Gateway of India Mumbai

Location: West coast of Maharashtra, Deccan region of India
Area: 603 sq km
Attractions: Gateway of India, Bombay High Court, Marine Drive, Film City, Chowpatty Beach, etc.
Languages Spoken: English, Marathi and Hindi
Major Religions: Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Christians and Zoroastrians

Mumbai, earlier known as Bombay, is the capital of Maharashtra and the largest city of India. Mumbai initially was the accumulation of seven islands on the Konkan coastline, which with the passage of time joined to form island city of Bombay. It further joined Salsette islands in the neighbourhood to form Greater Bombay. Bombay got its name from Bom Bahia, meaning "Beautiful Bay", given by a Portuguese. This was later popularised as Bombay state by the British. Current name of Bombay is Mumbai. More so, many say that Mumbai happens to be its original name, which is derived from "Mumba", a local Hindu Goddess "Mumbadevi", and "Aai", means "mother" in Marathi. However, its name was on the records changed from Bombay to Mumbai in 1995.

Mumbai undeniably is the business capital of India and one of the major port cities in the country. Mumbai has a diverse nature and multi-cultural lifestyle. On one hand, this city is the hometown of Bollywood, and on the other, this city has India's largest slum population. With the huge inflow of migrants, this city welcomes all with open arms. The city developed its identity from these communities that are settled in here. The culture here is a fine amalgamation of festivities, religions, music, food, music and theatres. Mumbai is said to have most active nightlife in comparison to other cities.

This city celebrates the festivals of every religion with grandeur and fervour. The popular festivals celebrated in Mumbai are Diwali, Holi, Eid, Christmas, Navratri, Good Friday, Dussehra, Moharram, Ganesh Chaturthi, Durga Puja and Maha Shivratri. Fairs and fests add on to the glitter of the city; Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is an exhibition that displays works of various renowned artists in the fields of music, dance, theatre, and films. Also, Bandra fair is an annual fair that begins on the next Sunday after September 8 each year. This festival commemorates the nativity of Mother Mary on September 8. This city has a lot to offer in terms of attractions, for those who want to explore this vividly colourful place.

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