232 BC

Ashoka, the famous king of the Maurya Empire, controls almost the entire Indian subcontinent and promotes Buddhism throughout the country.  

200 BC

The seven islands that make up the urban area of ​​today's Mumbai are inhabited by the Koli people. A Buddhist monastery is being built on Puri (Elefanta Island), the present island was by then connected to the mainland.  

180 BC

The Maurya Empire falls apart and the Shatavahana take over power in Maharashtra.

300

The kingdoms of Kalachuri, Traikutaka and Vakata fight for supremacy in Maharashtra. The victorious Kalachuri are followers of Hinduism.  

753

The Rashtrakuta dynasty splits off from the Chalukya dynasty and rules the west coast of India. The first rock sculptures are made on Elefanta Island.    

972

The Paramara conquer the capital of the Rashtrakuta dynasty Manyakhet and kill the king. Power is taken over by a Rashtrakuta prince who reintroduces the Chalukya dynasty. 

1343

After the islands of Mumbai had long been controlled by various Hindu kingdoms, they fell to Muslim rulers from Delhi, who were unable to maintain control over the conquered areas in the long term.   

1508

The Portuguese Francisco de Almeida discovers the islands of Mumbai as the first European.

1509

The Portuguese defeat a fleet of Egyptian, Arab and Indian ships in the naval battle of Diu.

1534

The Bay of Mumbai is annexed by Portugal and called Bom Bahia (Good Bay).   

1612

The British defeat the Portuguese in the naval battle of Suvali (north of Mumbai).

1626

The Portugese city of Bom Bahia is conquered and devastated by the British.

1662

Bom Bahia falls as a dowry to Great Britain following the engagement of King Charles II and the Portuguese Princess Catherina Braganza . The city with around 10,000 people is called Bombay by the new owners.    

1665

Humphery Cook lands in Bombay with the first British soldiers. The city becomes a British military base.

1720

The British build a fortress.

1850

The British allow the influx of Indians and Bombay quickly grows to over 250,000 inhabitants.   

1853

The first railway line connects Bombay with Thana. 

1885

The Indian National Congress is founded in Bombay. 

1888

Victoria Terminus Station (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) opens.    

1896

The city's population rises to 800,000. 

1905

The Prince of Wales Museum opens.   

1915

Mahatma Gandhi comes from South Africa to India and begins his non-violent resistance against the British colonial power.   

1919

In the northern Indian city of Amritsar a peaceful protesters crowd is shot down by the British Army. Around 400 civilians die and over 1,200 are wounded in the "Amritsar massacre". The British General Dyer received a medal for his deed, but not every Briton was proud of the terrible massacre. 

1924

The Gateway of India was built.   

1941

Bombay has 1.5 million residents. 

1942

Gandhi calls for the "Quit India" movement, which called for immediate independence from Great Britain.

1947

India gains independence from Great Britain. However, it is separated into a Muslim and a Hindu part.   

1948

The British withdraw from India and the last soldiers left India through the Gateway of India in Bombay. 

1960

The state of Bombay is divided into Maharashtra and Gujarat. Bombay becomes the capital of Maharashtra.      

1965

The population of Bombay increases to 3.5 million 

1993

Over 300 people die in a series of bomb attacks. 

1995

Bombay is renamed Mumbai after the patron goddess of the city "Mumbadevi". 

2000

The population of the city rises to 17 million. 

2006

More than 200 people die in bomb attacks on trains. 

2008

On November 27th, the city is stormed by Muslim terrorists. 174 people are brutally murdered. The attackers from Pakistan came by boat and targeted Western foreigners. The 10 terrorists shot machine guns at passers-by and specifically murdered hotel guests in the Taj Mahal Palace. The majority of the victims were Indians, 17 police officers were also killed. The attackers were shot dead, one terrorist survived and was executed in 2012.

2021

More than 20 million people live in the greater Mumbai area, the city itself has around 15 million inhabitants.