Bombay Castle

The story of Bombay Castle begins in the 16th century with a Portuguese physician and botanist named Garcia da Orta. When Garcia da Orta received a leasehold of a barren island, he decided to build his home there. In the years that followed, Manor House became the nucleus of the growing Bombay settlement.

Manor House became Bombay Castle when the British took over Bombay Island in 1665. Once they took control of the castle, they constructed fortifications around the mansion. When the East India Company shifted its headquarters to Bombay, the Governor resided in Bombay Castle. Even when the fort walls came down in the 18th century, the Castle retained its importance owing to its strategic positioning over the harbour.

Later, in 1934, the newly formed Royal Indian Navy needed space, so they acquired Bombay Castle. Two gates of the Manor can now be found within INS Angre in South Mumbai.

The castle has undergone considerable transformation and growth, both within and around it, and the Indian Navy has made efforts to conserve its rich heritage.

Bombay Castle has been awarded the status of a Grade I heritage structure via the Heritage Regulations for Greater Bombay, 1995.