its a brief guide of Mumbai city .....................

1. The city of dreams

2. • Made up of seven isles: Kolbhat (Colaba),
Palva Bunder (renamed by British as Apollo
Bunder), Mazgaon (derived from Sanskrit word
Matsya Gram – fishing village, Parel, Mahim,
Worli, Chhota Kolbhat (little Colaba). The
bigger island in the North of Mumbai islands
was Sashti (renamed by Portuguese as
Salsette), also constituted of seven other
smaller islands. And the other island to the East
was Turbhe (called as Trombay by Portuguese)
• Deep-sea fishermen called the Kolis and salt
makers called the Aagris were the chief
inhabitants
• The name Mumbai was derived from the form
of Maha Amba (Great Mother) Mumbadevi,
worshipped by the Kolis
• The Mumbadevi temple was built originally by a
Koli in 14th century atop Dongri hill. The temple
miraculously escaped destruction during the
Muslim & Portuguese rules. But British
demolished it in 18th century. It was rebuilt at
Pydhonie by a goldsmith, Pandurang Shivaji
Sonar
The Origin Of Mumbai

3.  Artifacts found near Kandivali shows
evidence of human civilisation since 250
BC
 300 BC: Maurya Empire (Kanheri caves,
Mahakali Caves, Mandapeshwar
caves). Kanheri is derived from the word
Krishnagiri (means black mountain in
Sanskrit). The present Sanjay Gandhi
National Park also existing in this era &
was earlier called Krishnagiri National
Park
 185 BC: Satvahanas of Telgu region
ruled the islands along with Konkan
coast
 1st century : Satvahana, then Shaka era
 AD 415, Traikutaka, Kalachuri dynasty
(coins of the Kalachuri king Krishnaraja
were found in the village Kavel present
day Kalbadevi road) build the
Jogeshwari caves dedicated to Lord
Shiva
 6th – 7th century: Chalukya dynasty
(king Pulakeshin) established their
capital on Gharapuri island
Ancient
Period

4.  13th century: When Devgiri was besieged by the
invader Allaudin-Khilji, Raja Bhimdev the son of Ramdev
(the Yadav king of Devgiri), established his capital
Mahikawati on isle of Mahim. Raja Bhimdev & his son
Pratap Bimb transformed the island into a city of
temples & settlements flourishing with plantations,
fishing hamlets & vegetal cover, groves & woods, during
the 13th century.
 15th century: Mohemmedan invader Mubarak Shah
destroyed many temples & cities after defeating Raja
Nagardev in a battle at Byculla and thus conquered
Mumbai. The Haji Ali tomb & the Mahim mosque were
built around this time
 16th century : Portuguese defeated the Muhameddans
in a battle near the Bandra creek. They imposed their
feudal system on the natives, demolished temples &
built churches in their place. The temple of Walkeshwar
& Mahalakshmi were cast down.
 In 1661, during the marriage treaty of Infanta Catherine
of Portugal with Charles II of Britain, Portugal handed
over the islands of Mumbai to Britain as dowry, but
retained Sashti islands
 In the year 1668, the English East India Company took
over the command of these money-minting islands
View of the ghat, Banganga tank & ancient temple of
Walkeshwar
The entrance to the Gharapuri Caves (Elephanta) in
ancient days
Medieval Period

