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Presidency of Bombay 1662–1937 Province of Bombay 1937–1950 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 1662–1950 | |||||||||||||||||||
 The Bombay Presidency within India in 1912 The Bombay Province in India in 1942 after formation of the Sind Province, States of Western India and Deccan States Agency | |||||||||||||||||||
  Northern and southern sections of the Bombay Presidency in 1909 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Capital | Bombay | ||||||||||||||||||
| Governor | |||||||||||||||||||
• 1662–1664 (first) | Abraham Shipman | ||||||||||||||||||
• 1943–1947 (last) | Sir John Colville | ||||||||||||||||||
| Premier | |||||||||||||||||||
• 1937–1939 (first) | B. G. Kher | ||||||||||||||||||
• 1939–1946 | Governor's rule | ||||||||||||||||||
• 1946–1950 (last) | B. G. Kher | ||||||||||||||||||
| Historical era | New Imperialism | ||||||||||||||||||
• Ceded by the Portuguese | 1662 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1773 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1858 | |||||||||||||||||||
• Scindia cededPanchmahal to British | 1861 | ||||||||||||||||||
• North Canara transferred from Madras | 1862 | ||||||||||||||||||
• Separation of Aden | 1932 | ||||||||||||||||||
• Separation of Sind | 1936 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1947 | |||||||||||||||||||
• Bombay Province becomesBombay State | 1950 | ||||||||||||||||||
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 This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bombay Presidency".Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. | |||||||||||||||||||
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 Map of colonialIndia, distributed by theBritish Information Services (1942) | ||||||||||||||
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TheBombay Presidency, officially called thePresidency of Bombay until 1937, later theBombay Province, also calledBombay and Sind (1843–1936), was anadministrative subdivision (province) ofBritish India, with its capital in the city that came up over theseven islands of Bombay. The firstmainland territory was acquired in theKonkan region with theTreaty of Bassein.Poona was thesummer capital.[1]
The Bombay Province has its beginnings in the city of Bombay that was leased infee tail to theEast India Company, via theRoyal Charter of 27 March 1668 by KingCharles II of England, who had in turn acquired Bombay on 11 May 1661, through thedowry by way of his marriage treaty with princessCatherine De Braganza, daughter ofJohn IV of Portugal. The English East India Company transferred its Western India headquarters from Surat in theGulf of Cambay after it wassacked, to the relatively safeBombay Harbour in 1687. The province was brought underdirect rule along with other parts of British India throughPitt's India Act, after thenationalisation of the East India Company. Major territorial acquisitions were made by the company afterAnglo-Maratha Wars when the whole of thePeshwa's dominions and much of theGaekwad's sphere of influence were annexed to the Bombay Presidency in stages up until 1818.Aden includingSocotra were placed under Bombay in 1839,Sind was annexed by the company in 1843 after defeating theTalpur dynasty in theBattle of Hyderabad.
At its greatest extent, the Bombay Province comprised the present-day state ofGujarat, the western two-thirds ofMaharashtra state, including the divisions ofKonkan,Desh &Kandesh, and also the northwestern region ofKarnataka; it also includedPakistan'sSindh Province (1847–1935) andAden of present-dayYemen (1839–1932).[2] The districts and provinces of the presidency were directly under British rule, while the internal administration of the native orprincely states was in the hands of local rulers. The presidency, however, managed the defence of princely states and British relations with them throughpolitical agencies. The Bombay Presidency along with theBengal Presidency andMadras Presidency were the three major centres of British power inSouth Asia.[3]
The firstEnglish settlement in the Presidency known asWestern Presidency was begun in 1618 atSurat in present-dayGujarat, when theEast India Company established afactory, protected by a charter obtained from theMughal EmperorJahangir. In 1626 the Dutch and the English made an unsuccessful attempt to gain possession of the island ofBombay in the coastalKonkan region fromPortugal, and in 1653 proposals were suggested for its purchase from the Portuguese. In 1661 Bombay was ceded to theKingdom of England as part of the dowry of theinfantaCatherine of Braganza on her marriage toKing Charles II. So lightly was the acquisition esteemed in England, and so unsuccessful was the administration of the crown officers, that in 1668 Bombay was transferred to the East India Company for an annual payment of £10, and the company established a factory there. At the time of the transfer, powers for the island's defence and for the administration of justice were also conferred on the company; a European regiment1 was enrolled; and fortifications were erected which in 1673 proved sufficient to deter the Dutch from an intended attack. As English trade in Bombay increased, Surat (which had been sacked byShivaji in 1670) began its relative decline. In 1687, Bombay was made the headquarters of all theEast India Company's possessions in India. However, in 1753 the governor of Bombay became subordinate to that ofCalcutta.
