Mumbai - The
Destination
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Mumbai (AKA Bombay) is where the glamour of bollywood
is, cricket on the fields, bhelpuri on the beach at
Chowpatty and red double-decker buses are. It also
harbours the infamous red-light district, Asia’s
largest slums, communalist politics and powerful mafia
dons.
An island connected by bridges to the mainland, Mumbai
is the industrial center of everything, from textiles
to petrochemicals, and is responsible for half of
India’s foreign trade. |
| What
you will explore here is a prosperous 19th century
English industrial city on the edge of the Arabian
Sea with a brimming nightlife, a vital street life
and more markets than you can ever explore.
The main part of the city is concentrated at the Southern
claw-shaped end of the island. The Southern peninsula
known as Colaba is where you would be attracted, since
it houses a considerable number of hotels and restaurants
and two of the city’s best landmarks, the Gateway
of India and the Taj Mahal Hotel. Directly north of
Colaba, you would find the, area known as Fort, the
very place where the old British fort once stood.
Moving further west, you would reach Marine
Drive,
which connects the industrial center Back Bay to the
famous Chowpatty Beach. To the north are the suburbs
of Greater Mumbai, where you’ll also find the
two airports—Sahar International and the domestic
Santa Cruz.
Mumbai—ancient yet modern, spectacularly rich,
yet glaringly poor, soaring skyscrapers and sprawling
slums—it is truly a melting pot of diverse ethnicity.
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Mumbai - Facts at a Glance
| State
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Maharashtra |
| Area
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440 sq km |
| Language
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Hindi,
Marathi, English |
| Temperature
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There
is little seasonal fluctuation due to the sea.
Humidity level is extremely high. Temperature
ranges between 19 C to 34 C. Mumbai also witnesses
torrential rainfall between June and September.
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| Best
Season : |
October
to March; Winter is the best time to go, it
is just apt for sightseeing. |
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History of Mumbai
| Once a group
of seven islands, Mumbai today is the financial
capital of India. The islands were ruled by
a succession of Hindu dynasties, invaded by
Muslims in the 14th century, and then ceded
to Portugal by the sultan of Gujarat in 1534.
In 1662, these islands were given to the English
King Charles II, as a part of the wedding dowry
for the Portuguese princess, Catherine of Braganza.
In 1668, Bombay was given to the East India
Company. In the 18th century, the city grew
into a major port with the shifting of the shipbuilding
industry to Bombay from Surat. Bombay played
a significant role in the struggle for Independence,
hosting the first Indian National Congress in
1885 and the launch of the Quit India Movement
in 1942. Bombay later became the capital of
the Bombay Presidency, which divided into Gujarat
and Maharashtra in 1966. In 1996, Bombay officially
came to be known as Mumbai derived from Mumbadevi,
the goddess of the Kolis. |
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