Mumbai (Bombay)

Mumbai (Bombay)


The Koli fisher people were the first inhabitants of the seven islands that are nowadays part of the city. On the city's shoreline you can see the huts of the Koli that still live there. Several Hindu dynasties ruled the islands until in the 14th century they were occupied by Muslims. The Sultan of Gujarat ceded power to the Portuguese in 1534. When Catherine of Braganza married Charles II from England in 1661 the largest of the islands was included in the bride's dowry. In four years later the British possessed all seven islands and leased them to the East India Company for 10 pounds a year.

The British promise of religious freedom and very cheap land, attracted numerous merchants from other parts of India and trade developed rapidly. Goods were easily shipped, as the city had an excellent natural harbor. Bombay (as it was called then) grew because of the massive influx of Parsis, Gujaratis and Indian Hindus fleeing Portuguese oppression in Goa. The base for Bombay's multiethnic society was laid in that time. The East India Company moved their headquarters from Surat to Bombay at the end of the 17th century. The construction of St Thomas' Cathedral near Horniman Circle lasted from 1672 to 1718.

In the 1720's the British built a Fort and massive land reclamation projects were began to join the seven islands into one land mass. Around the fort extravagant Victorian gothic buildings were erected. Nowadays this area resembles an industrial town northern England. It is one of the city's most lively areas and there are numerous street stalls. During the 18th century Bombay grew steadily and after the British defeated the Marathas and annexed large portions of land in 1818 and steam powered ships arrived, the city started booming. In 1853 Asia's first railway was constructed between Bombay and Thana. The Victoria Terminus dates from that time. The railway station is lavishly decorated and you won't be bored there waiting for a train. It is like visiting a cathedral. Steam powered cotton mills were built and the American Civil War caused cotton supplies from that continent to come to a halt, spurring production in Bombay. In 1864 the walls that had surrounded the fort were taken down and the building spree took off even faster. After the Suez Canal was opened in 1869 trade between Bombay and Europe became much easier, which also accounted for its share in Bombay's boom. Numerous buildings such as the Bombay University, the High Court, the BMC building and stately Horniman Circle were all built in the 19th century.

Bombay hosted the first Indian national Congress in 1885 and it has always played an important role in India's struggle for independence. After independence large numbers of rural Maharashtran changed the city's demographics and strained its infrastructure. Tensions between Shiv Sainaks, pro-Marathis and Muslims have since hampered the city's development. In 1996 the city's name was officially changed into Mumbai, to assert the city's Marathi identity.

Mumbai is thought to have nearly 30 million inhabitants by 2020, of which only 50% has access to electricity and clean water. The air is extremely polluted and the government tries to relieve the strain on the environment by building New Bombay several kilometers away on the mainland.

Mumbai is the economic powerhouse of India. It is the country's financial and industrial center, as well as its most important seaport. Mumbai is also home to the largest slums in Asia, as well as marvelous 19th century architecture. Mumbai is also home to the world's largest film studios known as Bollywood. Most water between the original seven islands has been reclaimed from the sea and nowadays Mumbai lies on one large island connected to the main land by several bridges. The city's principal areas are situated on the southern parts of the island. Its relative prosperity attracts thousands of new immigrants from poor rural areas all over the country, every day.

Places to Visit

Colaba and Surroundings

Colaba is the southernmost peninsula on the Mumbai Island. There you will find Mumbai's principal landmark, the colonial monument on the Apollo Bunder that is often referred to as the Gateway of India. It consists of a huge yellow basalt arch of triumph and it was built in 1924. Nowadays it is the center if a thriving tourist industry, where touts, balloon sellers, postcard vendors and snake charmers try to squeeze every penny out of visiting tourists they can.

From the top floor of the 1903 built Taj Mahal Hotel there are good views over the Apollo Bunder. Behind the hotel is the Colaba Causeway, where numerous street vendors, shops, stalls and cafes can be found. The street runs south to Sassoon Dock, which is also a very busy area, as fishing men bring their catch ashore there every morning. To the north of Colaba Causeway are the Prince of Wales Museum and the National Gallery of Modern Art

Marine Drive

The Marine Drive was built in 1920 on reclaimed land. It runs all the way from Nariman Point past Chowpatty Beach to the foot of Malabar Hill, along the coast. It is a popular place to stroll in the evenings and there are numerous artists and touts active. The drive is lined with beautiful Art Deco buildings. In October or November the Marine Drive is like a war zone. People light firecrackers and traditional Diwali lamps are floated in the water of the Banganga Tank to celebrate Diwali's.

Chowpatty Beach

Chowpatty Beach is another area that doesn't come to live until sunset. There are numerous vendors, food stalls that sell bhelpuri and artist in the evening and the area is very busy with people strolling around. Massages are done at the malish-wallahs and every August or September (depending on the year) the 11-day Hindu Ganesh Chaturthi Festival is held there. During the festival huge images from elephant-headed gods are immersed in the sea. The festival was started in its current form in 1893, when nationalists tried to celebrate something that would harness the appeal of a Hindu festival. A classic dance and music festival known as the Elephanta Festival is held there each year in February.