During the 18th century, theMaratha Empire expanded rapidly, claimingKonkan and much of easternGujarat from the disintegratingMughal Empire. In westernGujarat, includingKathiawar andKutch, the loosening of Mughal control allowed numerous local rulers to create virtually independent states. The first conflict between the British and theMarathas was theFirst Anglo-Maratha War which began in 1774 and resulted in the 1782Treaty of Salbai, by which the island ofSalsette, adjacent to Bombay island, was ceded to the British, whileBharuch was ceded to theMaratha rulerScindia. The British annexed Surat in 1800. British territory was enlarged in theSecond Anglo-Maratha War which ended in 1803. The East India Company received the districts ofBharuch,Kaira, etc., and theMarathaGaekwad rulers ofBaroda acknowledged British sovereignty.
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In 1803, the Bombay Presidency included onlySalsette, the islands of the harbour (since 1774),Surat andBankot (since 1756); but between this date and 1827 the framework of the presidency took shape. The Gujarat districts were taken over by the Bombay government in 1805 and enlarged in 1818.Baji Rao II, the last of thepeshwas, who had attempted to shake off the British yoke, was defeated in theBattle of Khadki, captured subsequently and pensioned (1817/1818), and large portions of his dominions (Pune,Ahmednagar,Nasik,Solapur,Belgaum, Kaladgi,Dharwad, etc.) were included in the Presidency, the settlement of which was completed byMountstuart Elphinstone, governor from 1819 to 1827. His policy was to rule as far as possible on native lines, avoiding all changes for which the population was not yet ripe; but the grosser abuses of the old regime were stopped, the country was pacified, the laws were codified, and courts and schools were established.
The period that followed is notable mainly for the enlargement of the Presidency through the lapse of certain native states, by the addition ofAden (1839) andSindh (1843), and the lease of thePanch Mahals fromScindia (1853). In 1862, North Canara was transferred from Madras Presidency to Bombay while South Canara remained with Madras.
In 1859, under the terms of the Queen's Proclamation issued byQueen Victoria, the Bombay Presidency, along with the rest of British India, came under the direct rule of the British Crown.[4]
Henry Bartle Frere (1862–1867) was the first Governor appointed by the Crown. TheGovernor's Council was reformed and expanded under theIndian Councils Act 1861, theIndian Councils Act 1892, theIndian Councils Act 1909, theGovernment of India Act 1919 and theGovernment of India Act 1935.
The establishment of an orderly administration, one outcome of which was a general fall of prices that made the unwonted regularity of the collection of taxes doubly unwelcome, naturally excited a certain amount of misgiving and resentment; but on the whole the population was prosperous and contented, and under Lord Elphinstone (1853–1860) the presidency passed through the crisis of theRevolt of 1857 without any general rising. Outbreaks among the troops atKarachi,Ahmedabad andKolhapur were quickly put down, two regiments being disbanded, and the rebellions inGujarat, among theBhils, and in the southernMaratha country were local and isolated. Under SirBartle Frere agricultural prosperity reached its highest point, as a result of theAmerican Civil War and the consequent enormous demand for Indian cotton in Europe. The money thus poured into the country produced an epidemic of speculation known as the Share Mania (1864–1865), which ended in a commercial crisis and the failure of theBank of Bombay (1866). But the peasantry gained on the whole more than they lost, and the trade of Bombay was not permanently injured. Sir Bartle Frere encouraged the completion of the great trunk lines ofrailways, and with the funds obtained by the demolition of the town walls (1862) he began the magnificent series of public buildings that now adorn Bombay (Mumbai).
