Mumbai 1 Mumbai Mumbai Bombay — Metropolitan City — Clockwise from top: Skyline at Cuffe Parade, the Rajabai Clock Tower, Taj Mahal Hotel, Nariman Point and the Gateway of India Mumbai Coordinates: 18°58′30″N 72°49′33″E Country India State Maharashtra District Mumbai City Mumbai Suburban First settled 1507 Government • Type Mayor–Council • Body BMC • Mayor Sunil Prabhu (SS) [1] • Municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte Area • Metropolitan City 603 km2 (233 sq mi) Mumbai 2 Elevation 14 m (46 ft) [2][3] Population (2011) • Metropolitan City 12,478,447 • Rank 1st • Density 20,694/km2 (53,600/sq mi) [4] • Metro 18,414,288 • Metro rank 1st • Metropolitan 20,748,395 (2nd) Demonym Mumbaikar Time zone IST (UTC+5:30) ZIP code(s) 400 xxx Area code(s) 9122-XXXX XXXX Vehicle registration MH 01—03 [5] Spoken languages Marathi Ethnicity Marathi, Marwari, Bihari and others Website [www.mcgm.gov.in www.mcgm.gov.in] Mumbai /mʊmˈbaɪ/, also known as Bombay, is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million. Along with the neighbouring urban areas, including the cities of Navi Mumbai and Thane, it is one of the most populous urban regions in the world.[6] Mumbai lies on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. In 2009, Mumbai was named an Alpha world city.[7] It is also the wealthiest city in India,[8] and has the highest GDP of any city in South, West or Central Asia. The seven islands that came to constitute Mumbai were home to communities of fishing colonies. For centuries, the islands were under the control of successive indigenous empires before being ceded to the Portuguese and subsequently to the British East India Company. During the mid-18th century, Mumbai was reshaped by the Hornby Vellard project,[9] which undertook the reclamation of the area between the seven constituent islands from the sea.[10] Completed by 1845, the project along with construction of major roads and railways transformed Bombay into a major seaport on the Arabian Sea. Economic and educational development characterised the city during the 19th century. It became a strong base for the Indian independence movement during the early 20th century. When India became independent in 1947, the city was incorporated into Bombay State. In 1960, following the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, a new state of Maharashtra was created with Bombay as capital. The city was renamed Mumbai in 1996,[11] the name being derived from the Koli goddess—Mumbadevi. Mumbai is the commercial and entertainment capital of India, it is also one of the world's top 10 centres of commerce in terms of global financial flow,[12] generating 5% of India's GDP,[13] and accounting for 25% of industrial output, 70% of maritime trade in India (Mumbai Port Trust & JNPT),[14] and 70% of capital transactions to India's economy.[15] The city houses important financial institutions such as the Reserve Bank of India, the Bombay Stock Exchange, the National Stock Exchange of India, the SEBI and the corporate headquarters of numerous Indian companies and multinational corporations. It is also home to some of India's premier scientific and nuclear institutes like BARC, NPCL, IREL, TIFR, AERB, AECI, and the Department of Atomic Energy. The city also houses India's Hindi (Bollywood) and Marathi film and television industry. Mumbai's business opportunities, as well as its potential to offer a higher standard of living,[16] attract migrants from all over India and, in turn, make the city a melting pot of many communities and cultures. Mumbai 3 Etymology The name Mumbai is derived from Mumba or Maha-Amba—the name of the Koli goddess Mumbadevi—and Aai, "mother" in the language of Marathi.[17] The oldest known names for the city are Kakamuchee and Galajunkja; these are sometimes still used.[18][19] Ali Muhammad Khan, in the Mirat-i-Ahmedi (1507) referred to the city as Manbai.[20] In 1508, Portuguese writer Gaspar Correia used the name Bombaim, in his Lendas da Índia ("Legends of India").[21][22] This name possibly originated as the Old Portuguese phrase bom baim, meaning "good little bay",[23] and Bombaim is still commonly used in Portuguese.[24] In 1516, Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa used the name Tana-Maiambu: Tana appears to refer to the adjoining town of Thane and Maiambu to Mumbadevi.[25] Other variations recorded in the 16th and the 17th centuries include: Mombayn (1525), Bombay (1538), Bombain (1552), Bombaym (1552), Monbaym (1554), Mombaim (1563), Mombaym (1644), Bambaye (1666), Bombaiim (1666), Bombeye (1676), and Boon Bay (1690).[24][26] After the British gained possession of the city in the 17th century, the Portuguese name was officially anglicised as Bombay.[27] By the late 20th century, the city was known as Mumbai or Mambai to Marathi language, Konkani, Gujarati, Kannada and Sindhi speakers and as Bambai in Hindi, Persian and Urdu. The English name was officially changed to Mumbai in November 1995.