Restored Flora Fountain in Mumbai to be unveiled on Thursday

As the restoration of the iconic Flora Fountain in South Mumbai has been completed, the monument is set to be unveiled on Thursday, civic officials said.

However, the work of giving a face-lift to the area around the heritage structure and landscaping will take another few months to complete, they said.

"The restoration of Flora Fountain, named after Flora, the mythological Roman goddess of flowers, has been completed and it would be formally thrown open for public viewing on Thursday," a senior civic official said.

Noted architect Vikas Dilawari, who is overseeing the project on behalf of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), said the restoration work was divided into two parts.

"The first part of the restoration work of the main monument is now complete. It will be opened for public viewing tomorrow. The second part of the restoration work involves upgradation of the surrounding and landscaping, which will take another few months," he said.

The work to renovate the 153-year-old Gothic Revival architecture was given to the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) by the BMC in September 2016. However, the organisation had stopped the work towards the end of 2017 due to paucity of funds. The restoration work resumed in March 2018.

Flora Fountain is an ornamentally and exquisitely sculpted architectural heritage monument located in the Fort business district in the heart of the southern part of the city. Built in 1864, the decorated structure is a fusion of water, architecture and sculpture depicting the Roman goddess Flora.