History of Bombay

“Bombay to Mumbai”


Ancient yet modern, fabulously rich yet achingly poor. That is my home, the city I call Mumbai, and the city the rest of the world calls Bombay.

The city of Bombay originally consisted of seven islands. They formed a part of the kingdom of the great Indian Emperor, Ashoka. After his death, the islands passed into the hands of various Hindu rulers till 1343, when the Mohammedans from neighbouring Gujarat fought and took over. They had control of the islands for the next two centuries.

In 1534, the Portuguese needed another trading centre on the west coast of India. So they fought a battle with the Mohammedans and took over the city. They named their new port “Bom Baia”, which in Portuguese is “Good Bay”.

In 1622, the Portuguese king gave the islands as dowry to he English king Charles II on the marriage to his daughter, Princess Catherine of Braganza. In 1668, the islands were acquired by the English East India Company on lease from the crow...