Around The World

Bombay (Mumbai)

Bombay, with a population of nearly 10 million, is the largest metropolis in India. Renamed Mumbai in 1995, it is the capital of the state of Maharashtra as well as the major port and industrial centre on the west coast of India.
The main part of the city is built on Bombay Island. Greater Bombay, a metropolitan municipal organization that includes Bombay Island, and part of Salsette Island, was created in 1957. More than 15 million people live in Greater Bombay and its mainland suburbs. A satellite city called New Bombay is being built to ease the overcrowding.
Bombay is considered India’s most sophisticated and culturally varied city. The majority of the inhabitants are followers of the Hindu religion. But the population includes Muslims, Christians, Jains, Zoroasrtrians, Jews and Sikhs. The two major languages are Marathi and Gujarati, although more than 50 languages are spoken.

The city

At the southwestern end of Bombay Island, the coast is indented. It forms a shallow body of water known as Back Bay, which opens into the Arabian Sea. To the west of the bay is a high ridge known as Malabar Hill, where many expensive homes have been built.
The Hanging Gardens and Kamala Nehru Park, featuring a giant Mother Hubbard shoe, are also in the Malabar Hill area. The summit of the hill offers a superb view of the city. At night thousands of lights form a sparkling outline of Marine Drive, which runs along the northeastern edge of Back Bay. Marine Drive has rows of modern apartments on one side. On its other sides are lovely palms and a wide promenade facing the bay.
At the entrance to the harbour is the Gateway of India, the most familiar landmark of the city.
The magnificent stone arch was built in 1911 in honour of King George V and Queen Mary of England. Elephanta Island in the harbour is the site of seven magnificent Hindu cave temples built in the 700’s.
Other special attractions in Bombay include the Prince of Wales Museum, the Jehangir Art Gallery, and many religious temples and shrines. Kanheri National Park, on Salsette Island, contains more than one hundred ancient Buddhist temple caves. Additional places of interest include Victoria Gardens, an aquarium, and a zoo.
Bombay’s major commercial centre is situated west of the waterfront, in a part of the city known as the Fort. The area included the famed Chatrapati Shivaji railway station and the University of Bombay. Most of the older and larger buildings in the fort are built in Gothic and other Europian styles of architecture.

Economic activity

Most of India’s foreign trade passes through the port of Bombay, which is situated in the eastern edge of the island and in one of the world’s finest natural harbours. Its shore is lined with miles of docks, piers and warehouses. Bombay’s factories are generally located in the north, where there are many overcrowded slums.
Bridges link Greater Bombay to the mainland, where many factories have been relocated. Chemicals, glassware, leather goods, and machinery are among the products made there. Finance, commerce, oil exploration, filmmaking, and publishing are also main activities in Bombay.

History

The Bombay has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The harbour and islands were ceded to Portugal by the sultanate of Gujarat in 1534.
In 1662 the British king Charles II married a Portuguese princess, Catharine of Braganza. He received Bombay as part of her dowry, and soon became the leading centre of British power on the west coast of India. But the city did not grow rapidly until it replaced the Confederate south as the world’s chief source of cotton during the U.S. Civil war.
Today Bombay is more than a great port and textile center. Each year the glamour and wealth of what has been called India’s most beautiful city attract huge numbers of people seeking a better life. Modern Bombay, with its skyscrapers and slums, has become one of the world’s most crowded cities.