Travel Guides: Mumbai

Mumbay

Mumbai, formerly Bombay, is the capital of Maharashtra state and is the most populous Indian city. Mumbai is located on an island near the west coast of India. With a metropolitan population estimated at 17 million inhabitants (2005), it is the third largest metropolitan area in the world, and together with the neighboring satellite towns form one of the most populated urban areas.

The city, which has a deep natural harbor, is also the largest port in western India, carrying half of India’s passenger traffic. Mumbai is India’s commercial capital and home to major financial institutions such as Bank of India, Bombay Stock Exchange and the grouping of many Indian companies. With great business opportunities and relatively high living standards, Mumbai has attracted people from all over India and South Asia, transforming itself into a cosmopolitan city with many communities and cultures.

In Mumbai is located Bollywood, the epicenter of the Hindi film and television industry, which annually produces the largest number of films in the world. Mumbai is one of the few cities that host a national park on its territory. The name Mumbai is an eponym, etymologically derived from Mumba – the name of the local Hindu goddess Mumbadevi and Aai – meaning mother in Marathi language. In the sixteenth century, the Portuguese called the region Bom Bahia, which means good golf. It later turned into Bombaim or Boma, the name by which it is known today in Portuguese, and after the British conquered it, the name was anglicized to Bombay.

The name was officially changed from Bombay to Mumbai in 1995, but the old name is still widely used in the West, many of the city’s inhabitants and famous institutions. Today’s Mumbai was formed at the beginning of seven islands. Items found near Kandivali in Mumbai’s northern islands shows that these were inhabited since the Stone Age. In the third century BC, it was part of the Maurya Empire, ruled by the Buddhist emperor Ashoka. Later, the islands were governed by Hindu leaders from Silhara Dynasty until 1343, when it was annexed by the kingdom of Gujarat. Some of the oldest buildings in the archipelago, the Elephanta Caves and Walkeshwar temple complex, date from this period.

In 1534, the Portuguese learned from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. They were ceded to Charles II of England in 1661 as a dowry, more appropriately, wedding gift for Catherine of Braganza. The islands were leased to the British East India Company in 1668 for the sum of £ 10 per year. The company found the deep bay of Bombay’s transport is very suitable, and the population rose from 10,000 in 1661 to 60,000 in 1675. In 1687 the East India Company transferred its headquarters from Surat to Bombay. In 1817 the city was reshaped with large civil engineering projects to unite the islands into a single amalgamated mass.

Bombay Skyline

This project, Vellard Hornby, was completed in 1845 and resulted in an increased area to 435 km². Eight years later, in 1853, was set up India’s first railway, connecting Bombay to Thana. During the American Civil War, (1861-1865) it became the leading city in the world of cotton market which boosted the economy and the development of the city. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 transformed Bombay into one of the largest ports on the Arabian Sea. In the next 30 years, the city turned into a major urban center, with improved infrastructure and establishment of institutions. The population increased from one million inhabitants in 1906, becoming the second largest Indian city after Calcutta.

It later became a center of movement for the independence of India, Movement “Quit India” called so by Mahatma Gandhi in 1942 being the most outstanding event. After independence the city has incorporated parts of the island Salsette, extending the current limits in 1957. It became the capital of the new linguistic state of Maharashtra in 1960. In late 1970, in Bombay was built and the population grew more due to the influx of immigrants. In 1986 it exceeded Calcutta as India’s most populous city. Secular fabric of the city collapsed in 1992 after a violent Hindu-Muslim riot that led to the loss of lives and property.

Several months later, on March 12, 1993, a string of bombings made by the underworld killed around 300 people. In 1995, the city was renamed Mumbai after the right wing Shiv Sena party came to power in Maharashtra, keeping with their policy of renaming colonial institutions after historic local names. Mumbai is located on the island Salsette found at the mouth of Ulhas River on the west coast of India in the region known as the Konkani coast. Most of the city Mumbai is at sea level and the average height ranges between 10:15 yards. The northern part of the city is hilly; the highest point of the city is 450 meters. Mumbai is spread over an area of 438 km².

Bombay State Government

In the metropolitan area there are three lakes: Tulsi, Vihar and Powai. The first two are included in the Borivali National Park and provide some of the city’s drinking water. Mumbai also has three small rivers that have springs in Borivali National Park. Coastal area of the city has many bays. To the east, a swampy mangrove area of great biodiversity, occupies most of the region. Due to the proximity of the sea, the land of the city region is predominantly sandy. In the suburbs, the soil is covered by alluvial clay.

Mumbai sits on a seismically active area; the area is labeled as region III, which means that it is prone to an earthquake magnitude to 6.5. Mumbai is considered as a metropolis of India, under the jurisdiction of the municipality. It consists of two regions that are not strictly delimitated – the City and the Suburbs), also forming two districts of Maharashtra state.

