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Mumbai is the capital of Maharastra State and the gateway to this beguiling subcontinent. Of the four great cities in India, Mumbai is the most cosmopolitan, spear heading India's move into the 21st century.The word Mumbai is derived from Mumbadevi, the patron goddess of the Koli fisherfolk, the oldest inhabitants of Mumbai. The name Mumbai, in its final form, dates back to the 18 th century. For Portuguese, the name Bombay is Good Bay ("Bom" "Bay" Good Bay). Mumbai is a cluster of seven islands. These islands of no great value were ceded to Portuguese in 1534 by the Sultan of Gujarat. The Portuguese in turn given these islands to Englands's Chareless II as part of the wedding dowry of Catherine of Braganza when she married Englands's Charles II in 1661. In 1668, the British government leased the islands to the East India Company for 10 pounds per annum in the form of gold and Mumbai grew gradually to become centre of trade. Population (1991 census) : 12596000 (12.6 million) . |
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Facts and Figures : |
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- Bombay was renamed Mumbai in 1996. |
- The total area of the city is 440 sq. km or 170 sq. miles. |
- The population is 18 million, projected to reach 28.5 million by 2020. |
- Mumbai is the capital of the state of Maharashtra. |
- Marathi, Hindi and English are the main languages. |
- Telephone code is 022 |
- Time zone - GMT/UTC plus 5.5 hours |
- Climate - Summer 200 C - 390 C, Winter 120 C - 340 C. Mumbai has a truly tropical climate and temperatures remain fairly uniform throughout the year. You never need to pack woolens for Mumbai, not even in December. Mumbai is drowned every year under torrential Indian Ocean monsoon rains between June and September, usually beginning by 7th June every year. |
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Mumbai History : |
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In 1661, King Charles II of England, married Princess Catherine de Braganza of Portugal, and as part of the dowry he received "Bombay" which is today known as Mumbai. Later in 1668 it was handed over to the East India Company. In 1858 the administration of the country was taken over by the Queen of England, Queen Victoria, from the East India Company. A viceroy was appointed to rule India in the name of the Queen.Bombay came under the direct rule of the British in 1861. The first railway line in India was started between Bombay (VT) and Thane in 1861.
In 1864, modern water supply was started in Bombay (Mumbai) and in 1885, Bombay was lit with gas.Mahatma Gandhi joining Indian Politics in 1920, was a turning point in the political destiny of India which led to the Independence of India from the British rule. Bombay (Mumbai) had an important role to play in this event. |
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How to Reach Mumbai : |
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By Air : Mumbai is an international airport. Many international airlines operate flights to Mumbai from various parts of the world. Indian Airlines and many private airlines connect Mumbai with all major tourist centres in India. |
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| By Rail : Mumbai is the headquarters of the Centeral and Western Railways. Regualr trains connect it with all major cities like Aghamedabad, Aurangabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Calcutta, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Madras, Nagapur and Trivandrum |
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| By Road : Mumbai is connected by good motorable roads with all major tourist centres. |
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| Places nearby Mumbai --- |
 AHAMEDABAD 545KM |
PANAJI (GOA 597KM |
HYDERABAD 711 KM |
| SHIRDI 307KM |
AURANGABAD 392 KM |
VADOORA 432KM |
| PUNE 163 KM |
NASIK 184 KM |
MAHABALESHWAR 239 KM |
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Best Season to Visit Mumbai : |
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While planning a trip to Mumbai avoid the monsoon months of June through September,when mumbai becomes one big, overflowing pothole.
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Plan your trip between October and April when the air is pleasant and there is relatively less humidity.
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Plan your trip between October and April when the air is pleasant and there is relatively less humidity.
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Celebrated to honour the elephant headed god - Ganesha, who is considered a very benign god in hindu mythology, this festival is the event to witness.
