Bombaim

Although it is not well-known, the colonial history of Bombay began with the Portuguese. The first Portuguese ship sailed into the Bombay harbour in 1508, and by 1534, the Portuguese seized Bombay from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat.

At the time, the city was nothing more than a collection of marshy islands with a few fishing communities. India was not a priority for Portugal, and the islands of Bombay comprised only 1% of Portuguese territory in India. They had no reason to develop the islands. Instead, the Portuguese chose to lease the land to noblemen for agricultural purposes and developed a port further north, in Bassein (now known as Vasai), which harboured big ships and major trade.

The Portuguese encouraged intermarriage with the local population and supported the Catholic Church. This led to the formation of a Luso-Indian culture of Konkani-speaking Catholics who treaded the line between an Indian and European identity.