The name Mumbai is an eponym, etymologically derived from Mumba - the name of the Hindu goddess Mumbadevi, and Aai - mother in Marathi. In the 16th century, the Portuguese named the area Bom Bahia (Good Bay), later corrupted to Bomaím or Bombaim, by which it is still known in Portuguese. After the British gained possession, it was anglicized to Bombay. The name was officially changed to Mumbai in 1995, but the former name is still used by many of the city`s inhabitants and famous institutions. Once a tiny island overrun by swaying palm trees, it used to belong to the native koli fisher-folk, which still live here in their little villages surrounded by soaring skyscrapers. In the seventeenth century came Portuguese colonists who dotted the island with several forts, which stand even today. In 1661, Mumbai was finally ceded to Charles II of England and eventually became one the largest ports in the British Empire. In fact the city owes its origins essentially to the Raj. Most of its stately public buildings such as the Venetian Gothic University, the Gothic High Court and the Indo - Saracenic Prince Of Wales Museum were built during this time, and when the first railway line started functioning in 1857, thousands of Indians from all over the country poured in to work in the city`s flourishing textile mills.

Kalbadevi Road - Glimpse of Mumbai around 1890.Present-day Mumbai was originally an archipelago of seven islands. Artifacts found near Kandivali, in northern Mumbai indicate that these islands had been inhabited since the Stone Age. Documented evidence of human habitation dates back to 250 BC, when it was known as Heptanesia (Ptolemy) (Ancient Greek: A Cluster of Seven Islands). In the 3rd century BCE, the islands formed part of the Maurya Empire, ruled by the Buddhist emperor, Asoka. The Hindu rulers of the Silhara Dynasty later governed the islands until 1343, when the kingdom of Gujarat annexed them. Some of the oldest edifices of the archipelago - the Elephanta Caves and the Walkeshwar temple complex date from this era.

In 1534, the Portuguese appropriated the islands from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. They were transferred to Charles II of England in 1661, as dowry for Catherine de Braganza. These islands were in turn leased to the British East India Company in 1668 for a sum of £10 per annum. The company found the deep harbour on the East Coast of the islands to be ideal for setting up their first port in the sub-continent. The population quickly rose from 10,000 in 1661, to 60,000 in 1675; in 1687, the British East India Company transferred its headquarters from Surat to Bombay.

From 1817 onwards, the city was reshaped with large civil engineering projects aimed at merging all the islands in the archipelago into a single amalgamated mass. This project, known as the Hornby Vellard, was completed by 1845, and resulted in the total area swelling to 438 km². In 1853, India`s first passenger railway line was established, connecting Bombay to the town of Thane. During the American Civil War (1861-1865), the city became the world`s chief cotton trading market, resulting in a boom in the economy and subsequently enhancing the city`s stature. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 transformed Bombay into one of the largest seaports on the Arabian Sea. Over the next thirty years, the city grew into a major urban centre, spurred by an improvement in infrastructure and the construction of many of the city`s institutions. The population of the city swelled to one million by 1906, making it the second largest in India after Calcutta. It later became a major base for the Indian independence movement, with the Quit India Movement called by Mahatma Gandhi in 1942 being its most rubric event. After independence, the city expanded to its present limits by incorporating parts of Salsette Island. It became the capital of the new linguistic state of Maharashtra in 1960. The late 1970s witnessed a construction boom and a significant inflow of migrants, which saw Bombay overtake Calcutta as India`s most populous city. The city`s secular fabric was torn in 1992, after large-scale sectarian violence caused extensive loss of life and property. A few months later, on March 12, simultaneous bombings at several city landmarks by the Mumbai underworld killed around three hundred people. In 1995, the city was renamed Mumbai, by the right wing Shiv Sena party government of Maharashtra, in keeping with their policy of renaming colonial institutions after historic local appellations.

Location
Location 18.96° N 72.82° E.
The Original Islands
Seven islands were merged to form the city of Bombay (now called Mumbai):
1. Isle of Bombay
2. Colaba
3. Little Colaba or Old Woman`s Island
4. Mahim
5. Mazagaon
6. Parel
7. Worli

The nearby islands of Trombay and Salsette were also merged to form the surburban Greater Bombay.
The Remaining Islands are:
1. Gharapuri Island/Elephanta Island
2. Butcher Island
3. Middle Ground Coastal Battery
4. Oyster Rock
5. East Ground
Mumbai is the capital of the state of Maharashtra, and the most populous city of India, with an estimated population of about 13 million (as of 2006). Mumbai is the financial capital of India. Mumbai is located on Salsette Island, off the West Coast of Maharashtra. Along with its neighbouring suburbs, it forms the world`s 4th most populous metropolitan area, with a population of about 20 million. The city has a deep natural harbour and the port handles over half of India`s passenger traffic and a significant amount of cargo. Mumbai is the commercial and entertainment capital of India, and houses important financial institutions, such as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) and the corporate headquarters of many Indian companies. Mumbai has attracted migrants from all over India because of the immense business opportunities, and the relatively high standard of living, making the city a potpourri of various communities and cultures. The city is home to India`s Hindi film and television industry, known as Bollywood. Mumbai is also one of the rare cities to accommodate a national park, the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, at Borivili.

