India

Mumbai is the bubblegum glamour of Bollywood cinema, shopping malls full of designer labels, cricket on the Oval Maidan, promenading families eating bhelpuri on the beach at Chowpatty, red double-decker buses queuing in grinding traffic jams and the infamous cages of the red-light district.

Before the 20th century

The seven islands that now form Mumbai were first home to the Koli fisherfolk, whose shanties still occupy parts of the city shoreline today. The islands were ruled by a succession of Hindu dynasties, invaded by Muslims in the 14th century and then ceded to Portugal by the Sultan of Gujarat in 1534. The Portuguese did little to develop them before the major island of the group was included in Catherine of Braganza's dowry when she married England's Charles II in 1661. The British Government took possession of all seven islands in 1665 but leased them three years later to the East India Company for a meagre annual rent of GBS10.00.

Bombay soon developed as a trading port thanks to its fine harbour and the number of merchants who were attracted from other parts of India by the British promise of religious freedom and land grants. Migrants included sizeable communities of Muslim Gujaratis, south Indian Hindus fleeing Portuguese persecution in Goa, and Zoroastrian Parsis fleeing persecution by Muslims in Persia. Their arrival, and that of later immigrant groups, laid the basis for Bombay's celebrated multicultural society. Within 20 years, the presidency of the East India Company was transferred to Bombay from Surat, and the town soon became the trading headquarters for the whole west coast of India.

Bombay's fort was built in the 1720s, and soon after land-reclamation projects began the century-long process of joining the seven islands into a single mass. Although Bombay grew steadily during the 18th century, it remained isolated from the surrounding territory until the British defeated the Marathas and annexed substantial portions of Western India in 1818. Growth was spurred by the arrival of steam ships and the construction of the first railway in Asia from Bombay to Thane in 1853. Cotton mills were built in the city the following year, and the American Civil War - which temporarily dried up Britain's supply of cotton - sparked Bombay's cotton boom. The fort walls were dismantled in 1864 and the city embarked on a major building spree as it sought to construct a civic townscape to match its new-found wealth and status. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and the massive expansion of Bombay's docks cemented the city's future as India's primary port.

Modern history

Bombay played a formative role in the struggle for Independence, hosting the first Indian National Congress in 1885 and the launch of the 'Quit India' campaign in 1942. After Independence the city became capital of the Bombay Presidency but this was divided on linguistic grounds into Maharashtra and Gujarat in 1960. Since then, a massive influx of rural (especially Maharashtran) migrants has strained the city's infrastructure and altered its demographics. The most unfortunate development was the rise of a militant pro-Marathi regionalist movement, spearheaded by the Shiv Sena municipal government, which shook the city's multicultural foundations by discriminating against non-Maharashtrans and Muslims. Communalist tensions erupted into murderous riots in the aftermath of the destruction of the Ayodhya mosque in 1992, attributed to supporters of the Shiv Sena. This was followed by 13 bomb blasts that ripped through the city on a single day in March 1993, killing hundreds of Mumbaikers. Blame for the attacks fell squarely on Dawood Ibrahim, a Muslim gangster with links to Pakistan's secret service agency and the Taliban in Afghanistan; he is now believed to be hiding in Canada. In both cases, the dividing line between political establishment, organised crime and terrorism has been hard to pinpoint.

In 1996 the Shiv Sena officially renamed the city Mumbai. The change of name led to linguistic confusion, and signalled the intention of the Maharashtra state government to assert the city's Marathi identity. The Shiv Sena and their leader, Bal Thackeray (noted for his stated admiration of Adolf Hitler), ruled the state of Maharashtra behind the scenes until October 1999, when the administration that had protected them lost to the Congress Party in assembly elections. Attempts by the state's new political leaders to prosecute Thackeray in July 2000 for his alleged involvement in the 1992 anti-Muslim riots led to his supporters effectively shutting Mumbai down for several days through violent protests - the charges against this still influential person were then quickly withdrawn.

A further wave of violence followed in 2003, when Islamic militants detonated car bombs at the Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar in Kalbadevi. Muslim gangsters with links to Dawood Ibrahim have also been blamed for a string of blackmail and kidnapping attacks in the city, many targeting players in the Bollywood film industry.

Recent history

Mumbai leapt into the new millennium determined to become the most populous city in the world by 2020, when it might hold as many as 28.5 million people. This upcoming stature is, however, of little comfort to the 50% of the city's inhabitants who presently still live without water or electricity. Nothing demonstrates Mumbai's deteriorating environment better than a recent report which claims just breathing the air in Mumbai is equivalent to smoking 20 cigarettes a day: hence the popularity of recently opened 'oxygen bars'.