During this period, parts of Bombay presidency were devastated by two great famines:Great Famine of 1876–78 and theIndian famine of 1896–97.[5]
British India'sMontagu–Chelmsford Reforms of 1919, enacted in 1921, expanded the Legislative Council to include more elected Indian members, and introduced the principle ofdyarchy, whereby certain responsibilities, including agriculture, health, education, and local government, were transferred to elected ministers. However, the important portfolios like finance, police and irrigation were reserved with members of the Governor's Executive Council. Some of the prominent Indian members of the Executive Council wereChimanlal Harilal Setalvad,R. P. Paranjpye,Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah,Ali Muhammad Khan Dehlavi,Rafiuddin Ahmed,Siddappa Totappa Kambli,Shah Nawaz Bhutto andSir Cowasji Jehangir.[6]
In 1932,Aden was separated from Bombay and made a separate province, and Sindh became a separate province on 1 April 1936.
TheGovernment of India Act 1935 made the Bombay Presidency into a regular province, and made Sind a separate province, with relations with the princely state ofKhairpur managed by Sindh. It enlarged the elected provincial legislature and expanded provincial autonomyvis a vis the central government. In the1937 elections, theIndian National Congress won the elections in Bombay but declined to form the government. The GovernorSir George Lloyd invited SirDhanjishah Cooper,[7] to form an interim ministry which was joined byJamnadas Mehta of the Lokashahi Swarajya Paksha (Democratic Swarajya Party), SirSiddappa T. Kambli of the Non-Brahmin Party andHoosenally Rahimtoola of the Muslim League.[8][9][10][11]
| Minister | Portfolio |
|---|---|
| Dhanjishah Cooper | Chief Minister, Home & General |
| Jamnadas Mehta | Revenue & Finance |
| SirSiddappa Kambli | Education, Excise & Agriculture |
| Hoosenaly Rahimtoola | Local Self-government |
The Cooper ministry did not last long and a Congress ministry underB. G. Kher was sworn in.
Council of Ministers in Kher's Cabinet:[12][13]
| Minister | Portfolio |
|---|---|
| B. G. Kher | Premier, Political & Services, Education and Labour |
| K. M. Munshi | Home & Legal |
| Anna Babaji Latthe | Finance |
| Morarji Desai | Revenue, Agriculture, Forests and Cooperatives |
| Manchersha Dhanjibhoy Gilder | Public Health and Excise[14] |
| Mahmad Yasin Nurie | Public Works[15] |
| Laxman Madhav Patil | Industries and Local Self-Government |
In 1939, all of the Congress ministries in the British Indian provinces resigned and Bombay was placed under theGovernor's rule.
After the end ofWorld War II, the Indian National Congress re-entered politics and won the1946 election under the leadership of Kher who was again elected as Chief Minister. The Bombay Presidency becameBombay State whenIndia was granted independence on 15 August 1947 and Kher continued as the Chief Minister of the state, serving until 1952.
In 1947, Bombay Province became part of theDominion of India. When provinces were replaced with states when theConstitution of India came into force on 26 January 1950, the day India became the firstrepublic in the Commonwealth of Nations, Bombay Province becameBombay State, a Part-A state.
The Bombay Presidency was bounded on the north byBaluchistan, thePunjab andRajputana; on the east byIndore, theCentral Provinces andHyderabad; on the south byMadras Presidency and theKingdom of Mysore; and on the west by theArabian Sea. Within these limits were the Portuguese settlements ofGoa,Daman and Diu, and the native state ofBaroda which has direct relations with the government of India; while politically Bombay included the territory of Aden, in present-dayYemen. The total area, including Sind but excluding Aden, was 188,745 sq mi (488,850 km2), of which 122,984 sq mi (318,530 km2) were under British and 65,761 under native rule. The total population was 25,468,209 in 1901, of which 18,515,587 were resident inBritish territory and 6,908,648 in native states.
