6 Most Interesting Facts You Should Know About Mumbai

The city of dreams, home to famous personalities, a tourist destination, financial and commercial capital of India! These are some of the things that we all know about Mumbai. But what is it about Mumbai that makes everyone who lives there fall in love with that place? Let’s dig deep into this by exploring some of the most interesting facts about Mumbai!

# First airport of India was established in Mumbai!

The first civil aviation airport of India, the Juhu Aerodrome, was established in 1928 in Mumbai. It was used as the city’s primary airport well through the Second World War. Although the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport serves as the primary airport of Mumbai now, the Juhu Aerodrome is still up and running. It not only hosts the prestigious Bombay Flying Club but also handles all the helicopter operations out of Mumbai.

# The first passenger train of India started its operation in Mumbai!

It was from Mumbai that the first passenger train of India started its operation. The train was operated by three locomotives and covered a distance of 34 kilometers from Bombay to Thane. This historic event took place on 16th April 1853, almost 17 decades ago.

# 7 million passengers a day!

Talking about trains, the local train system of the city carries almost 7 million passengers to their destinations every single day. The term ‘super-dense crush load’ refers to the phenomenon of almost 500 people ramming into a train buggy meant for less than 200 people.

# From Bombay to Mumbai…

Formerly known as Bombay, the city was renamed Mumbai in 1995. The name was derived from the name of a local Koli goddess, Mumbadevi. The ‘ai’ in Mumbai is derived from the Marathi word ‘ai’ meaning mother.

# Mumbai was given to the Britishers as dowry!

The name Bombay, however, was derived from a name given to the city by the Portuguese colonists. Bombay comes from the Portuguese term ‘bom bhaia’ which means ‘good bay’. When Bom Bhaia was given to the Britishers as a dowry (yes you heard that right), they renamed it, Bombay.

# Formerly an archipelago of 7 islands…

Mumbai was once an archipelago of 7 islands and was not connected to the mainland as it is today. The names of the islands are as follows: the Isle of Bombay, Old Woman’s Island (Little Colaba), Colaba, Mahim, Mazagaon, Parel, and Worli.