Mumbai Become a Disney Travel Agent Near Me

Overview

Introduction

Mumbai—or Bombay, as it was known until 1997—remains India's city of dreams. It is so dynamic that immigrants still flock there in hopes of becoming successful entrepreneurs. Despite its rich heritage and friendly citizens, Mumbai can overwhelm foreigners with its sheer headcount, smells and sounds. Pollution and poverty are also part of the cosmopolitan picture.

Built largely by the British around one of the best-protected natural harbors in the world, Mumbai is India's business center and one of the most important commercial hubs between Singapore and Europe. It generates more than a third of India's gross national product, and half of the country's foreign trade moves through this busy seaport on the Arabian Sea. Mumbai also is home to the country's prolific Bollywood film industry, which cranks out more feature films than any other place in the world.

Mumbai's expansion has been rapid—from fewer than 1 million residents in the mid-1950s to nearly 15 million today—and the city suffers from growing pains. Civic services are stretched, water is in short supply, and Mumbai's footprint reaches endlessly northward to provide housing for new arrivals.

With Mumbai's energies directed toward its burgeoning population and thriving business community, India's largest city has spent less time and money developing tourist attractions. High-rise hotels, designer boutiques and fine restaurants abound, but there hasn't been much focus on museums or historical sites. However, that's starting to change as the city's power and social elites begin channeling their earnings and clout into expanding cultural offerings.

Mumbai's main draw, however, like so much of India, is in its contradictions. Within a few miles/kilometers you can be awestruck by the palatial houses on Malabar Hill, and then depressed by the makeshift shacks and the bedraggled children in the city's poverty-stricken neighborhoods.

Must See or Do

Sights—The Gateway of India arch; a boat ride to Elephanta Island; Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) around noon so you can watch the fantastic swarm of dabawallahs (members of the Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Association) deliver lunches to office workers; Haji Ali Mosque at low tide; Mahalaxmi temple at Mahalaxmi; Siddhivinayak temple at Prabhadevi; the city lights at dusk along Marine Drive (officially Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road); the dhobi ghat (Mumbai's cheapest laundry service) at Mahalaxmi, where washermen work on huge amounts of laundry.

Museums—Prince of Wales Museum for exhibits recounting not only Mumbai's history but also some of India's, including the cannons that gave 21-gun salutes to British monarchs entering India; the spectacular Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum.

Memorable Meals—Thackers for its thalis (a lavish spread of Indian food); Masala Library for a wonderful twist on Indian cuisine; Mahesh Lunch Home for Indian seafood and coastal cuisine.

Walks—An evening stroll on Chowpatty or Juhu beaches, sampling the street food if you wish; a walking tour of the Hanging Gardens and Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan (Victoria Gardens) and Prani Sangrahalya; an early-morning walk around the Fort area to appreciate Mumbai's Gothic and art deco architecture; a stroll along Cater Road, Bandra.

Especially for Kids—The latest Bollywood spectacular or the filming of such epics at various movie studios (passes required for entrance); the caves of Elephanta Island, where monkeys and villagers both smile at tourists; an interesting presentation of major events in Mahatma Gandhi's life, the father of the nation, through miniature figures at Mani Bahvan; rides and water features at Esselworld; Adlabs Imagica at Khopoli.

Geography

Mumbai sits on India's west coast on a trapezoidal peninsula that is connected to the mainland by a series of bridges. The city's most important physical feature is its harbor, where for many years the Gateway of India arch has welcomed visitors from around the world. In 1947, the last 150 British soldiers marched out from there. The city now greets visitors arriving by rail, road and air.

The harbor is separated from the open sea by an area called Colaba, at the city's southern tip. The area just north and west of the harbor is known as Fort—it's the oldest part of the city, and there you'll find tourist offices and impressive buildings from the British Raj era. Nearby is Nariman Point, the city's modern business center with luxury hotels and high-rise banks. The Bandra Kurla complex is the new official address of many multinationals. Marine Drive (officially Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road) takes you from Nariman Point around Mumbai's inner bay, called Back Bay, past the busy waterfront area known as Chowpatty Beach to Malabar Hill, one of the city's most exclusive residential areas and its highest point (though only 180 ft/56 m above sea level). The rest of the city sprawls north up the peninsula to the mainland, and most of the recent growth has been there.

