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HISTORY
OF MUMBAI ( INDIA) |
| Bombay
was originally a cluster of seven Koli islands inhabited by
fishermen. These islands were a part of Gujarat. When
the Muslim ruler Sultan Muhamed Begada captured the islands, Bombay was till then
inhabited by the Hindus. Vasco da Gama a Portuguese was
the first man to discover the sea route to Bombay.
After repeated attacks, the Sultan of
Gujarat handed over the islands to the Portuguese in 1534.
The Portuguese could not find any use for them and in1661 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. |
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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. Among them the Tata’s are most famous. Air
India was set up by JRD Tata and Hotel TajMahal stands as a
great memorial to his father. Then came the Hindus, Goan
Catholics, and the Muslims. 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, designed
by F. W. Stevens and built in Gothic style. |
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Till today it is one of the most imposing and impressive
structures and the credit for this plus other Gothic structures goes
to the then governor Sir Bartle Frere who took a keen interest in
the making of Bombay. Most of the impressive buildings were made
between the years 1860-1900 like the GPO, Offices, Banks, Tourist
offices and two of the main railway stations .By 1862 the seven
islands had joined together to form one huge mass of land .The
arrival of the Great Indian Peninsular Railways signaled improved
communications.
| The American civil war gave a
further boost to the cotton and textile industry, which emerged as the main manufacturing
activity. With the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 Bombay prospered as an International
port, and reinforced its position as a major commercial and industrial center in
India.
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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