Climate
The period between October and February is the most pleasant time to visit Mumbai, when the city enjoys a balmy season of blue skies and a cool breeze. From March, the temperature gradually rises and the humidity reaches saturation point. It is very hot just before the monsoon rains break in mid-June. The rains last until September. They come as a welcome relief to Bombayites but when the drainage system fails everyone encounters difficulties getting around town. After the initial few days of flooded roads, however, Bombayites take the downpours and regular drenching in their stride. In September, the humidity and temperature begin to fall. Luckily Mumbai does not suffer from the incessant power cuts that plague other parts of India, so offices and hotels remain air-conditioned and bearable through the hot months.

The city, being in the tropical zone and near the Arabian Sea, does not experience distinct seasons, but the climate can broadly be classified into two main seasons - the humid season and the dry season. High humidity and temperatures of over 30 °C characterize the humid season, between March to October. The Monsoon rains lash the city during June to September and supply most of the city`s annual rainfall of 2,200 mm. The maximum annual rainfall ever recorded was 3,452 mm in 1954. The highest rainfall recorded in a single day was 944 mm on 26-07-2005. Moderate levels of humidity and warm to cool weather describe the dry season, between November and February. Cold northerly winds are responsible for a high wind chill factor during January and February. The annual temperatures range from a high of 38 °C to a low of 11 °C. The record high is 43 °C and record low is 7.4 °C on 1962-01-22.

The important places to see in mumbai are as follows:
Bori Bunder
Bori Bunder literally means a place where sacks are stored. This was one of the areas along the Eastern Shore line of Bombay, India, which was used as a storehouse for goods imported and exported from Bombay. In the 1850s, the Great Indian Peninsular Railway built its railway terminus in this area and the station took its name as Bori Bunder. It was eventually named Victoria Terminus, after the then reigning Queen and has been subsequently renamed Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus after Maharashtra`s chieftain. Thought the shortened name is now CST, it still continues to be referred to as VT by the masses, not out of any sense of nostalgia but just out of practice.

Bombay High Court
The Bombay High Court was inaugurated on August 14, 1862. The work on the present building of the High Court was commenced in April 1871 and completed in November 1878. British engineer Col. J.A. Fuller designed it. The first sitting in this building was on January 10, 1879. Architecture: Gothic revival in the Early English style. It is 562 feet long and 189 feet wide. To the west of the central tower are two octagonal towers. The statues of Justice and Mercy are atop this building. The 125th anniversary of the building is slated to be marked by the release of a book, commissioned by the Bar Association, called "The Bombay High Court: The Story of the Building 1878-2003" by local historians Rahul Mehrotra and Sharada Dwivedi. Sanctioned strength: 60. A petition is pending to increase the number to 75 judges. The court handles 3.4 lakh cases, both civil and criminal. 32 sitting judges of the court disposed around 2,000 cases each in 2004. The court has a ratio of 1:1.61 million: judges to people. The court has jurisdiction over the states of Maharashtra, Goa and the Union territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The court has benches in Nagpur, Aurangabad and Panaji.

Old Bombay
Old Bombay was used to refer to the area, which was formed by the merging of the seven original islands of Mumbai, India. The term is now ancient and was used from the 19th century until the 1980s. The more widely used term today is just the word `town`. When the islands were merged, the area became Old Bombay. The region north of this became Greater Bombay; now known as the `Suburbs`. Greater Bombay encompasses an area 5 times the size of Old Bombay. The region of Old Bombay consists of downtown South Mumbai that is the richest area in India and the nerve centre of Indian commerce.The famous Bombay Hospital is located in South Mumbai

Gilbert Hill Gateway of India
The Municipal Corporation Building
Mumbai houses the offices of the Bombay Municipal Corporation. Construction of the building began on December 9, 1884, with the laying of the foundation stone by the then Viceroy of India, Lord Ripon. The design of the building, based on the Gothic Revival style, was presented by Fredrick Williams Stevens, which was selected over the Indo-Saracenic design submitted by R. F. Chisholm. Completed in 1893, the building is known for its 255 feet tall tower.

Forts in Mumbai
Mumbai is famous for its forts. Today, the remnants of old forts stands testament to the valor of Maratha warriors who put up a defiant and resolute opposition to often superior armies. The forts have stood witness to the tide of time. Its walls and gates still bear the scars of battles that were fought. The influence of foreign powers on these forts too can hardly be denied. Even to this day, the forts reverberate with the valor of the Maratha warriors.

More on Mumbai
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
Flora Fountain