5. Major Settlements Of Mumbai
 During the Shilahar era (800-1000AD) GharaPuri (present day Elephanta) was the capital and
flourishing trade center was established in sashti island
 During Raja Bhimdev’s reign the main inhabitants were various Maharashtrian castes viz. Palshis,
Pachkalshis, Kunbis, Bhandaris, Vadvals, Bhois, Agris, Pathare Prabhus and Brahmins. The Bhandaris
were originally toddy trappers; the Vadvals were gardeners
 The Portuguese had the primary goal of proselytizing rather than development of Mumbai. They carried
conversion in the area of Caval, Chaul, Bassein & Thane, thus introducing Christianity in this region.
 The Hindus (primarily konkanis) who did not succumb to the oppressions for conversions, migrated to
other parts of Mumbai & thus Konkanis became a part of the oldest inhabitants of Mumbai.
 During the 17th century, Parsis were one of the earliest immigrants to move to Mumbai. The Parsi
community has contributed significantly to the development of the nation. Famous Parsis are Dadabhai
Naoroji, Jemshetji Tata, Ratan Tata. The printing press was introduced to Mumbai by Bhimji Parikh, a
Parsi trader in 1670
 In 1757, Kamathis, construction workers from Andhra Pradesh arrived here and set up base. The region
was the low-lying area near present day Mahalaxmi. The region became known as Kamathipura.
 Around the same time, many Gujrathis, Kathiawaris, Kutchis & marwaris arrived to mumbai to
oversome droughts & famine in their homeland. These communities spearheaded the development of
commerce & trade in the city
 Almost all settlements were largely along the religious lines. For e.g. locality of pydhonie physically
sperated Hindu & Muslim settlements
 The Sindhis who were a resident of the state of Sindh, lost their homes during the partition since and
took shelter in Mumbai & settled in Sindhunagar (Ulhasnagar) & contributed to the progress of trade &

6.  In 1782 William Hornby, then Governor of Bombay
Presidency, initiated the Hornby Vellard project of connecting
the isles, despite resistance from East India Company.
 By 1845 the seven southern islands had been connected to
form Old Mumbai, with an area of 435 sq.km. Railway
viaducts and road bridges were built in the 19th century to
connect Mumbai island to Sashti, and Sashti to the mainland.
The old railway bridges over the Bhayandar & Naigaon
creeks can still be seen from the Virar locals. The channels
separating Mumbai and Turbhe islands from Sashti Island
were filled in the early 20th century.
 The present day area from Bandra to Dahisar are a part of
Sashti island. The ancient Kanheri caves, Jogeshwari caves,
Mahakali caves fall in this region
(right): Mumbai after
reclamation
(left): Fort area after
Fact: It took 60 yrs (1784-
1845) to merge the 7 islands
of Mumbai into one landmass
Greater Mumbai Reclaimed From
The Sea

7. Rajabai Towre under construction:
Mumbai University Building &
Rajabhai tower, standing 260 ft
tall and endowed with amazing
sculptures, it was financed by
Cotton entrepreneur and banker
Premchand Roychand in the late
19th century
Mahalaksh
mi mandir
As per the legend, 1784, when the Hornby Project kept failing to fill the breach at worli, the chief engineer,
a Pathare Prabhu, dreamt of Goddess Lakshmi in the sea near Worli. He searched the waters & actually
found an idol of the Goddess & built the Mahalakshmi temple in the sea. Only then did the Hornby Project
work resumed without failures
British Raj ( 1700-1947 AD )

8. Some Old Memories
Oval Maiden, check the Rajabai Tower in
the backgrond

9. View from Malabar hill Bullock cart on Mumbai streets

10. •Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 in a hall
overlooking the Gowalia Tank MaidanIn the historical trial of
Bal Gangadhar Tilak under the Bombay High Court (for
charges of sedition put forth by british),
• Tilak spoke out to the world as to what was in the minds of
the Indian people - “Swaraj (independence) is my birthright
and I shall have it”. This statement aroused a sleeping
nation to action making them aware of their political plight
under foreign rule
•Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, arrived in Bombay in 1915
after giving a spirited fight against inhuman apartheid in
South Africa and thus the concept of “Swadeshi”, “Ahimsa”
& “Satyagraha” were introduced in India
•In 1921 (after the death of Tilak) Mumbai’s citizens
contributed over Rs. 1 crore to “Tilak Swaraj Fund” which
gave a immense boost to entire freedom struggle
•The Quit India Movement took off from Mumbai on August
7, 1942 by the Congress Party in a public meeting at
Gowalia Tank Maidan (now renamed August Kranti maidan).
•The Mumbai Mutiny of 18th Feb 1946 marked the first and
most serious revolt by the Indian military personnel of the
Western naval fleet against the British rule. From the initial
flashpoint in Mumbai, the mutiny spread and found support
through India, from Karachi to Calcutta and ultimately came
to involve 78 ships, 20 shore establishments and 20,000
sailors. This is was the last straw that broke the camel’s
back and forced the mighty British empire to finally
announce India’s independence
Lokmanya Bal
Gangadhar Tilak,
Freedom Fighter,
Gowalia Tank (The
tank has been buried
and a ground created
Mumbai And Indian
Independence

