baths.
During the First World War, it was converted into a 600-bed hospital.
On 26 November 2008, it was one of the main targets of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai ("26/11"). It was badly damaged, but it reopened soon after.
Its iconic dome is a symbol of Mumbai.
It is owned by the Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), part of the Tata Group.
About Jamsetji Tata (1839-1904):
- He was born on 3 March 1839 in Navsari, Gujarat, into a Parsi family.
- He is called the "Father of Indian industry".
- He founded the Tata Group (beginning with a trading company in 1868) and the Empress Mills at Nagpur (1877).
He planned the Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO) at Jamshedpur, the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore and hydro-electric power plants. These were completed after his death by his sons.
He died on 19 May 1904 in Germany.
Other members of the Tata family:
- Dorabji Tata: his elder son; established TISCO (1907) and Tata Power.
- R. D. Tata: India's first licensed pilot (1929); founded Tata Airlines (1932), later Air India; Bharat Ratna (1992).
- Ratanji Tata: his younger son.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Dorabji Tata established TISCO.
- ✗R. D. Tata founded Tata Airlines.
- ✗Ratanji Tata was Jamsetji's younger son.
Quick tip
Remember: Taj Mahal Palace Hotel (opened 1903) = Jamsetji Tata ("Father of Indian industry"; planned TISCO and IISc); J. R. D. Tata = first licensed pilot, Air India, Bharat Ratna 1992.
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Famous Personalities & Founders — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Famous Personalities & Founders, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers famous personalities from India and the world: leaders, reformers, scientists, entrepreneurs and their nicknames, along with the founders of organisations, companies, institutions, religions and movements. Questions often use popular titles such as 'Iron Man of India' (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel) or 'Nightingale of India' (Sarojini Naidu), or ask who founded an organisation, such as the Ramakrishna Mission (Swami Vivekananda). Grouping people by field and by title makes revision faster and helps you spot wrong options. Practise the famous personalities questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.