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The Bombay Presidency had a large and diverse population. The census of 1901 gave a total of 25,468,209. By religion the population was 19,916,438Hindu, 4,567,295 Muslim, 535,950Jain, 78,552Parsi andIrani Zoroastrians, and approximately 200,000 Christians. A significant number ofBene Israeli andParadesi Jews were also present, most of them emigrated in 1948 after thePartition of Palestine and the establishment of theJewish homeland (British mandate of Palestine) in Israel.
InSindh, Islam had been the predominant religion after theCaliphate ofSunni Arab origins conquered it the 8th century. In Gujarat the predominant religion remained Hinduism, although theSultanate of Guzerat has left its influence and imprints in northern parts of the province. The Deccan region is the home ofMarathis, who constituted 30% of the population. TheKonkan region was home to variousKonkani Christian minorities and communities since the 16th century, due to the colonial era of thePortuguese in Goa and Bombay-Bassein. While in theBelgaum area of theCarnatic region,Lingayatis dating to the 12th century, was accepted by nearly 45% of the population. TheMarathas were the predominantcaste numbering 3,650,000 (1901), 1,900,000Kunbis and other 350,000Konkanis, and another 1,400,000 Marathas not specified.
The chief languages of the province wereSindhi in Sindh,Gujarati in northern division,Marathi inKonkan and the central division, Gujarati and Marathi inBaroda, Western India and Gujarat States Agency, and Marathi andCanarese in the southern division. There were alsoBhil (120,000) andGipsy (30,000) dialects.
The Presidency was divided into five Commisserates and thirty-two districts withBombay city as the capital. The five divisions were northwestern orSind Division, the northern orGujarat Division, the western orKonkan Division, the central orDeccan Division and the southern orCarnatic Division. In 1936Sind Division become a separated province .[16]
After separation of Sind Province, Bombay presidency have twenty-four districts under four divisions were the western orKonkan, the northern orGujarat, the central orDeccan and the southern orCarnatic.
| Division | Divisional Headquarters | Districts | Princely states |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gujarat Division | Ahmedabad | Ahmedabad,Bharuch,The Dangs,Kaira,Panch Mahals,Surat | Princely states of theBaroda and Gujarat States Agency and theWestern India States Agency |
| Konkan Division | Bombay | Bombay City,Bombay Suburban,Colaba,Ratnagiri,Thana | Deccan States Agency |
| Deccan Division | Poona | Ahmednagar,East Khandesh,Nasik,Poona,Satara,Sholapur,West Khandesh | Deccan States Agency |
| Carnatic Division | Dharwad | Belgaum,Bijapur,Dharwad,North Kanara |
The government of Bombay was administered by aGovernor-in-Council, consisting of theGovernor as president and two ordinary members. The Governor was appointed by theBritish Crown on the advice of theSecretary of State for India. The members of his council were appointed from theIndian Civil Service. For making laws there was a legislative council, consisting of the Governor and his executive council, with certain other persons, not fewer than eight or more than twenty, at least half of them being non-officials. Each of the members of the executive council had in his charge one or two departments of the government; and each department had a secretary, anunder-secretary, and anassistant secretary, with a numerous staff of clerks. The administration of justice throughout the Presidency was conducted by a High Court at Bombay, consisting of a chief justice and seven puisne judges, along with district and assistant judges throughout the districts of the Presidency.
Each of the four divisions were administered by a senior Indian Civil Service (ICS) officer of the rank of Commissioner while the districts were each administered by a District Collector (officially styled, Deputy Commissioner). The districts were further divided into sub-divisions each under the charge of a Deputy Collector or Assistant Collector, each sub-division comprising a fewtaluks ortehsils each administered by atahsildar.
TheEast India Company had raised armies in each of the Presidencies, Bombay,Bengal andMadras. TheBombay Army consisted of a number of infantry regiments, sapper and miner units and irregular cavalry. A number of these continue to exist today in theIndian Army; examples being theMahar Regiment,Maratha Light Infantry and theGrenadiers, amongst others, in the case of infantry, theBombay Sappers as engineers and thePoona Horse amongst the cavalry.