The Juhu beachfront is open to visitors, and hawkers of various kinds have been shifted to another area to leave beachgoers (relatively) free from interruption. The Marve and Aksa beaches are relatively calm areas within the city limits. Malad, in the distant suburbs, has become the headquarters of many call centers, where young people work around the clock catering to worldwide time zones.

History

Until the British arrived in the 18th century, the area around Mumbai was a marshy collection of seven islands inhabited mostly by fishing communities (known as koli). A succession of dynasties, both Hindu and Muslim, ruled the area until the Portuguese raids of the early 1500s. The Sultan of Gujarat ceded the area to Portugal in 1534. They called it Bom Bahia—meaning "good bay."

Malaria stalled Portuguese efforts to build a port there, and the area was given to the British as part of the dowry of Catharine of Braganza, a Portuguese princess who was married to King Charles II in 1662. Despite widespread protests from the Indians, the British took over and three years later made the settlement their first crown colony in India.

Bombay, as the British called it, was rented to the East India Company for a meager £10 a year, and company president Gerald Augier established the headquarters for its west-coast operations in the city. Swamps were cleared, and the islands were eventually linked by road, rail and landfill to form a single, long peninsula with a deep and secure harbor. Bombay was a prosperous and well-organized city by the mid-1800s, when its first cotton textile mill opened. (It also dealt heavily in opium, which reportedly accounted for 40% of its exports.)

The Indian National Congress met for the first time in Bombay in 1885, giving birth to the Indian independence movement. In the 1940s, a barrister-turned-activist-and-freedom-fighter named Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi launched his nonviolent effort to gain the country's freedom from the British Empire. Independence finally came in 1947, though less peacefully than Gandhi had envisioned and by dividing the country into two nations. Partition created a predominantly Hindu India and a majority Muslim Pakistan. The world's largest exodus followed, with Muslims fleeing west toward Pakistan and Hindus and Sikhs traveling east into India. As a point of Hindu pride, the city was renamed Mumbai in 1997, although in many parts of the world it is still known as Bombay.

In the second half of the 20th century, Mumbai grew faster than almost any other place on Earth. The flood of immigration of white-collar and labor-class workers has led to severe housing shortages and overcrowding—problems that are only beginning to be addressed. Despite the city's difficulties, its prosperity continues to be an opportunity for millions. The steep rise in realty prices and the availability of housing loans have helped millions gain affordable houses. The distant suburbs are now familiar with the growing mall culture, and people increasingly have homes with more luxuries. In Mumbai, there are more restaurants, new clubs and other avenues for entertainment in a metropolis that is alive 24/7.

Potpourri

The local and suburban trains in Mumbai carry approximately 7.24 million passengers per day, or more than 2.6 billion passengers each year—that's equal to about one-third of the world's population.

The origin of the name Bombay is Bom Bahia, which means "the good bay." In 1508, Portuguese sailor Francis Almeida coined the name. The Kolis used to and still do worship a goddess called Mumbadevi, which served as the justification for the shift from Bombay to Mumbai.

Rudyard Kipling, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature and author of The Jungle Book, was born in Mumbai. His cottage at J.J. College in the Fort area is being turned into a museum. The project is rife with controversy, however, since Kipling is remembered chiefly for his imperialist leanings—usually a sore point in independent India—and no completion date has been set for the project.

The Banganga Tank, a rectangular pool structure that is part of the Walkeshwar Temple Complex, has a wooden pole in the center that signifies the center of the earth. It is said that Lord Rama created the tank by piercing the earth with his arrow.

Mumbai is one of few cities in the world with a national park inside the city limits. Unfortunately, urban encroachment into Sanjay Gandhi Natnioal Park caused a scarcity of food, and some of the leopards started attacking people. The authorities have worked to gain control over the situation, but unfortunately, leopard attacks do still happen.

Location

Cruise ships enter this bustling city dock at Ballad Pier by the Mumbai Navy Yard. It is a five- to 10-minute taxi ride to the town center, where the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Hotel are located.

The 27,000-sq-ft/2,500-sq-m cruise terminal is fully air-conditioned. It can handle the arrival of two cruise ships simultaneously. Besides immigration and customs, there are counters for currency exchange and tourist information. There is a passenger lounge, a duty-free shop and an Indian handicrafts shop. There is also an Internet cafe and a taxi stand.

Plenty of taxis wait at the terminal, but travelers will get a better deal by taking the taxis that are farther away from the entrance. Be sure to agree on the fare before leaving.

Shore Excursions