City history
From coastal islands named after the goddess Mumbadevi to maintaining its own local Bombay Time until 1955, Mumbai's temporal history reflects a journey from seafaring roots to India's financial heart.
Chapter one
Indigenous name
"Mother Mumba (derived from Mumba or Maha-Amba, meaning Great Mother, and Aai, meaning mother)"
The name Mumbai derives from Mumbadevi, the patron goddess worshipped by the indigenous Koli fishing community who originally inhabited the seven islands. Mumba is associated with Maha-Amba (Great Mother) combined with Aai, the Marathi word for mother.
City of Mother Mumba
Recorded as Manbai in the 1507 Persian text Mirat-i-Ahmedi, reflecting early vernacular renderings of the patron goddess Mumbadevi.
Good Bay or Good Harbor (Portuguese folk etymology)
Adopted by Portuguese colonizers after gaining control of the seven islands from the Gujarat Sultanate through the Treaty of Bassein in 1534.
Anglicized form of Bombaim
Transferred to the British Crown in 1661 as part of Catherine of Braganza's dowry upon her marriage to King Charles II, remaining the official English name for over three centuries.
Mother Mumba
Officially restored by the Maharashtra state government in November 1995 to honor local Marathi heritage and return to the indigenous namesake.
Chapter two
The East India Company established the Colaba Observatory at the southern tip of the island to conduct astronomical observations and provide timekeeping services for maritime shipping in Mumbai harbor.
At the International Meridian Conference in Washington, D.C., Bombay Time was officially established at UTC+04:51, serving as the standard local time offset for western India.
British India introduced Indian Standard Time (UTC+05:30) on January 1, 1906. However, due to political opposition led by Pherozeshah Mehta and the Bombay Municipal Corporation, Mumbai resisted adopting IST for daily civic use.
British India implemented Daylight Saving Time (War Time) from September 1942 to October 1945 across the subcontinent, advancing clocks by one hour to save wartime energy.
Mumbai officially retired Bombay Time (UTC+04:51) and fully transitioned to Indian Standard Time (UTC+05:30), ending nearly five decades of dual timekeeping in the city.
Chapter three
India's first passenger train ran from Bori Bunder in Mumbai to Thane on April 16, 1853, driving the need for synchronized railway time across the expanding rail network.
Designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott and modeled after London's Big Ben, the 85-meter Rajabai Clock Tower was completed at the University of Mumbai, becoming the city's tallest landmark and public timepiece.
Construction finished on Victoria Terminus (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus), featuring a prominent 10-foot public clock face on its facade, marking the headquarters of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway.
The city was officially renamed from Bombay back to Mumbai by the Maharashtra government, honoring the patron deity Mumbadevi and reflecting regional heritage.