UnderLord Kitchener's re-arrangement of theIndian army in 1904 the old Bombay command was abolished and its place was taken by the Western army corps under alieutenant-general. The army corps was divided into three divisions under major-generals. The 4th (Quetta) Division, with headquarters atQuetta, comprised the troops in the Quetta and Sind districts. The 5th division, with headquarters atMhow, consisted of three brigades, located atNasirabad,Jabalpur andJhansi, and included the previous Mhow, Deesa,Nagpur,Narmada andBundelkhand districts, with the Bombay district north of theTapti. The 6th division, with headquarters at Pune, consisted of three brigades, located at Bombay, Ahmednagar and Aden. It comprised the previous Poona district, Bombay district south of the Tapti,Belgaum district north of theTungabhadra, andDharwar and Aurangabad districts.
The overwhelming majority of the population of the Bombay Presidency was rural and engaged in agriculture. The staple crops wereSorghum (jowar), andPearl millet (bajra) in the Deccan and Khandesh. Rice was the chief product of the Konkan. Wheat, generally grown in the northern part of the Presidency, but specially in Sind and Gujarat, was exported to Europe in large quantities from Karachi, and on a smaller scale from Bombay.Barley was principally grown in the northern parts of the presidency.Finger millet (Nachani) andkodra furnished food to theKolis, Bhils, Waralis, and other hill tribes. Of thepulses the most important are thechickpea or Bengal gram (Cicer arietinum),pigeon pea or tur (Cajanus cajan),catjang or kulti (Vigna unguiculata cylindrica), andurad bean (Vigna mungo). Principal oilseeds weresesame or til (Sesamum indicum),mustard,castor bean,safflower andlinseed. Of fibres the most important were cotton, Deccanhemp (Hibiscus cannabinus), and sunn or tag (Crotalaria juncea). Much was done to improve the cotton of the presidency. American varieties were introduced with much advantage in the Dharwad collectorate and other parts of the southern Maratha country. In Khandesh the indigenous plant from which one of the lowest classes of cotton in the Bombay market takes its name has been almost entirely superseded by the superior Hinganghat variety. Miscellaneous crops:sugarcane, requiring a rich soil and a perennial water-supply, and only grown in favoured localities,chile peppers, potatoes,turmeric and tobacco.
The chief industries of Bombay Presidency involved the milling of cotton. In the late 19th century steam mills sprang up in Bombay,Ahmedabad andKhandesh. In 1905 there were 432 factories in the presidency, of which by far the greater number were engaged in the preparation and manufacture of cotton. The industry is centred in Bombay, which contains nearly two-thirds of the mills. During the decade 1891–1901 the mill industry passed through a period of depression due to widespread plague and famine, but on the whole there was a marked expansion of the trade as well as a great improvement in the class of goods produced. In addition to the mills there were (1901) 178,000 hand-loom weavers in the province, who still have a position of their own in the manipulation of designs woven into the cloth. Silk goods were manufactured inAhmedabad,Surat,Yeola,Nasik,Thana andBombay, the material decorated with printed or woven designs; competition from European goods caused the silk industry to decline in the early 20th century. The custom of investing savings in gold and silver ornaments gave employment to many goldsmiths: the metal was usually supplied by the customer, and the goldsmith charged for his labour.Ahmedabad andSurat are famous for their carved woodwork. Many of the houses inAhmedabad are covered with elaborate wood-carving, and excellent examples exist inBroach,Baroda,Surat,Nasik andYeola. Salt was made in large quantities in the government works at Kharaghoda and Udu inAhmedabad, and was exported by rail toGujarat andcentral India. There was one brewery at Dapuri nearPune.
The Province was well supplied with railways, all of which, with one exception, concentrated atBombay City. The exception is the North-Western line, which enters Sind from thePunjab and terminated at Karachi. The other chief lines are the Great Indian Peninsula, Indian Midland, Bombay, Baroda & Central India, and theRajputana,Malwa & Southern Mahratta systems. In 1905 the total length of railway under the Bombay government open for traffic was 7,980 miles (12,840 km), which did not include the railway system inSindh.
