Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
capital of the Bombay presidency after Independence, but in 1960 Maharashtra and Gujar-
at were divided along linguistic lines - and Bombay became the capital of Maharashtra.
The rise of the pro-Marathi, pro-Hindu regionalist movement, spearheaded by the Shiv
Sena (literally 'Shivaji's Army'), shattered the city's multicultural mould by actively dis-
criminating against Muslims and non-Maharashtrians. Following Shiv Sena's rise to
power in the city's municipal elections in 1985, communalist tensions increased, and the
city's cosmopolitan self-image took a battering when 900 people, mostly Muslims, died in
riots following the destruction of Ayodhya's Babri Masjid in December 1992 and January
1993. The riots were followed by a dozen retaliatory bombings in March 1993, which
killed hundreds of people and damaged the Bombay Stock Exchange and Air India Build-
ing.
Shiv Sena's influence saw the names of many streets and public buildings - as well as
the city itself - changed from their colonial names. In 1996 the city's name was officially
changed to Mumbai, the Marathi name derived from the Hindu goddess Mumba, who was
worshipped by the early Koli residents. The airport, Victoria Terminus and Prince of
Wales Museum were all renamed after Chhatrapati Shivaji, the great Maratha leader.
Religious tensions continued to deepen and became intertwined with and supplanted by
India's larger national religious tension and its struggles with Pakistan. Bombings in 2006
and 2011, and the 2008 attacks across the city, which lasted three days and killed 173
people, shifted the discussion to terrorism with origins outside Mumbai.
But in late 2012, when the Sena's charismatic founder Bal Thackeray died, the entire
city shut down - due as much to fear of riots as to grief - and an estimated 500,000 people
attended his funeral. Many predict the decline of the Shiv Sena mission - and a brighter
future for harmony among Mumbaikars.
Sights
Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra, is an island connected by bridges to the mainland.
The city's commercial and cultural centre is at the southern, claw-shaped end of the island
known as South Mumbai. The southernmost peninsula is Colaba, traditionally the travel-
lers' nerve centre, with many of the major attractions, and directly north of Colaba is the
busy commercial area known as Fort, where the British fort once stood. It's bordered on
the west by a series of interconnected, fenced grassy areas known as maidans (pronounced
may-
dahns
).