In June 2005 Maharashtra was devastated by flooding after the heaviest rains in Indian history. More than a thousand people died and 60,000 were left homeless, triggering fears of a new influx of refugees into Mumbai. The cost of the disaster has been estimated at a billion US dollars, putting future plans for urban renewal in doubt. Nevertheless, the municipal government is committed to the idea of creating a futuristic city of space-age skyscrapers on the north side of Mahim Creek. The ground work has already begun, but part of the scheme involves clearing the slums and there is no clear plan for relocating slum dwellers. So far, more than 300,000 people have been left homeless by slum demolitions.

The city was dealt a further blow in July 2006, when seven train bombs caused the deaths of over 180 people and injured over 700 more. Suspicion fell on the Kashmiri militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, although it denied responsibility for the attack. Tension between the Hindu and Muslim communities was exacerbated by the incident, but fortunately did not erupt, and the resilient city quickly resumed its routines.

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Maidan cricket is a Mumbai institution; generations of Mumbaikers have grown up aiming leather at willow on the green expanse of the Oval Maidan. It's not unheard of for players to welcome strangers to join informal games in progress; spectators are always welcome.

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Malabar Hill Chowpatty 0 ratings 0 reviews	University of Mumbai Fort 0 ratings 0 reviews
Gateway of India Colaba 0 ratings 0 reviews	Elephanta Island Elephanta Island 0 ratings 0 reviews

Mumbai is prone to high temperatures, high humidity and tropical rain, though the climate is tempered by the influence of the Arabian Sea. Rainfall averages a soggy 2200mm (85in) per year, with the heaviest falls coming in the monsoon season from June to September. Recent years have seen massive floods, cited by many as evidence of global warming. January is the coolest month, though 12°C (53°F) is about as low as it goes. March and October tend to swelter, with temperatures rising as high as 38°C (100°F).

Average weather

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Transport

Getting around

Mumbai has one of the best public bus systems of any major Indian city. However, its red double-decker buses must run the gauntlet of the city's unbelievable traffic congestion. More useful, though no less crowded, is Mumbai's extensive network of suburban electric trains, but avoid rush hours when trains carry five times their maximum safe limit of passengers and you may be carried off several stops early, or miss your stop entirely, because of the heaving mass of humanity.

Mumbai has a huge fleet of metered black-and-yellow taxis but, contrary to the practice in most other Indian cities, no autorickshaws are allowed in the city centre. Taxi meters are invariably out of date, so fares are calculated by using a conversion card. Note that taxis outside tourist sites and entertainment venues may ask for flat rates or refuse short journeys.

Getting there and away

Mumbai beats Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai for international air traffic. It also has the busiest network of domestic flights, including flights to Aurangabad near the Ellora and Ajanta caves. National carrier Indian Airlines has been joined by various private carriers which are often more reliable - Jet, Air Sahara and Kingfisher Airlines are all good companies. The international terminal (Chhatrapati Shivaji) and the domestic terminal (Santa Cruz) are 30km (19mi) and 26km (16mi) respectively from downtown Mumbai. There are regular free shuttle buses between the two terminals.

Long-distance buses depart from the state road transport terminal opposite Mumbai's Central railway station. It's fairly chaotic, and there are almost no signs or information available in English. The state bus companies of Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh all have offices here.

Two railway systems operate out of Mumbai. Central Railways handles services to the east and south, plus a few trains to the north. Western Railways has services to the north from Churchgate and Central stations. Trains travel frequently between Mumbai and Agra, Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Kochi, Pune and Varanasi.

Taxis operate 24 hours a day from the airport, though they add a surcharge at night. A taxi from either airport to Colaba costs around 350.00 - be ready to bargain and pay extra for your luggage. Autorickshaws are a cheaper option - it's only a ten minute ride from either airport to Andheri or Vile Parle railway station, where you can catch a train into the centre.

Minibuses outside the arrival hall offer free shuttle services to the domestic airport and Juhu hotels.

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Dangers and annoyances

Colaba has its share of beggars, con-men and pickpockets but crime is fairly low key. Locals often complain about shady characters and heroin users loitering around Grant Road train station, which is the city's most unsavoury neighbourhood. If you're on foot, avoid the red light area in Kamathipura at night (you may want to avoid this dispiriting area at all times).

Indian attitudes to skin colour are closely bound to notions of caste: generally (but not always), the darker the skin, the lower the caste. Some black travellers and many African students in Mumbai report incidents of racism - usually name calling, mockery and petty acts of discrimination. Conversely, Indian bar and restaurant owners report regular problems of drunkenness and sexual harassment of customers by African students. These attitudes may affect the welcome black travellers receive in some areas.

Another potential problem area is the ongoing tension between Hindus and Muslims in the city. Muslims accuse the Hindu majority of bigotry and discrimination; Hindus blame the Muslim community for the spate of terrorist bombings that have rocked the city since the 1990s. This is a conflict that has been going on since the Muslim invasion of India - the best travellers can do is avoid potential flashpoints like temples and mosques at times of heightened tension - for example, during upsurges of violence in the Middle East.