Situated on a peninsula halfway up the west coast of India,
Mumbai (formerly Bombay) is India's economic powerhouse and home to
more millionaires than any other city on the Indian sub-continent.
As well as being the country's financial capital, Mumbai is also an
important port, handling a third of all international trade, and a
base for many of India's largest companies. However, among all this
wealth and the Bollywood lifestyle are cases of extreme poverty
with almost half of the population living in slums. In the last
count the population was 15 million, and growing rapidly.
The Portuguese established this old Hindu city as a colony in
1509. In 1661 it passed to England as part of the dowry of
Catherine of Braganza when she married Charles II, and became a
vital trading base for the East India Company and later the Crown.
The centre of Imperial Bombay, an area known as Fort, contains a
breathtaking array of High Victorian buildings and is reminiscent
of a prosperous 19th century English industrial city. The
fascinating range of architectural styles reflects the British
passion for the Gothic and demonstrates the wealth, panache and
confidence of British Bombay. Prosperity has always been considered
more important than religious homogeneity in Mumbai, and this is
reflected in the range of places of worship throughout the city -
churches and cathedrals sit alongside countless mosques, Hindu and
Buddhist temples.
Like many Indian cities, the streets of Mumbai are congested
with cattle, carts and motor vehicles and the air is thick with
smog and the sound of horns, but despite this the city has much to
offer and those en route to Goa should take time to discover
Mumbai's colourful and fascinating history and its vibrant,
energetic and friendly people. At worst, the experience will make
Goa's beaches seem even more peaceful.
