Ancient yet modern, fabulously rich yet achingly poor.
Bombay, now known as Mumbai, is home to around 10 million people. It is a thriving cosmopolitan, multi-cultural city, and is the centre of India's entertainment industry.
The city of Bombay originally consisted of seven islands, namely Colaba, Mazagaon, Old Woman's Island, Wadala, Mahim, Parel, and Matunga-Sion. This group of islands, which have since been joined together by a series of reclamations, formed part of the kingdom of Ashoka, the famous Emperor of India.
In 1534 AD, the Portuguese rulers took Bombay islands by force from the Muslim rulers. The Portuguese built forts at Sion, Bandra, Mahim and Bassien which are still standing. They named the city as “Bom Baia” which in Portuguese means “Good Bay”. The Portuguese could not find any use for them and in 1661 the island of Bombay was given to Charles 11 of England as part of the dowry when he got married to Catherine of Braganza, sister of the Portuguese king.
A few years later Charles 11 took possession of the remaining islands. In 1668,the East India Company a trading company based in Surat (Gujarat), took over on lease the island of Bombay due to its strategic location and port advantage, Bombay soon became an important trading port. Development and reclamation started and the then Governor Gerald Aungier (1672-1677) encouraged business men from all over to come and settle. Historians have given him the title of "Father of Bombay" because it was in this period Bombay boomed to become a prime commercial centre..
The Zorastrian Parsis were the first to arrive and settle and build their first tower of silence in 1675. Many streets are named after successful Parsi businessmen, industrialist and philanthropists. In 1687 the presidency of the East India Company shifted from Surat to Bombay and finally in 1708 Bombay became it’s headquarter. By the 18th century the population had grown and basic amenities and public services introduced like piped water supply, Hospitals, Railways ,Tramcars, Courts , Mint, etc. The Victoria Terminus Railway Station was made in 1887..
When India became Independent in 1947 Bombay became the capital of Bombay state. In 1960 Bombay state was dissolved and the state of Maharashtra came into being, with Bombay as its state capital.In 1995 Bombay changed its name to Mumbai. The name Mumbai is derived from "Mumbadevi" the patron goddess of the Koli fisher folks, the earliest known inhabitants.
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