Malabar Hill

Malabar Hill is a posh residential area on the northern side of Back Bay. On the top of the hill are the Hanging Gardens (also known as Pherozeshah Mehta Gardens). The adjacent Kamala Nehru Park offers great views over Mumbai. Also in the neighborhood are the Parsi Towers of Silence. Fire, earth and water are sacred to Parsis and they lie their dead in the towers to be picked clean by birds.

The temple of Walkeshwar, the Sand Lord is on the southern side of the bay. It was originally built around 1000 AD, but it has been rebuilt several times since. According to the Ramayana, it is supposed to be the place where Rama rested on his way to Sita. When Rama shot a bana (arrow) in the ground, water spouted and that place is now marked by the Banganga Tank. It is mainly used by bathing pilgrims and kids playing.

Haji Ali Mosque

This mosque contains the tomb of Haji Ali, a Muslim saint, who is thought to have been a wealthy businessman who renounced all his wealth after his pilgrimage to Mecca. His devotees built the whitewashed mosque in the beginning of the 19th century. You can only reach the mosque at low tide, when the causeway connecting it with the main land falls dry.

Crawford Market

The indoor Crawford Market is also known as Phule Market. It is a lively, colorful place next to the even more crowded bazaars. Most of the products available at the market consist of fruit, vegetables and meat. There is also an area where live animals and pets are sold.

To the south is the J J School of Art, where Rudyard Kipling was born in 1865. His father, Lockwood Kipling made the bas reliefs that adorn the market building.

Kalbadevi

The bazaars of Kalbadevi are immediately north of the Crawford Market. They consist of a maze of narrow lanes full of vendors, hikers, touts and traffic jams and are the complete opposite of spacious, modern South Mumbai.

Because of strong caste traditions, most streets have shops and stalls dedicated to one product only, e.g. in one street all shops sell copper pipes, while in the next street there are only shops that sell watches. The most important areas are the Zaveri Bazaar, where jewelry is sold and the Mangaldas Market for cloth. On Dhabu Street you'll find leather goods, while the Chor Bazaar is also known as the 'thieves' market, because most of the things sold there were stolen from you in the first place, or so the story goes. Most of the stuff there is of very bad quality. In the bazaar area you can also find the Jama Masjid and the Mumbadevi Temple that are dedicated to the Koli people's patron goddess.

Elephanta Island

On the quiet Elephanta Island, 10 km (6 miles) northeast of the Colaba are several temples caved out of the rocks between 450 and 750 AD. Although the Portuguese ravaged the caves, they survived remarkably and you can see various sculpted panels, as well as a 6 m (20 feet) high triple-headed statue of Trimurti, all related to Siva, the creator and preserver, as well as destroyer god. Boats to the island are available at Apollo Bunder, but during the weekends it gets very crowded.

Sanjay Gandhi National Park

The Sanjay Gandhi National Park consists of a protected area of forested hills. The park is on Mumbai's northern outskirts and its main attraction are the 109 Kanheri Caves. The caves were cut in the side of a rocky ravine by Buddhist monks between the 2nd and 9th centuries AD and were used as viharas (monasteries) and chaityas (temples). The Great Chaitya Cave, or Cave 3 is the most amazing one. It has pillars and a 5 m (15 feet) high dagoba (pagoda) at the back. Apart from the caves you can also visit the Lion Safari Park, which is situated inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

Other Activities

Swimming in Mumbai can only be done safely in swimming pools. The beaches are heavily polluted and it is not advised to swim there. There are cricket possibilities, as well as horse races.

When to go

The best time of the year to visit Mumbai is between September and April, when the weather is cooler and relatively dry. In August/September the interesting 11-day Hindu Ganesh Chaturthi Festival is held in Mumbai.

Transportation

Mumbai has air connections with Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta) and Madras, as well as numerous other cities in the country and international destinations. The international airport is 30 km (20 miles) from the city center. It is called Sahar. For domestic flights you should head for Santa Cruz, 25 km (15 miles) from town. Trains run between Mumbai and Agra, Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Chennai, Delhi, Kochi, Pune and Varanasi. Buses to numerous destinations can be found at two bus terminals. Long-distance buses leave from opposite the Central Railway Station. Inside the city there is usually unimaginable traffic congestion and although Mumbai has one of India's better public transportation systems, it is still erratic and unreliable. There is an urban network of (double-decker) buses and a suburban rail system. There are many taxis in Mumbai.

Places to stay and eat

There is a wide variety of accommodation available in Mumbai. Most of the cheaper hotels are in the Colaba area, but there are also numerous reasonable places near the Fort and along Marine Drive. There are countless restaurants and food stalls scattered all over the city. Mumbai is on India's the western coast, on the Arabian Sea, 1150 km southwest of New Delhi.


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Miscellaneous Information

Latitude:    18°58' N
Longitude: 72°50' E
Elevation:  n/a

Population: 15,000,000
Cost-of-living compared to Washington D.C.: n/a

Hours from UTC: 5:30
Daylight savings time: n/a

City phone code: n/a
Country phone code: 91

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