11.  Elephanta island – original name was Gharapuri (or Puri, place of caves), which was called by
Portuguese as Elephanta after seeing a monolithic basalt sculpture of an elephant at the entrance.
The britishers made a failed attempt to move take the elephant to British museum (fortunately their
crane broke down and the elephant today sits just outside the buyculla zoo)
 Dhobi Talao – washerman’s pond until 17th century, its been buried since then
 Parel – derived from the Parali Vaijanath Mahadev temple of the 13th century dedicated to Shiva.
The Portuguuese demolished this & built a Jesuit church & convent in its place
 Elphinstone circle – original name Amliagal (meaning - in front of tamarind tree, even today a
Tamarind land exists)
 Chinch Bunder (south of Dongri near the shore) – chinch means tamarind in Marathi
 Bhendi Bazar – derived from a bhendi plantation.
 Byculla – derived from Bhaya (Cassia fistula) & khala means at ground level
 At extreme south of Parel island was a tamarind covered valley, hence the name Chinchpokli
 Parel – pronounced as Paral, derived from the Parali Vaijanath Mahadev temple built by the
Brahmins of the 13th century dedicated to Shiva. The Portuguese demolished this & built a Jesuit
church & convent in its place
 Bamnoli (between Vadala & Parel) derived from Baman-aali (baman is Brahman & aali means row)
which was a Brahmin settlement
 The name of the 7th island was also derived from the rows of banyan (vad) as Vad-ali (aali means
row) or Varali (Worli)
Some of the earlier most inhabitants were Kolis (whose major occupation was
fishing), Agris (salt-makers), Bhandaris (who were toddy trappers), Vadvals or
Malis (were gardeners). Thus there were a variety plantations on the islands
which gave name to quite a few places in mumbai.
Interesting Nomenclatures …
(Origins)

12.  The northern most main island (present day Bandra-to-Bhayandar) was called Sashti (which means
66), since it comprised of group of 66 villages. It was called as Salsette by Portuguese
 Thane – derived from Sthan or Sthanaka, capital of Shilaharas. Slabs & copper plates of this era
were discovered in Thane
 Mazgaon – derived from Machchagram (machcha – fish, gram-village)
 Trombay – original name Turbhe. Trombay given by Portuguese
 Khar – (salty in Marathi) for its vicinity to the sea near Khar Danda
 Dharavi derived from daar (which means the door of the island)
 Khumbarwada – kumbhar means potter. Potters from Saurashtra lived here
 Sewri derived from Sivawadi
 Versova – original name Vesaave which was a koli hamlet
 Bandra – original name Vandre (which means Bunder or port)
 Santa-cruz – named by Portuguese. Local name Shantinagar
 Goregaon is named after the Gore family who lived there since ages

13. Geography And Topography Of
Greater Mumbai
 Mumbai peninsula is 2 meters above sea-level
 the area of Greater Mumbai is 603 km2,
comprising Bombay City 157 km2 and Suburbs
446 km2. Greater Mumbai district (smallest in
Maharashtra) & covers an area of 437.71 sq.
km. that constitutes 0.14 per cent of total area
of Maharashtra
 Greater Mumbai comprises the Mumbai, South
Sashti and Turbhe Islands,
 The entire Greater Mumbai is made of Deccan
basalt flows & their acid & basic variants and
also some fossiliferous sediments mainly of
tufaceous & partly of fresh water origins rich in
fauna
 Almost 50% of the city area and 23% of the
suburban area has been reclaimed from below
sea-level by infilling, & pushing the sea outward
through dyke-walls like those of the Back Bay
reclamation
Greater Mumbai (satellite
image)
Mumbai lies over more than 10 seismic fault lines.
The coastal plain to the east of Mumbai is prone to
earthquakes of even higher intensity, upto 7.5 on
the Richter scale.

