Major A.W. Baired determined the mean sea level of Mumbai after painstakingly noting the maximum and minimum sea levels for seven years. Thus the Bench Mark denoting the mean sea level was erected in 1895 in the premises of PWD building. Today this Bench Mark is lost in oblivion. Another geological miracle depicting the Central Type Eruption of volcano that gave birth to Mumbai islands is the 225 feet high Gilbert Hill at Andheri (West). This hill constitutes square and multi-angle shaped pillars of columnar basalt.
Mumbai was a part of North Konkan region. Many dynasties from Emperor Ashoka to Yadavas ruled this area. Mumbai has witnessed pre-Muslim history of about fifteen centuries. After the Mauryas, Satvahanas maintained their supremacy over this land up to the second century. Then came Saka-Satrap and Vakatakas. Though Chalukyas captured the North Konkan in the sixth century, Kalchuris shaped the history of Mumbai followed by Shilaharas. They ruled up to 1240 AD. In the 13th century Yadav king Bhimdeo took over the reign. The places like Shitaladevi, Prabhadevi, Mahim (then Mahikavati), Dadar, Matunga date back to his times. Raja Bhimdev made Mahim (Mahikavati) his capital place and carried out its all-round development, culminating it into the main trading port on the Western coast. Naturally, many foreign traders like Arabs, Christians and Jews came here for trading purposes and later on settled down forever. In the seventeenth century Mumbai’s life centered on Sashti and Gharapuri islands. All the ruling dynasties and their cultures flourished on these islands. Their fifteen hundred years of rule bestowed upon Mumbai a spectacular heritage of culture and monuments. From 1347 AD to 1947 AD, i.e. for six hundred years, foreign rulers occupied the Mumbai proper.
Gujarat’s Sultan had his say for more than 180 years. Portuguese, with their naval might, took over this earthly heaven and nurtured it for 134 years. Then British, mostly by way of luck, received Mumbai as a dowry gift from Portuguese. The Union Jack hovered over the Mumbai skies for nearly 280 years. The main reason behind this hand-over was being the naval power of the succeeding invaders. The ancient habitants of Mumbai islands were fisher folk called Kolis. They are still there, spread over various Koliwadas like Sion, Thane, Versova, Mahim and Khar Danda. Their patron goddess, Mumba Devi, gave this city its name- Mumbai. The British had altered it to Bombay. The state government has recently restored it as Mumbai. The temple of Mumba Devi is still there in the area named behind it.
From fifteenth century onwards, Portuguese the first European traders to land here, the Muslim invaders from Gujarat, their united fight against the Mughals, the entry of the Dutch, the British and the Malabaris from Kerala, contributed in the trade and commerce in particular and all socio ¬ cultural fields in general. British could lay their hands on these islands after the marriage of King Charles II with Portuguese Princess Catherine Breganza. The British transformed the face of this strategic city by building forts, docks and other huge structures. They keenly thought of developing Mumbai as a center of power after 1857, the year of Indian Mutiny. This year the British received a major setback to their political ambition in India. They brought the Company’s treasure from Kolkata to Mumbai. From here, it was easier for them to have access with England and make movements of the army.
After the first railway in 1853 AD in India, came the Mumbai-Kolkata road link. Construction of Gateway of India, Victoria Terminus, High Court building, Town Hall (Asiatic Library), University Library, Vihar Water Supply Scheme, Malabar Hill Water Reservoir etc were completed in due course. This legacy of Neo-Gothic architecture has given Mumbai the status of a heritage city. Mumbai’s present gigantic transport system has its roots in the vehicles drawn by animals like bullock carts, reklas or borne by men (palanquins), trams pulled by horses and local trains running on electricity.
All said and done, now, it was time for the change - time to start to think otherwise. The suppressive attitude of the British was slowly but firmly giving rise to discontent. Thinkers and political activists tore away the mask of economic policies of the rulers and contradicted the conception that the British Empire is transforming India into a rich cultural state. The First mutiny, the unity of the Hindu, Muslims, and Parsees, unrest between the army and the police, the Bombay Plot, the first political strike, ‘satyagrahas’ and law disobedience campaigns in 1930-31, Naval mutiny, Quit India Movement by Mahatma Gandhi in 1942 AD, all posed a stiff challenge to the British. All these activities played a decisive role in the Indian Freedom Movement. At Apollo Bandar where the British first landed the last battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry marched towards their homeland in 1948 AD, forever.
During the British regime, Mumbai was looked after by, in all, 56 governors. They were appointed by first, the King of England, then by the East India Company and lastly by the Royal Government of England. Some of them were instrumental in the shaping of Mumbai’s history. Jerold Angier was engaged in infrastructural facilities, William Hornby, Jonathan Duncan, Mount Stuart Elphinstone, Robert Grant, and Lord Elphinstone had a vision for the betterment of Mumbai and its residents. While Sir Bartle Frere brought modernization, Lord Harris gave impetus to the development of cricket and John Clarke Sydenham looked after the propagation of science and commerce.
Today, Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra. But it may be interesting to note that 14-year arduous battle was fought to keep Mumbai in Maharashtra only. The crisis cropped up when Congress party, while making 4 regions of Maharashtra, created a separate committee for Mumbai. Then in the Mumbai Sahitya Sammelan in 1938 AD and Belgaum Sahitya Sammelan in 1946 AD, demand for unified Maharashtra state was made. The Dar Commission on language-wise restructuring of states was the bone of contention between the government and the Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru witnessed stiff opposition to the bilingual state of Maharashtra and Gujarat in 1956 AD and 1957 AD. At last the bilingual state was broken in 1959 AD and Maharashtra state including Mumbai came into being on May 1, 1960. When it came to the selection of the capital of Maharashtra, it was obvious that there was no alternative to Mumbai for this status.