Mumbai - did you know this ?

I was helping someone who was organising a quiz on Mumbai and I came across a lot of Trivia that was new to me .. Hope you find it interesting too

Here goes

This historical monument was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay. – Gateway of India

This museum, which was also designed by George Witter, was formerly known as Prince of Wales Museum – Chatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sangralay


These caves dating back to 600 A.D. are located on Gharapuri Island in Mumbai’s harbour. – Elephanta Caves

This two-storied building is the former residence of Mahatma Gandhi. – Mani Bhawan

These gardens occupy 48 acres in the heart of the city and also house a zoo. – Jijamata Udyan

This heritage building was formerly the town hall. _ Asiatic Library

This station was christened to commemorate Victoria Jubilee Day in 1887 and was formerly known as Victoria Terminus. – Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus

This beautiful and imposing mosque is located in the middle of the sea. – Haji Ali

Name the place in Central Mumbai where you can watch rows of traditional laundry men at work. – Dhobi Ghat

This simple distribution chain has become famous for their efficiency with Forbes business magazine giving it a Six Sigma rating. – Dabbawallas

Which year did motorized Taxis appear in Mumbai – 1911


Mumbai's suburban rail systems carry a total of 2.2 billion passengers every year. Incidentally, the world's population is 6 billion.

Bombay University was founded in 1857 at the Town Hall, and was shifted to the new complex near Oval Maidan in 1874.

The city's first church - the St Thomas Cathedral - was built at Horniman Circle in 1718.

The first post office in Bombay was opened in 1832 at the residence of the junior magistrate of police at Byculla.

The Stearns & Kittredge company was given permission in 1874 to start Bombay's first tram service with a fleet of 900 horses.

The East India Company appointed Sir George Oxenden the first governor of Bombay in 1668.

Until 1864, the city's highest ranking police officer was called Police Chief. Post 1864, the title was changed to Police Commissioner.

Mumbai's first Indian police commissioner was J S Bharucha who took over from A E Caffin on August 15, 1947.

Mumbai's first policemen employed by the British were called the Bhandari Militia. They were set up in 1669.

Gateway of India was designed by George Wittet and was constructed at a cost of Rs 21 lakh.

The Flora Fountain was built in 1864 by the Agri-Horticultural Society of Western India from a donation by Cursetjee Fardoonjee Parekh.


The Hanging Gardens at Malabar Hill was built over three reservoirs which can store up to 300 lakh gallons of water.

Bombay's population in 1891 was 8.21 lakh. By 1901, it had reduced to 7.76 lakh due to a massive plague epidemic.


The first English newspaper in Bombay was printed by Rustomji Keshaspathi in 1777.

Bombay's first regional language newspaper was Mumbai Samachar, published in Gujarati in 1822 by Fardoonjee Marzban.

The first trams in Bombay started in 1874, between Parel and Colaba, and were drawn by teams of six to eight horses.

The first inter-city railway was built between Bombay and Surat, and was completed in 1864.


The Great Indian Peninsular Railway laid the first rail tracks in India between Thane and Bombay.


It took 60 years to merge the seven islands of Bombay into one landmass between 1784 and 1845.

Bombay's highest population growth rate was between 1661 and 1675 when it rose six times from 10,000 to 60,000.

The name Bombay was derived from Bom Bahia (The Good Bay), a name given by Portuguese sailor Francis Almeida, in 1508.

When a person travel towards Mumbai,one can see milestone stating Mumbai 35 Kms, but where is Mumbai Zero Kms, it is at Flora Fountain

The railway tracks of the Churchgate Station originally extended beyond Azad Maidan in the direction of Afghan Church, which was later changed to a tar road.


Former English cricket captain Douglas Jardine of Bodyline fame was born in Malabar Hill, Mumbai, in 1900.

India’s first cricket club, Orient, was founded in Bombay in 1848.

Mumbai orginally was a cluster of seven separate islands, and the southernmost island was called Old Woman’s Island.

Nobel Laureate Rudyard Kipling who wrote Kim and The Jungle Book was born in Mumbai.


There are 14 platforms inside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, earlier called Victoria Terminus.

The wooden pole in the centre of the Banganga Tank in Mumbai signifies the centre of the earth. Legend has it that Lord Ram created the tank by piercing the earth with his arrow.

The Lumiere brothers introduced Motion Pictures to India with six soundless short films at Bombay’s Watson’s Hotel in 1896.

Lord Elphinstone performed the opening ceremony after railway tracks were laid between Bombay and Thane in 1853.

The railway line from Mumbai to Pune through Bhor Ghat was built by a woman named Alice Tredwell in 1863

The Quit India Movement was launched by Gandhiji in Mumbai in 1942 from Gowalia Tank. It is now called August Kranti Maidan.

The Taj Mahal Hotel was built in 1903 on the ‘pleasure basin’ of the Yacht Club. – it was the first commercial building to be electrified in 1907

Mumbai industrialist Jamshetji Tata was the first Indian to own a car.