History of 7 Islands Becoming Mumbai

Mumbai - The City of Dreams

Many people come from different regions of India to live their dreams. Many dreams come true and many don't. But people in Mumbai never stop they keep running, keep trying, keep believing.

This is what Mumbai motivates us not to stop until you get what you want.

Mumbai

The city is considered as one of the dense cities in the world. The city that never sleeps, doesn't differentiate among the people, it accepts each and everyone with various color, caste and creed.

Mumbai Traffic

So, whenever you visit Mumbai you will see millions of people around. 
Well, sometimes, I get terribly irritated with this situation and asks myself a question that why all Indians want to come "Mumbai" only to live their dreams and that too by leaving their home towns? And how Mumbai has became so popular and glamorous that attracts everyone?

For those who have the same question, let me tell you, this didn't happen over a night. 

So guys Let me actually take you 500 years back.

Well, the Mumbai we see today was divided into seven islands, namely Colaba, Mazagaon, Mahim, Parel, Bombay Island, Worli and Old Woman's Island.

Islands of Mumbai

In 1782, William Hornby, the Governor of Bombay initiated the Hornby Vellard Engineering Project of uniting the Seven Islands into a single landmass. 

The purpose of this project was to block the Worli Creek and prevent the low-lying areas of Bombay from getting flooded at high tide. However, the project was rejected by the British East India Company in 1783. 

In 1784, the Hornby Vellard project was completed without any financial help from British East India Company and they even soon completed reclamation work at Worli and Mahalaxmi.

It took 150 years to join all these islands.

Plan of Bombay

• Isle of Bombay

It was an archipelago of Islands (group of small Islands) which connected to the form area of a modern city in the eighteenth century.

Mumbai was 24 km long and  4 km wide from Malabar Hill (on the west) to Dongari (in the east).

• Colaba and Old Woman's Island (Little Colaba)

During Portuguese rule, Colaba was known as "Candil". When the British took over, they changed the name to "Colio".

The current Colaba was divided into two islands: Colaba and Little Colaba.

In May 1662, This group of Islands was given to King Charles II of England by Portugal in a dowry, when he married Catherine of Braganza.

King Charles II leased these lands to British East India Company on a annual rent. In 1743 British Colaba was given to Richard Broughton on lease at Rs.200 yearly. 

Later, the Construction of Colaba Causway which connected Mumbai to Islands of Colaba completed in 1838. Now Colaba Causeway offers everything, from bracelets to perfumes to clothes to watches, clocks, DVDs and CDs and many more things. 

Accessory market

• Mahim

It was the capital of Raja Bhimdev, who reigned over the region in the 13th century. He built a palace and a court of justice in Prabhadevi, as well as the first Babulnath temple.

This Island was possessed by the Sultanate of Gujarat. It was in their reign that the old Mahim mosque was built. A Dargah of Makhtum Fakir Ali Paru was built here in 1431.

The first reclamation in which construction of elevated road or railroad between Mahim and Sion was done in 1708.

The causeway connecting Mahim and Bandra was completed in 1845 at a cost of Rs.1,57,000 donated entirely by Lady Avabai Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, wife of the first Baronet Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy. 

• Mazagaon

It was pronounced by the Catholics as 'Mazgon' or 'Maz-a-gon' and the Marathi Speakers as Mazhgav.

• Parel

It was a Vidhan Sabha Constituency of Maharashtra from 1962 to 2004. 

It was constituted into Shivadi constituency by the Delimitation of Parliament and Assembly Constituencies Order, 2008.

• Worli

To stop the ingress of water and the consequent problem of flooding in central Mumbai second reclamation done in 1772. It also connected Mahalaxmi and Worli by a causeway.


Cost for the whole construction was estimated Rs.1,00,000/- for which, though, the fund demand was rejected it is later completed. This causeway, now, is known as Hornby Vellard causeway.

New Opportunities

By the middle of the eighteenth century, Bombay began to grow into a major trading town and people from Western Ghat (mountain ranges) of Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Konkan, Ironsmiths and weavers from Gujarat, Goldsmiths, Merchants, Planters, Servants from all over India and even Africans from Madagascar migrated to these islands.

In 1800, much engineering work was carried out in Bombay, following by the first Indian railway to run from Bombay to Thana.

Old Churchgate Station

Later, in 1854, the first cotton mill was founded in Bombay and a Large scale migrations of Marathi workers came into the city, and the chawl system accommodated them. The city started to get into its shape. 

The Famous Monument

In 1911, To commemorate the arrival of George V, Emperor of India and Mary of Teck, Empress consort (spouse of George V), in Mumbai "The Gateway of India" was built. But they only got to see the cardboard model of the monument. 
The construction was completed in 1924. The Gateway is also the monument from where the last British troops left India in 1948, following Indian independence. 

Gateway of India

The Company also created "Bombay Marine" which was a fleet of ships on the west coast of Mumbai, which is now "Indian Navy"

Navy

Airport & Infrastructure

The RAF Santacruz (Royal Airforce airfield) was built in 1930, which was home to many RAF squadrons during world war II. It get developed in 1958 when traffic increased after Karachi partitioned in Pakistan.

Santacruz airport 1962

To control all these people and businesses they created many buildings, of the same style as seen in England.

By 1991, the population of the whole Bombay was 9,900,000 and finally, in 1995, the city got its name as a Mumbai from the name of Goddess Mumbadevi.

Now, Mumbai is the Financial Capital of India and one of the most popular and glamorous cities in the world. 

Mumbai view