Mumbai is located on the island Salsette near the west coast of India at the mouth of Ulhas River. Most of the city is located at sea level and the average height is between 10 and 15 meters. In the north, the city is located in a hilly region. The city has a natural harbor, the largest port in western India. The climate of the region is monsoon. There are two seasons, one wet and one dry, and mean annual temperatures range between 11 and 38 degrees C. In Mumbai, a city of contrasts, there is a wealth of tourist and cultural attractions. In the town you can admire the Victorian buildings and a lot of temples and mosques. Many stores offer tourists a variety of products, souvenirs, antiques, jewelry, leather or wood. Majority of trade points are concentrated in markets called “bazaar.” Bollywood is in Mumbai, the center of film and television industry, the largest producer of films in the world.

Bombay Hanging Gardens

Many of the sights of the city date from the colonial period: Victoria Terminal Station, Flora Fountain (XIX), India Gate, Central Post Office, City Hall, Prince of Wales Museum (beginning of XX century), Hotel Taj and the University. India Gate is a giant triumphal arch built in 1914 in honor of King George the Fifth. It was designed by George Wittet built of basalt and sand-colored, decorated in a Gujarati style from the XVI century. It is the place where, on 28 February 1948, the last British regiment left India, signaling the end of the empire.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Station (better known by the old name, Victoria Terminus) – It was built between 1878 and 1887 and is the most remarkable example of Victorian Gothic architecture in India. At the time when the station was built between the Englishmen held a full debate on the style of construction to be adopted. There were two trends: one who believes that English should remain the exclusive designs inspired from the European tradition, (the British are considering themselves as “civilizing force” of India), while the second was adept at using and Indian architectural models. Introduction of Gothic mixture allowed Indian grounds (especially Islamic India), this blend became famous as the Indo-Saracenic style. The minarets co-exist with Corinthian style columns. The ends with a domed building located above a giant statue, symbolizes progress. Decorations were made by students of the professor John Lockwood Kipling, father of the famous writer Rudyard Kipling.

The first train in India left the terminal in 1853, to Thane. Every day, about 500,000 passengers pass through the station. Victoria Terminus was recently inscribed on the World Heritage of Humanity List. Mumbai University dominates the Mahatma Gandhi Street being one of the most imposing of Mumbai’s colonial buildings. The University was built in the second half of the nineteenth century, designed by Gilbert Scott. The University has the appearance of a building with an Italian facade from the fifteenth century.

Bombay Stock Exchange

University Library – In 1864, a wealthy Indian trader, Premchand Roychand, donated 200,000 Rs to the university in order to build a library to house valuable works of Indian intelligence. This first donation was followed by the second, which was to sustain the costs needed to build a clock tower in the memory of his mother Rajab. Library building, including the tower was completed in 1878. In addition to the current fund to which the general public has access, the library presents a rare collection of periodicals and scientific themes. The library also houses the original manuscripts of Islamic theology, Sufism, logic, metaphysics, history, biography, literature, lexicography, astrology and astronomy, medicine, Zoroastrianism. There can also be found rare Sanskrit translations.

Library building architecture shows specific features of colonial style, the whole edifice is characterized by harmony and balance. One of the attractions is the Clock Tower (280 feet high) built in the form of the fourth to the first floor, and forms the octagonal shape at the top. Above the first galleries, pillars shelter allegorical sculptures in niches of the main communities in Mumbai: Parsi, Memon, Gujarati, Marathi and Kathiawari.

Prince of Wales Museum, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj renamed Sangranhalaya vastu is a typical example of Indo-Saracenic style. Construction of the museum started in 1905 as a token of homage to Prince of Wales, later King George V, who at that time, for the first time was visiting India. Among the attractions of the museum are: Moguai miniatures of the eighteenth century, depicting everyday life, Nepalese and Tibetan ornaments, jade and coral collections of the Tata family, a collection of Japanese screens and Chinese porcelain dating from the eighteenth century. Tata family has donated a selection of European paintings, original. You can admire paintings by Titian and Rubens.

Mumbay In The Night

Do not think that in the Indian cuisine there are appetizers, first course or main course: each dish is brought to the table in separate dishes, and those at the table are the ones who decide what to eat first (each according to personal preferences). Ciples described in the sacred texts of Ayurveda, regulate the dosage and mixing spices, rich spicy food is considered a guarantee of good health. However, in its complexity, Indian cuisine is simple and balanced. Traditional medicine is found in each dish – for example, slightly greasy food will always be relieved of acidic foods such as tomatoes, lemon or vinegar.

Mumbai is the city of extreme contrasts – wealth and deep poverty, XXI century technology and medieval misery, culminating with beggars and crippled lying in the light of the companies advertising on the Internet. Here are the most beautiful collections of Victorian buildings in Asia and a lot of temples and mosques. However 55% of the population lives in slums – the highest percentage in major cities of India. Mumbai is full of people (it has a population of over 16 million and growing fast), the streets are blocked by traffic, polluted air missiles is only controlled the factories and vehicles and buildings collapse more slowly.

