Discuss five causes of the expansion of Bombay in the nineteenth century.
In the seventeenth century, Bombay was a group of seven islands under the Portuguese control. In 1661, control of islands passed into British hands after marriage of Britain’s King Charles II to the Portuguese princess. The East India Company quickly shifted its base from Surat to Bombay. At first, Bombay was the major outlet for cotton textiles from Gujarat. In the nineteenth century, it functioned as a port for export of raw materials such as cotton and opium. Gradually, it became an important administrative center in western India. By the end of the nineteenth century, it became a major industrial center. After the Maratha defeat in the Anglo-Maratha war in 1819, it became the capital of Bombay Presidency. The establishment of textile mills too increased its importance. By 1921, there were 85 cotton mills with about 146,000 workers, most of them had migrated from the nearby district of Ratnagiri. Bombay dominated the maritime trade of India till well into the 20th century. It was also at the junction head of two major railways and therefore attracted a large number of migrants.
