General Post Office (Mumbai)
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The General Post Office, Mumbai is the central post office of the city of Mumbai, India. The post-office handles most of the city's inbound and outbound mail and parcels. Situated in the vicinity of Victoria Terminus, this outstanding structure is a paradigm of Indo-Saracenic architecture.
[edit] The building
The GPO is modelled on the Gol Gumbaz in Bijapur, Karnataka. It was designed by British architect John Begg, a consultant architect to the British government. Begg designed the structure in 1902, and construction began on September 1, 1904. It was completed on March 13, 1913 at a cost of Rs. 1,809,000. Black basalt, with a dressing of yellow Kurla stone and white stones from Dhrangdra are the predominant materials used.
The building has an area of 120,000 square feet (11,000 m²) and replaced the current Central Telegraph Office at Flora Fountain as the new GPO. The chief feature of the architecture of this building is an ethereal central hall which rises up to the great dome.
[edit] Operations
As the chief post office of the city, the post office handles huge volumes of mail and passes them on to other post offices in the city. The GPO has the Postal Index Number (PIN) 400 001. Due to its vicinity to Victoria Terminus, it is ideally situated to dispatch and receive mail to and from other cities in India. It also controls the smaller post offices in Mumbai, issues stamps, and prints new inland letterheads and postcards. It also has a philately section for enthusiasts.
