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.
