OUR STORY

Bombay… the Financial Capital of India, the home to Bollywood, the City of Dreams… a city that inspires millions to come seeking their fortunes… just as it has done for centuries past for nations seeking riches.

The city’s historic rise to significance has its roots in spice trade. The spices of India had always been deeply coveted by the west – to flavour foods and be infused into beverages. Such was the allure of these spices, that they inspired nations to wage wars and send expeditions across unknown seas – all to find a new route to India, the land of riches… Pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg… spices worth their weight in gold.

And so, it was, on one such expedition, that Vasco da Gama landed on the Malabar coast of India in 1498, marking the beginning of the dominion of the Portuguese on the spice trade.

Under the impetus of the spice trade, Portugal expanded territorially and commercially. By the year 1511, the Portuguese were in control of the spice trade of the Malabar coast of India and in 1534 seven islands off the northern Malabar coast too fell into their control – the Portuguese called them “Bom Bahia” meaning the “Good Bay”.

The annexation of Portugal by Spain in 1580 opened the way for other European powers to follow the spice routes to India. Battles were fought over these islands, treaties signed, but eventually it was the marriage of Charles II of England and Catherine of Portugal in 1661 that placed the seven islands of Bom Bahia in British possession as a part of Catherine’s dowry to Charles. Charles II did not want the trouble of ruling these islands and in 1668 persuaded the East India Company to rent them for just 10 pounds worth of gold a year. In 1687 the islands were made the Head Quarters of the East India Company.
By 1862 The East India Company had reclaimed the swamps around the islands into one continuous stretch and Bom Bahia had been anglicized into Bombay.