But the city still has much to offer. Mumbai is full of color (skip sites, bazaars, the Indian sun), vibrant, energetic and friendly, with a varied and rich history and many reasons to look into the future with confidence. Once called Bombay (the city was named after the Hindu goddess Mumbadevi in 1995, but both names are used), Mumbai emerges from the Arabian Sea toward the southern peninsula. It has a humid and hot climate, partly relieved by the monsoon from June to October. At first, Mumbai was a group of seven separate islands. Gradually, the islands have merged, forming a peninsula.

Fireworks In Bombay

Until the arrival of the Portuguese in 1509, the island was inhabited by Koli fishermen and a community of Buddhist monks. The Portuguese established a trading base and dominated the region more than a century. In 1661 the Portuguese colony passed through British hands as part of the arrangement of marriage between Charles II and Catherine of Braganza. From then until 1858 was governed by the Bombay East Indian Company, with a commercial profile.

In 1858, after the Indian rebellion suppression, control of British India passed from the East India Company to the Crown, where it remained until independence in August 1947. During this period of 90 years the city gained its modern side. Demolition of the old fort in the 1860s development preceded the British town or city center today – called the “Fort”. Similarly, massive land reclamation along Back Bay provided the space for Avenue Marine Drive area, currently one of the most important places in Mumbai. Mumbai is India’s financial center and hosts multinational companies. It is an important trading center with precious stones, and the film industry. For many visitors, the city is just an end point, a way to get south or north.

Mumbai is known among tourists as a city of contrasts, which shelters the largest slum sites but also the richest families in India. According to unofficial statistics (NGOs), half of the city population lives below the critical poverty. The appearance of the city, especially at nightfall, is living proof of these contrasts. Mumbai keeps much of the British colonial atmosphere, and modern architecture – skyscrapers – it is becoming more appearance. The city’s success story is due in part to the Bollywood film industry, the second largest after Hollywood. Bollywood films are made with specific ingredients (action drama, happy ending, dance, music) and enjoy high audience outside India, in the Gulf or South Asia and Southeast.

Flooded Streets In Bombay

The first archaeological discoveries, the islands located along the Mumbai coast, date from the third century BC, the time of Emperor Ashok. The oldest preserved structures of the archipelago, the Elephanta caves were dug between VI-X centuries AC. In 1661 the British took possession of these islands, part of the dowry provided by the Portuguese crown with the occasion of Catherine of Braganza marrying Charles II. In 1672 the East India Company moved its headquarters in Bombay. Until 1803, the city’s British community lived in the old fort. After it was destroyed by a fire, they started building the new city.

With the abolition of the monopoly of the East India Company’s trade, commerce began to develop quickly (especially exports of raw cotton). The first railway in India in 1853 was the Bombay-Thani (with a length of 35 km). After opening the Suez Canal, proximity to Europe has given precedence over Calcutta. The port has become the commercial center of the Arabian Sea, housing stock and the premises of several national and international companies. The city has developed continuously to cope with pressure and a large number of immigrants from other parts of the country, less wealthy, are in search of jobs.

It is worth noting that India’s liberation movement led by Mahatma Gandhi, also began to Mumbai, where Gandhi landed in 1915. The first train in India left the terminal in 1853, to Thane. Every day, about 500,000 passengers pass through the station. Marine Drive is, walking along the beach, called “necklace queen” because of suite floor lamps that illuminate the night and give the place a festive air and romantic at the same time. To the north of the promenade, you can see beautiful colonial-style buildings, now abandoned. Tranquility of the place, the sea breeze, coconut retailers of discrete twilight reverie of fascination, India Gate and Taj Hotel in Marine Drive are one of the places that give soul and mind in gentle but persistent tourist impressions.

The Mumbay Goverment

Towers of Silence are places where the Parsi community held funeral ceremonies. The bodies in these tours are made to be devoured by birds of prey, avoiding contamination or fire, earth, Zoroastriene principles of religion, the religion of Parsi community. Only the bearers of the body can go into these towers. Originating in Persia, Zoroastriens fled to India since the seventh century, fleeing their Arab conquerors. Over time, they have prospered, and in the nineteenth century in Bombay have been an important class of businessmen and industrialists. Tata family, which formed in India a powerful business group influencing various sectors of life, scientific and cultural in India belongs to Parsi community. Currently, the community counts 100,000 members in India, of which 65,000 live in Mumbai.

With a total population of 22.8 million inhabitants, of which 13, 8 million live in its urban area (the rest can be found in the districts Bhiwandi, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan, Ulhasnagar and Thane), Mumbai (formerly Bombay), capital of the Indian state of Maharastra, was declared the richest city in India. Higher standard of living of the city, far more than India’s overall average, annually attracts hundreds of thousands of people from all over the country, which makes Mumbai one of the truly cosmopolitan cities of the world. Here is the focal Indian film industry, Bollywood. It may sound quite strange that a huge metropolitan district of Delhi, namely New Delhi, was chosen as the capital of India, especially as New Delhi was built in the twentieth century and became the capital in 1947, the year of independence from conquest of British Crown, to the detriment of the former capital, Calcutta.