Mumbai ( muum-BY; Marathi: Mumbaī, pronounced [ˈmumbəi] ), also known as Bombay ( bom-BAY; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India, with an estimated population of 12.5 million (1.25 crore). Mumbai is the centre of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, which is among the most populous metropolitan areas in the world with a population of over 23 million (2.3 crore). Mumbai lies on the Konkan coast on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. In 2008, Mumbai was named an alpha world city. Mumbai has the highest number of billionaires of any city in Asia.
The seven islands that constitute Mumbai were earlier home to communities of Marathi language–speaking Koli people. For centuries, the seven islands of Bombay were under the control of successive indigenous rulers before being ceded to the Portuguese Empire, and subsequently to the East India Company in 1661, as part of the dowry of Catherine of Braganza in her marriage to Charles II of England. Beginning in 1782, Mumbai was reshaped by the Hornby Vellard project, which undertook reclamation of the area between the seven islands from the Arabian Sea. Along with the construction of major roads and railways, the reclamation project, completed in 1845, transformed Mumbai into a major seaport on the Arabian Sea. Mumbai in the 19th century was characterised by economic and educational development. During the early 20th century, it became a strong base for the Indian independence movement. Upon India's independence in 1947, the city was incorporated into Bombay State. In 1960, following the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement, a new state of Maharashtra was created with Mumbai as the capital.
Mumbai is the financial, commercial, and entertainment capital of India. Mumbai is often compared to New York City, and is home to the Bombay Stock Exchange, situated on Dalal Street. It is also one of the world's top ten centres of commerce in terms of global financial flow, generating 6.16% of India's GDP, and accounting for 25% of the nation's industrial output, 70% of maritime trade in India (via Mumbai Port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Dharamtar Port), and 70% of capital transactions to India's economy. The city houses important financial institutions and the corporate headquarters of numerous Indian companies and multinational corporations. The city is also home to some of India's premier scientific and nuclear institutes and the Hindi and Marathi film industries. Mumbai is also the home of Bollywood, also known as Hindi cinema or Bombay cinema, which is considered to be the second-largest film industry after Hollywood. Mumbai's business opportunities attract migrants from all over India.
The name Mumbai (Marathi: मुंबई) originated from Mumbā or Mahā-Ambā—the name of the patron Hindu goddess (Kula Devata) Mumbadevi of the native Koli community—and from ā'ī, meaning "mother" in Marathi. By some accounts, the Koli community of Kathiawar and Central Gujarat introduced their deity Mumba from Kathiawar, where her worship continues to this day. However, other sources disagree.
The oldest known names for the city are Kakamuchee and Galajunkja; these are sometimes still used. Portuguese writer Gaspar Correia recorded the name "Bombaim" after 1512 in his Lendas da Índia (Legends of India). Some Anglophone authors have suggested this came from a supposed Galician–Portuguese phrase bom baim, "good little bay", with no scientific basis. In 1516, Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa used the name Tana-Maiambu with Tana referring to the adjoining town of Thane and Maiambu referring to Mumbadevi or the neighbouring island of Mahim. The form Bombaim is still commonly used in Portuguese. Many variant names were recorded in the 16th and the 17th centuries. After the English gained possession of the city in the 17th century, the Portuguese name was anglicised to Bombay. Ali Muhammad Khan, imperial dewan or revenue minister of the Gujarat province, in the Mirat-i Ahmedi (1762) called the city Manbai.
The French traveller Louis Rousselet, who visited in 1863 and 1868, stated in 1877 that "Etymologists have wrongly derived this name from the Portuguese Bôa Bahia, or (French: "bonne baie", English: "good bay"), not knowing that the tutelar goddess of this island has been, from remote antiquity, Bomba, or Mumba Devi, and that she still ... possesses a temple". British officer and scholar John Briggs concurred that the name Bombay was a corruption of "Mumby", for a temple to Mumba Devi.
By the late 20th century, the city was called Mumbai or Mambai in Marathi, Konkani, Gujarati, Kannada and Sindhi, and Bambai in Hindi. The Government of India officially changed the English name to Mumbai in November 1995. This came at the insistence of the Marathi nationalist Shiv Sena party, which had just won the Maharashtra state elections, and mirrored similar name changes across India. Shiv Sena argued that the name 'Bombay' echoed British colonial rule. While Mumbai is still called Bombay by some residents and by some Indians from other regions, mention of the city by a name other than Mumbai has become controversial.
A resident of Mumbai is called Mumbaikar (pronounced [ˈmumbəikəɾ]) in Marathi, in which the suffix -kar means a 'resident of'. The term had been in use for quite some time, but it gained popularity after the official name change to Mumbai. Older terms such as Bombayite are used infrequently.
Mumbai is built on what was once an archipelago of seven islands: Isle of Bombay, Parel, Mazagaon, Mahim, Colaba, Worli, and Old Woman's Island (also known as Little Colaba). Pleistocene sediments found along the coast near Kandivali suggest that the islands were inhabited since the South Asian Stone Age. In the 3rd century BCE, the islands formed part of the Maurya Empire, ruled by the emperor Ashoka. The islands were perhaps occupied by the Koli fishing community during the beginning of the Common Era.
The Kanheri Caves in Borivali were excavated in the first century CE, and served as a centre of Buddhism in Western India. The Mahakali Caves in Andheri were cut out between the 1st century BCE and the 6th century CE. Greek geographer Ptolemy referred to the islands as Heptanesia (Ancient Greek: A cluster of seven islands) in 150 CE. Between the 2nd century BCE and 9th century CE, the islands came under the control of successive indigenous dynasties–Satavahanas, Western Satraps, Abhira, Vakataka, Kalachuris, Konkan Mauryas, Chalukyas, and Rashtrakutas, before being ruled by the Shilaharas from 810 to 1260 CE. Some of the oldest edifices in the city are the Jogeshwari Caves (between 520 and 525 CE), Elephanta Caves (between 6th to 7th century CE), Walkeshwar Temple (10th century CE), and Banganga Tank (12th century CE).
King Bhima founded his kingdom in the region in the late 13th century CE and established his capital in Mahikawati (present day Mahim). The Pathare Prabhus, among the earliest known settlers of the city, came to Mahikawati from Saurashtra in Gujarat around 1298 CE. The Delhi Sultanate annexed the islands in 1347–48 CE and controlled it until 1407 CE. During this time, the islands were administered by the Muslim governors of Gujarat, appointed by the sultanate. The islands were later governed by the independent Gujarat Sultanate, established in 1407CE. Numerous mosques were built during the period, including the Haji Ali Dargah in Worli, erected in 1431, as a homage to Sufi saint Haji Ali. From 1429 to 1431 CE, the islands were a source of contention between the Gujarat Sultanate and the Bahmani Sultanate of the Deccan. In 1493 CE, Bahadur Khan Gilani of the Bahmani Sultanate attempted to conquer the islands but was repulsed.
Apprehensive of the power of the Mughal Empire under emperor Humayun, sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat signed the Treaty of Bassein with the Portuguese Empire on 23 December 1534. As per the treaty, the seven islands of Bombay, the nearby town of Bassein, and its dependencies were given to the Portuguese on 25 October 1535.