14. The Harbour Bay is studded from south to north with
many islands:
 Kansa or Gull islet (easter side)
 Karanja islan,
 Cross or Gibbet island, (situated opposite the
Victoria Dock)
 Butcher island
 Elephanta island
 Oyster Rock
 Hog island (1km east of Elephanta),
 Henery and Kenery.
Ferry Wharf is a wharf along the Thane Creek, along
the coast of Dockyard Road on the Eastern
seafront of Mumbai. The wharf serves as the port
for numerous fishermen who bring in their daily
catch. Ferry services link up JNPT, Uran to the
west, and Rewas and Mandwa to the south
Mumbai’s Harbours

15. The central horse shoe valley in the hills used to be drained south by
the Mahim river in the past. This river has been dammed in its
upper reaches, so mruch so this valley today accommodates
three small fresh water lakes, the Tulsi, the Vihar and the Powai,
one below the other, that supply the city with 3 per cent of its
domestic and other needs of water supply. Below Powai, the
river today is mostly a storm drain and a gutter of sewerage,
blocked off by the construction of the Santacruz airpoit at its
Kurla end. The lower reaches is a shallow, fastly silting up drain
of industrial wastes emptying into the Mahim Bay.
The Kanheri hill complex has a radial drainage system, with
numerous rain torrents washing down its slopes in all directions.
The largest of them is the Dahisar river that rises on the southern
flanks of the Kanheri hills, and drains west to join the Marve
creek; this river, however, has been blocked to form the Dahisar
project, to augment the water supply to the city to a small extent.
Juhu, Varsova, and Marve, are sand bars pushed inland by the sea,
and resting on knolls, Dharavi and
Rai Murdhe. Today they form together a single land mass, off the
Ulhas mouth.
Surrounding the central hilly region, are extensive lowlying plains,
that are reclaimed tidal marshes and flats just above tidal levels.
They are widest to the west and south of the central hilly region,
and narrowest to the north. In the east, along the Thane creek,
Creeks , Marshes , Tidal Swaps ,
Lakes And Hills

16. The Bombay Tramway Company Limited was set up in 1873.
The tram-cars were of two kinds—those drawn by one horse
and those drawn by two. In 1905, The Bombay Electric
Supply & Tramways Company Limited started the first
electrically operated tram-car appeared on Mumbai’s roads in
1907. The passing years aggravated the problem of rush-hour
traffic and to ease the situation, double decker trams were
introduced in September, 1920.
Dadar TT is Dadar Tram Terminus
Mumbai saw its first bus run on 15 July 1926 between Afgan
Church and Crawford Market. Double deck buses were
introduced in 1937 in order to cope better with the growing
traffic. BEST is now The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply &
Transport Undertaking.
Mumbai Suburban Railway is the oldest in Asia established in
1847, then known as The Great Indian Peninsula Railway
Company (G.I.P., for short) was established in 1849
Its first train, the first in the country, ran from Mumbai to Thane
on 16th April 1853. In 1865, the railway went over the Borghat.
By 1870 Calcutta and Madras had been linked with Mumbai
by rail. The Bombay Baroda and Central India Railway (BBCI)
was started in 1855.
.
Early
Trams
Old Churchgate Railway
Station
BEST’ first bus
Old Mumbai’s
Transport System

17. It all began on October 15, 1932. It was on this day
that J.R.D. Tata, the father of Civil Aviation in India
and founder of Air India, took off from Drigh Road
Airport, Karachi, in a tiny, light single-engined de
Havilland Puss Moth on his flight to Bombay via
Ahmedabad. He landed with his precious load of
mail on a grass strip at Juhu.
Mumbai And Civil Aviation

