Frequently asked questions

Questions

The name

1. When did the city's name change to Mumbai?
2. Why was it ever called Bombay?
3. What would you have liked it to be called?

Answers

The name

When did the city's name change to Mumbai?

The city was earlier called Bombay. The name was changed by an act of the Indian parliament in 1997. The reason for this change was that in two of the local languages, Marathi and Gujarati, the city has long been called Mumbai. It is believed that the name comes from the name of one of the old Koli goddesses, Mumba Devi, a temple to whom now stands in Bhuleshwar.

Why was it ever called Bombay?

By a historical accident. There was no city on these seven islands before the 18th century. The nearest city was Thane. It has a long history and was mentioned by many travellers, including Ibn Batuta. The seven islands held many villages with different names, some of which survive in the names of areas in the city: Girgaum and Worli to name just two. The British established a port settlement near the harbour in the late 17th century. This eventually grew and engulfed all the other villages. The name Bombay may have got attached to the British settlement as an English corruption of the Portuguese description of the harbour, "Bom Bahia", meaning good bay.

What would you have liked it to be called?

That's not hard. If the city didn't have a name already, I would have called it "Pydhonie" (meaning foot wash), after a crowded corner of south Mumbai. That place name comes from a long lost creek which allowed tidal waters to wash into a dusty square where no tide has been in the last couple of centuries. But I think it is an apt name for a city which has historically called to wanderers to settle down and do business: the British, the Gujaratis (including the Parsis and the Bohras) and Marwaris, the Iranis, Baghdadi Jews and Armenians, the Tamils, Malayalees and Konkanis, and more recently the Biharis, UP-wallahs and Bengalis.