Mumbai's streets are dotted with grand structures that tell tales of British rule, cultural amalgamation, and evolving identities. Strolling through South Mumbai, it’s impossible to miss the towering Victorian Gothic facades, the ornate Indo-Saracenic designs, and the stately neoclassical buildings that once housed the British elite. Landmarks like the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and the Gateway of India are reminders of an era when architecture was rooted in power, prestige, and legacy.
But amidst all the grand, imposing buildings of Mumbai’s colonial past, there exist quieter, more intimate relics; old bungalows and guesthouses that have stood the test of time. Onemos which is Cowies Hostel, a heritage building that has witnessed over a century of history and transformation. What was once a quiet, family-run guest house has now been reborn as an upscale backpacker’s retreat, welcoming travelers from around the world to experience Mumbai in a space teeming with its history.
Cowies Hostel, once owned by an Englishman named Mr. Cowie, started its journey in the 1950s as a family-run lodge. For over sixty years, it operated as a guesthouse before transforming into a premium hostel in 2018. The building itself is over a hundred years old and still boasts features that transport visitors back in time, like a grand vintage balustrade staircase, a gothic wrought-iron chandelier, and beautifully preserved vintage Indian tiles underfoot.
Over the years, Cowies Hostel has played host to more than just weary travelers. It has been a silent observer to moments of history — Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah once graced its halls, discussing the fate of a soon-to-be-independent India. Indira Gandhi, too, held meetings within its walls with one of its former tenants, Mr. Setna. More recently, Hollywood royalty Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt spent time here during the filming of A Mighty Heart. The building has also been a backdrop for Mumbai’s cinematic world. From classic ad films to modern Bollywood, it has been captured on camera countless times, most recently in Merry Christmas, starring Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi.
Beyond politics and film, Cowies has also been home to some of India’s most celebrated artists. F. N. Souza, a pioneer of modern Indian painting and a founding member of the Bombay Progressive Artists’ Group, spent his final years here. His raw, rebellious brushstrokes shook the art world, and it’s fitting that his last abode was a space imbued with such rich history.
For those who remember the Bombay of the ‘90s, the building housed one of the city’s most iconic restaurants, Palkhi. Opened in 1990 and designed by the legendary Parmeshwar Godrej, the restaurant was an upscale dining spot co-owned by socialite Kishin Mulchandani. Palkhi was a hotspot where Mumbai’s elite — Bollywood stars, artists like M.F. Husain, and even Steven Spielberg, gathered to indulge in nouvelle Indian cuisine under a ceiling adorned with sculptures by Subhash Awchat.
Today, Cowies Hostel stands at the intersection of the old and the new. A five-story building with 11 private rooms, 19 dormitories, and a common rooftop area, it welcomes modern-day travelers into the echoes of a bygone era. It hold within itself an imprint of our colonial past and the stories of revolutionaries, artists, and dreamers. A landmark of time, it invites wanderers to pause, listen, and become part of a narrative that stretches beyond a single lifetime.
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