TheUniversity of Bombay was established in 1857,[17] and had an administration consisting of a chancellor, vice-chancellor and fellows.[18] The governor of Bombay was ex-officio chancellor.[19] The education department was under a director of public instruction, who was responsible for the administration of the department in accordance with the general educational policy of the state. The native states generally adopted the government system. Baroda and the Kathiawar states employed their own inspectors. In 1905 the total number of educational institutions was 10,194 with 593,431 pupils. There were ten art colleges, of which two were managed by government, three by native states, and five were under private management. It was in the year 1913 that the first college of commerce in Asia,Sydenham College, was established.[20] Sind Medical School, medical school inHyderabad, Sind was established in 1881 and was affiliated with the University of Bombay. According to the census of 1901, out of a population of 25.5 million nearly 24 million were illiterate.
The film production era is said to have commenced in Bombay from 1913 when the first film,Raja Harishchandra byDadasaheb Phalke made in 1912, was first shown publicly on 3 May 1913 at Mumbai'sCoronation Cinema,[21] effectively marking the beginning of the Indian film industry. Around one year before, Ramchandra Gopal (known asDadasaheb Torne) had filmed a stage drama calledPundalik and shown it in the same theatre. However, the credit for making the first Indian feature film is attributed to Dadasaheb Phalke.[22]
Other producers at Bombay during the presidency era wereSohrab Modi,Himanshu Rai,V. Shantaram,Shashadhar Mukherjee, andArdeshir Irani.[23] Ever since production of films took place, there started the trend of film making that established and further progressed, resulting in formation of thefilm industry and new film production companies as well asstudios.
Outside the Presidency, numerous small statesprincely states such as those ofKathiawar andMahikantha came under Britishsuzerainty in a system ofsubsidiary alliances between 1807 and 1820.
The native states eventually comprised some 353 separate units, administered internally by their own princes, with the British responsible for their external affairs. Relations between British India and the states were managed by British agents placed at the principal native capitals; their exact status varied in the different states according to the relations in which the principalities stood with the paramount power.
The principal groups of states wereNorth Gujarat, comprisingKutch,Kathiawar Agency,Palanpur Agency,Mahi Kantha Agency,AmbliaraRewa Kantha Agency andCambay; South Gujarat, comprisingDharampur,Bansda andSachin; North Konkan, Nasik and Khandesh, of theKhandesh Agency,Surgana andJawhar; South Konkan and Dharwar, comprisingJanjira,Sawantwadi andSavanur, as well as the territories under theDeccan States Agency, including the Deccan Satara Jagirs,Ichalkaranji,SangliAkkalkot,Bhor,Aundh,Phaltan,Jath and Daphalapur, the southern Maratha states, comprisingKolhapur, among other states, andKhairpur in Sindh. The native states under the "supervision" of the government of Bombay were divided, historically and geographically, into two main groups. The northern or Gujarat group includes the territories of theGaekwad ofBaroda, with the smaller states which form the administrative divisions ofKutch,Palanpur, Rewa Kantha, and Mahi Kantha. These territories, with the exception of Kutch, have a historical connection, as being the allies or tributaries of the Gaekwad until 1805, when final engagements were included between that prince and theBritish government. The southern or Maratha group includes Kolhapur, Akalkot, Sawantwari, and the Satara and southern Mahratta Jagirs, and has a historical bond of union in the friendship they showed to the British in their final struggle with the power of the peshwa until 1818. The remaining territories may conveniently be divided into a small cluster of independentzamindaris, situated in the wild and hilly tracts at the northern extremity of theSahyadri range, and certain. principalities which, from their history or geographical position, are to some extent isolated from the rest of the presidency.
Baroda State (Vadodara), one of theresidencies of British India, was combined in the 1930s with the residencies of theprincely states (agencies) of the northern Bombay Presidency to form theBaroda and Gujarat States Agency and subsequently expanded inBaroda, Western India and Gujarat States Agency in 1944.
1.^ A regiment made up of European soldiers.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bombay Presidency".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 185–190.
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