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| Huge processions chanting "Ganapati Bappa Moriya" carry massive idols of the divine figure to the beaches where they are submerged in the sea. This is a truly Indian cultural spectacle,which one should not miss. |
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Mumbai has the best selection of restaurants in India. You could trace the history of the metropolis and go on a culinary tour of the subcontinent by trawling through the amazing variety of food available. Gujarati thalis, Muslim kababs, Mangalorean seafood, Parsi dhansaak, North Indian tandooris and Goan vindaloos-the food, like the city's population, comes from all over India.
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Mumbai Fast food : When Mumbaikars talk about fast food they mean Pav bhaji and bhelpuri not hanburgers and hot dogs. The city has a great appetite for snacks, and street vendors know how to cater to this huger. The best place to sample the city's legendary fast food is khau Galii, a small laneway off Zaveri Bazaar packed with interesting food stalls.
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Maharashtra Food : Marathi vegetarian recipes such as curries, rice, sweets etc.
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Other Delights : Non Maharashtrian vegetarian recipes are also there like soups, chidva etc.
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Mumbai Drinks : Mumbai's tap water is not really safe for visitors to drink. so you need to boil ,buy or purify many varieties and several different sizes.
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Soft Drinks : Plenty of local and international brands of soft drinks are available, through local brands (such as
limas & thumsup).
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Fruit Juices & Other Drinks : Delicious fruit juices are sold at cafes and juices stalls. They come in exotic varieties such as mango, custured apple and lychee.
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Alcoholic Drinks : Foreign beer have entered the local market backed by well-oiled publicity machines. Foster's is the first international brewer to invest in local operations, they have opened a plant in the Maharastrian town of Aurangabad.
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| Mumbai Festivals : |
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Ganesh Chaturthi: In September,is a 10days Festival It is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Ganesha on the fourth day of Bhadra. The festival is so popular that in Mumbai the preparations begin months in advance. The Chaturthi is the last day wherein thousands of processions converge on the beaches of Mumbai to immerse the holy idols in the sea amidst the chanting of "Ganesh Maharaj Ki Jai!" and "Ganpati bappa morya" the festival ends with please to Ganesha to return the next year. |
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Makar Sankranti: (January 14), marks the beginning of the sun's movement northwards. Witness ruthless kite duels at Chowpatty Beach. |
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Holi : Holi in February/March, the festival of colour, is celebrated with much exuberance. It marks the end of winter. Water balloons and coloured powder are thrown around with reckless abandon. |
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Gudi Padava : in March/April, is the start of the Maharashtrian New Year. It is marked by the erection of gudis (bamboo sticks) decorated with colourful cloth and topped with an upturned drinking vessel. |
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Dussehra/Navratri :
in September/October, is a nine-day festival that celebrates Lord Rama's victory over the demon king of Lanka, Ravana. The nine days are marked with prayers and garba dancing, and on the final day, an effigy of Ravana is burnt. |
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Diwali : in October/November, is the festival of lights that celebrates Lord Rama's return home from exile. Decorative oil lamps are lit at night. The third day of Diwali is Lakshmi's (the Hindi goddess of prosperity) big day and this is traditionally the beginning of the new financial year. Plenty of fireworks light up the sky!. |
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Christmas : December 25, and New Year's Eve, December 31, are celebrated in much the same fashion as they are in any of the world's big cities. |
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| Place of Worship in Mumbai : |
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Mumbai in particular has a wonderful track record of religious tolerance. It has imbibed the cultural and religious influences of the Northern Aryans and the Southern Dravidian. |
