History of a great city called Bombay

The Islands of Bombay have been inhabited since the very stone age as indicated by the artifacts that have been found near northern Bombay. Documented evidences of human inhabitance dates back to about 250 BC, when it was commonly known by the name Heptanesia or A cluster of seven islands. Earlier the islands formed a part of the Maurya Empire basically ruled by the Buddhist emperor Ashoka the great. Earlier control reflects the disputes between the Indo-Scythian, Western Satraps and the Satavahanas. Later the islands were governed by the great Hindu rulers of Silhara Dynasty until annexed by Gujarat in 1343. The Elephanta Caves and the Walkeshwar temple complex are some of the oldest edificies that date to from this era.

In the year 1534 the islands were appropriated by the Portuguese and ceded to Charles II of England as dowry in 1661. further the islands were again leased to the British East India Company for a sum of £ 10 per annum. The company found an ideal port in the east coast of the islands raising the population of the islands and thus forcing the company to transfer its headquarters from Surat to Bombay in 1687. The city eventually became an important headquarters of the Bombay Presidency. The city was reshaped with large engineering projects merging the seven islands into a large mass. India’s first passenger railway line was also set up connecting Bombay to Thane town. During the time of American Civil War in 1861 the city became the world’s chief cotton trading market thus resulting in a boom in the economy and enhancing the city’s stature.

With the opening of Suez Canal, Bombay was then transformed into the largest seaports in the Arabian Sea. In the coming years the city simply kept growing into a major commercial centre with improved infra structure and construction of many institutions. The population swelled to millions making Bombay the second largest city after Calcutta. Later in 1950 the city expanded to its present limits. After separating from Gujarat on May 1 1960, the state of Maharashtra was formed with Bombay as its capital (then named as Mumbai). The city lies at the mouth of Ulhas river in the coastal region known as Konkan. Sitting ideally on the Salsette Islands the city shares its topography with district of Thane.

The city rests near Sanjay Gandhi National Park which covers almost one-sixth of the city’s area. Six major lakes supply water to the city. The coastline of the city is intended with numerous creeks and bays. The coastline is covered with beautiful large mangrove swamps and rich biodiversity. Beautiful seashore surround the city with beautiful beaches. Besides these beauty, the city sits on a seismically active zone as the area is classified as a Zone III region, meaning an earthquake of magnitude 6.5 may be expected any time. Apart from all the threats like earthquake or terror, the city enjoys its way of life with different people and culture, speaking different languages and enjoying different customs.

Bombay has a large polyglot population and suffers from major urbanization problems seen in most of the fast growing cities in developing countries like widespread poverty and unemployment, poor public health and educational standards for a large section of population. The residents reside on cramped, expensive housing relatively far from their work place. The city also suffers with more number of people migrate every year in from different parts of the country. Yet the city promises everyone with food and shelter.

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