[28] This came at the insistence of the Marathi nationalist Shiv Sena party that had just won the Maharashtra state elections and mirrored similar name changes across the country. A theory was proposed suggesting that "Bombay" was a corrupted English version of "Mumbai" and an unwanted The temple of local Hindu goddess legacy of British colonial rule. The push to rename Bombay was part of a larger Mumbadevi, after whom the city of movement to strengthen Marathi identity in the Maharashtra region. However, Mumbai derives its name the city is still referred to as Bombay by some of its residents and Indians from other regions as well.[29] However, mentions of the city by the name other than Mumbai have been controversial, resulting in emotional outbursts sometimes of a violently political nature.[30][31] A widespread popular etymology of Bombay holds that it was derived from a Portuguese name meaning "good bay". This is based on the facts that bom is Portuguese for "good" and baía (or the archaic spelling bahia) means "bay". However, this literal translation would have been incorrect in grammatical gender, as bom is masculine, while baia is feminine; a correct Portuguese rendering of "good bay" would be boa ba(h)ia. Having said this, baim is an archaic, masculine word for "little bay".[23] Portuguese scholar José Pedro Machado in his Dicionário Onomástico Etimológico da Língua Portuguesa (1981; "Portuguese Dictionary of Onomastics and Etymology"), seems to reject the "Bom Bahia" hypothesis, suggesting that the presence of a bay was a coincidence (rather than a basis of the toponym) and led to a misconception, that the noun (bahia; "bay") was an integral part of the Portuguese name.[32] Mumbai 4 History Early history Mumbai is built on what was once an archipelago of seven islands: Bombay Island, Parel, Mazagaon, Mahim, Colaba, Worli, and Old Woman's Island (also known as Little Colaba).[33] It is not exactly known when these islands were first inhabited. Pleistocene sediments found along the coastal areas around Kandivali in northern Mumbai by archaeologist Todd in 1939 suggest that the islands were inhabited since the Stone Age.[34] Perhaps at the beginning of the Common era (2000 years ago), or possibly earlier, they came to be occupied by the Koli fishing community.[35] In the third century BCE, the islands formed part of the Maurya Empire, during its expansion in the south, ruled by the Buddhist emperor, Ashoka of Magadha.[36] The Kanheri Caves in Borivali were excavated in the mid-third century BCE,[37] and served as an important centre of Buddhism in Western Kanheri Caves served as a centre of India during ancient Times.[38] The city then was known as Heptanesia (Ancient Buddhism in Western India during ancient times Greek: A Cluster of Seven Islands) to the Greek geographer Ptolemy in 150 CE.[39] Between the second century BCE and ninth century CE, the islands came under the control of successive indigenous dynasties: Satavahanas, Western Kshatrapas, Abhiras, Vakatakas, Kalachuris, Konkan Mauryas, Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas,[40] before being ruled by the Silhara dynasty from 810 to 1260.[41] Some of the oldest edifices in the city built during this period are, Jogeshwari Caves (between 520 to 525),[42] Elephanta Caves (between the sixth to seventh century),[43] Walkeshwar Temple (10th century),[44] and Banganga Tank (12th century).[45] King Bhimdev founded his kingdom in the region in the late 13th century, and established his capital in Mahikawati (present day Mahim).[46] The Pathare Prabhus, one of the earliest known settlers of the city, were brought to Mahikawati from Saurashtra in Gujarat around 1298 by Bhimdev.[47] The Delhi Sultanate annexed the islands in 1347–48, and controlled it till 1407. During this time, the islands were administered by the Muslim Governors of Gujarat, who were appointed by the Delhi Sultanate.[48][49] The islands were later governed by the independent Gujarat Sultanate, which was established in 1407. The Sultanate's patronage led to the construction of many mosques, prominent being the Haji Ali Dargah in Worli, built in honour of the Muslim saint Haji Ali in 1431.[50] From 1429 to 1431, the islands were a source of contention between the Gujarat Sultanate and the Bahamani Sultanate of Deccan.[51][52] In 1493, Bahadur Khan Gilani of the Bahamani Sultanate attempted to conquer the islands, but was defeated.[53] The Haji Ali Dargah was built in 1431, when Mumbai was under the rule of the Gujarat European rule Sultanate The Mughal Empire, founded in 1526, was the dominant power in the Indian subcontinent during the mid-16th century.[54] Growing apprehensive of the power of the Mughal emperor Humayun, Sultan Bahadur Shah of the Gujarat Sultanate was obliged to sign the Treaty of Bassein with the Portuguese Empire on 23 December 1534.