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SIDDHIVINAYAK TEMPLE: This 200 year old temple at Prabhadevi is one of the most popular Ganesha temple in the city. Every Tuesday devotees throng this temple in the firm belief that their wishes will be fulfilled. The idol is made of black stone with a height of two and a half feet and width of two feet. The head is adorned with a gold crown. On either side of the idol are the carved images of Riddhi & Siddhi, the goddesses of wealth and prosperity.The temple was recently renovated in 1994, to accommodate the huge crowds that throng the temple everyday and especially during Ganesh Chaturthi festival. There are television sets installed outside for those who do not have time to wait in the long serpentine queues that lead to the temple inside. |
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WALKESHWAR TEMPLE: This is situated on Walkeshwar Road, close to Malabar Hill. The legend states that Rama and Lakshmana arrived here in their search for Sita. |
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MAHALAKSHMI TEMPLE: Originally, to the north of Malabar Hill, stood three temples dedicated to Lakshmi, Saraswati and Kali, which were totally destroyed by invaders. Several decades later, when the British chose to connect the Mahalakshmi area to Worli by building Breach Candy, ferocious tides swept in and destroyed several such attempts. It was at this time that Goddess Lakshmi appeared in a dream to Ramji Shivji, a contractor. She told him to remove the three statues from the sea bed and establish them in a proper shrine. Ramji acted according to the wishes of the Goddess and the taskwas successfully completed.The Mahalakshmi Temple in Breach Candy is one of the most popular temples in the city and during Navarathri celebrations devotees stand for hours in long queues awaiting their turn to worship before the goddess. The Temple contains images of Goddess Mahalakshmi, Mahakali and Mahasaraswathi. All three images are adorned with nose rings, gold bangles and pearl necklaces. The image of Mahalakshmi is shown riding a tiger and a demon (Mahishasur) in a tandem. The temple is dedicated to the Goddess of wealth. |
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BABULNATH MANDIR :
This temple at the end of Marine Drive and south of Malabar hill was built in 1780.A stone lingam of Shiva is worshipped at Babulnath temple. |
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JAMA MASJID : According to an old Urdu account, the original Jama Masjid of Mumbai was situated near Dongri. It was later removed and erected at Esplanade. In 1770, this mosque too was demolished by an order of Governor William Hornby which forbade the existence of any building within 600 years of the walls of the Fort. The construction of the present Jama Masjid started in 1775 but work on it could not be completed till 1802. The Masjid is a quadrangular pile of brick and stone encircled by a ring of terraced roofed and double storeyed buildings. The main eastern gate leads to an ancient tank filled with about 10 feet of water. From the depths of the tank rise 16 black stone arches which support the whole fabric of the mosque. |
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HAJI ALI DARGAH: Haji Ali built to honour a Muslim saint, stands almost 500 yards out at sea. It is approachable only during low tide by a narrow rock causeway built above sea level. |
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Shopping in Mumbai is a memorable experience as you wander through its Bazaars with striking names like Chor Bazar, Mutton Street and Zaveri Bazar. At Chor Bazar you'll find a phenomenal collection of antiques, jewellery, wooden articles, leatherware and general bric-a-brac.Crawford market, famous for flowers, fruits, meat and fish, is certainly place worth capturing on your camera. Zaveri Bazar offers excellent range of jewellery items. For colourful and innovative carpets one should head for Mereweather Road behind Taj Mahal Hotel. Here the range is extensive, exclusive and the prices slightly higher. To be on the safer side, one could, however check at the Jammu and Kashmir Emporium first. Several state emporia in the World Trade Centre, at Cuffe Parade are an ideal place to buy souvenir, a rare artifact or textiles. The Central Cottage Industries Emporium (Apollo Bunder) and Khadi Village Industries Emporium (D.N.Road) with their fixed price tags, are genuine and of superb quality. |
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Colaba and Flora Fountain (Hutatama Chowk) in the heart of South Mumbai and walking distance from Bombay V.T and Churchgate Railwa Stations are full of shopping of all kinds, mainly ethnic artifacts and departmental stores. Walk into Fashion Street and shop for your new summer wardrobe. The street is close to the famous Metro Cinema and Dhobi Talao. For those who look for the glamorous the ideal place to shell out some money would be Kemps Corner, Warden Road, Breach Candy and Napean Sea Road. |
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Bandra, the so-called Queen of Suburbs is the residential abode of the's who of Mumbai, film stars, industrialists and the likes. Linking Road joins Bandra to Khar and is lined up on both sides with showrooms for the elite. But the striking contest here is the pavement selling which adds to the thrill while you walk out of a posh showroom. |
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