18. Raja Bhimdev became
the earliest
pioneer of
Mumbai in the
13th century who
established his
capital
Mahikawati on
one of the isles
called Newale or
Barad-bet
Jamshetji Tata – the
first pioneer
entrepreneur who
strived for economic
independence of India
during the British rule.
He started an industrial
revolution for swadeshi
manufacturing of iron,
steel, textile, electrical
power generation. The
Tata brand is his tribute
to the nation
Justice
Mahadev
Govind Ranade,
Social Reformer
Founder
member of
Prarthana
Samaj in
Mumbai which
engaged in a
campaign of
reformation
without
alienating the
more orthodox
elements of the
society
Dadabhai Naoroji,
Freedom Fighter &
Founder of the Indian
Nation Congress in
Mumbai
Madame Bhikaji Cama
She raised the First Flag of
Indian Independence at a
Socialist Confernce in
Germany & was very active
in the Indian freedom
struggle
Dr. Homi Bhabha,
pioneer of nuclear
science, founder of
the Indian Atomic
Energy programme.
While India was
striving for
independence, he
spearheaded the
country in an
advanced field of
science &
technology. He
founded TIFR, which
is one of the best
school of physics in
the world
Dadasaheb Phalke,
the father of Indian
Cinema
Pioneers Of Mumbai

19. Senapati Pandurang Mahadev Bapat, Freedom
Fighter, Social Reformer
Major figure in the Indian Independence struggle,
which earned him the title “Senapati”
Dr. C. D. Deshmukh
first Governor of RBI , Finance Minister of
India
He was member of Board of Governers of
IMF & IBRD. An active supporter of
Acharya Pralhad Keshav Atre
(Literaturist, Social worker). An
active member of the Unified
Maharastra Movement.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar,
Scholar, Social Reformer, Jurist.
He spent his whole life fighting against social
discrimination. He was the chief architect of
Nana Jagannath Shankarshet,
businessman & entrepreneur
Indian philanthropist and educationalist. A leader in
Mumbai life. many schools, Sanskrit library in Mumbai,
member of Mumbai Education Board
Bharat Ratna Maharshi Keshav Karve,
He was the Pioneer of Women’s
Education & Upliftment & the right for
widows to remarry in India.
These are just a few representational pioneers of Mumbai. There are many more who had a
hand in the making of Mumbai as one of the leading cities of Free India

20. Marine Drive
Fact: Jamshetji Tata was denied
access to Watson Hotel since he
was an Indian. In retaliation, he
set up the Taj Hotel
Fact: Nariman
Point was
named after
Khursheed
Framji
Nariman, a
Parsi visionary
Taj Hotel, Gateway
Mumbai Today

21. Siddhivinay
ak mandir,
Prabhadevi
Rajab
ai
Tower
Mumbai’s faithful “night-
watchmen”

22. BEST runs a total of 3,408 buses, ferrying 4.5 million passengers daily over 340 routes
Mumbai’s Modern Transport
(Buses)

23. Mumbai Suburban Railways’s operate on 2 zones: CR & WR carry a total of 6.3 million
Mumbai’s Modern Transport
(Trains)

24. Lifestyle In Mumbai Today

25. Mumbai Invincible

26.  Like a mother whose heart always has space for any number of children, Mumbai has crossed all
limits & adjusted herself to accommodate all those who beseeched her.
 A confluence of many varied cultures of the country – a mini India in the true sense
 Where two natives (Maharashtrians) tend to speak Mumbaiyya with each other, instead of Marathi
 Which does not rest for a moment even after being hit by worst disasters – riots, bomb-blasts, floods,
strikes, accidents, terror-attacks
 Where there is always scope for adjusting one more commuter continuously even in a jam-packed
local, defying the laws of Mass & Volume
 Where distance is measured in minutes/hours .
 Where your driving skill ought to achieve a precision of 0.5mm (bumper-to-bumper) with 0% tolerance,
even while manouvering around a pothole
 Where you need to be skilled in jumping off/on a bus/train few secs before it stops, if you happen to be
in the first row near the door while alighting/boarding a bus/train
 Where 8 people can share a 6ftx6ft kholi & can still make space for more
 Where you don’t need a reason to play/talk cricket
 Where you don’t need your own vehicle to commute from one end of the city to another at any time
(thanks to the nearly 24hr coverage of BEST buses, Locals, black-n-yellow metered rides)
 Where the cheapest, quickest & most exciting shopping of varied items can be done in the train itself
… this is Aamchi Mumbai
Language Spoken: Mumbaiyya
Staple Food: Vada-pav
Staple Drink: Cutting chai
Fact: Vada-paav was born 35yrs back when
Ashok Vaidya a snack seller outside Dadar
station decided to experiment
Mumbaikar’s Spirit

27. The End.....