Gilbert Hill: Mumbai’s Forgotten Geologic Formation

There are a few places on earth where basalt pillars extruded through the surface due to volcanic activity and left towers made up of hexagonal columns. The Devils Postpile near Yosemite is one, the Giant's Causeway in Ireland is another. There's also one in Mumbai, in the middle of the city, called Gilbert Hill. But Gilbert Hill has not been revered like the others.

Gilbert Hill was declared a National Park in 1952, and a Grade II heritage structure in 2007. However, the current condition of this highly encroached-upon natural wonder shows that neither its legal status as a National Park nor its inclusion in the heritage list has made any difference. There are two temples on the top of the hill, accessible by stairs. The vegetation that once surrounded the hill has given way to buildings and dingy slums. The people who live around this geological monument are barely concerned about the hill because of their own struggle for survival. The only people who visit the site are scholars, historians and devotees of the shrines.

It's rather odd to see a natural wonder surrounded so closely by residential buildings. Read about Gilbert Hill and see more pictures at Amusing Planet. -via Strange Company

(Image credit: Oknitop)


Funny that there is a Gilbert Hill on the North side of Syracuse not as impressive as this one, but I had to walk over it on my way to high school and back. Always told my kids I had to go uphill both ways. One time drove them over the route I walked to show them what I meant.
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