Mumbai's history begins as an archipelago of seven distinct islands—Bombay, Parel, Mazagaon, Mahim, Colaba, Worli, and Old Woman's Island (Little Colaba)—originally inhabited by the indigenous Koli fishing community. In the 3rd century BCE, the islands were part of the Maurya Empire under Emperor Ashoka, leading to early Buddhist influence, visible today in the Kanheri and Mahakali caves.
In 1534, the Portuguese captured the islands from the Gujarat Sultanate, establishing trading posts and building forts and churches. Over a century later, in 1661, the islands were given to the English King Charles II as part of the dowry of Catherine of Braganza. The British Crown subsequently leased them to the East India Company in 1668, marking the beginning of Bombay’s rise as a crucial trading port.
Between 1782 and 1845, the monumental Hornby Vellard engineering project reclaimed the land between the seven islands, fusing them into a single, contiguous landmass. The mid-19th century brought the advent of the first passenger railway line in Asia (1853) and an economic boom fueled by the American Civil War, which drove massive demand for Indian cotton. Bombay became a bastion of the Indian independence movement, notably hosting the first session of the Indian National Congress in 1885 and serving as the launchpad for Mahatma Gandhi's Quit India Movement in 1942. In 1995, the city was officially renamed Mumbai to reflect its Marathi heritage, honoring the patron goddess Mumbadevi.