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The city of Bombay originally consisted of seven islands, namely Colaba, Mazagaon, Old Woman's Island, Wadala, Mahim, Parel, and Matunga-Sion. This group of islands, which have since been joined together by a series of reclamations, formed part of the kingdom of Ashoka, the famous Emperor of India. After his death, these islands passed into the hands of various Hindu rulers until 1343. In that year, the Mohammedans of Gujarat took possession and the Kings of that province of India ruled for the next two centuries. In 1534 the Portuguese, took Bombay by force of arms from the Mohammedans.They named their new possession as "Bom Baia" which in Portuguese means "Good Bay". A hundred and twenty-eight years later the islands were given to the English King Charles II in dowry on his marriage to Portuguese Princess Catherine of Braganza in 1662. In the year 1668 the islands were acquired by the English East India Company on lease from the crown for an annual sum of 10 pounds in gold.The British corrupted the Portuguese name "Bom Baia" to "Bombay". The Kolis (the original fisher-folk inhabitants of these islands) used to call the islands "Mumba" after Mumbadevi, the Hindu deity to whom a temple is dedicated at Babulnath near Chowpatty's sandy beaches. Recently, this beautiful city of islands is renamed Mumbai signifying its origin and heritage.

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17y ago

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