[Photo: Gateway of India, Mumbai] The History of Mumbai recounts the growth of a collection of Mumbai from seven islands on the western coast of India becoming the commercial capital of the nation and one of the most populous cities in the world. Although human habitation existed during the Stone Age, the Kolis were the earliest settlers of the islands. The Maurya Empire gained control of the islands during the third century BCE, and transformed it into a centre for Hindu and Buddhist culture and religion. The Satavahanas, Abhiras, Vakatakas, Kalachuris, Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas ruled the islands later, before it fell to the Silhara dynasty from 810 to 1260. King Bhimdev founded his kingdom in the region in the late 13th century, and brought many settlers to the islands. The Muzaff...more >>arid dynasty of Gujarat captured the islands in 1343 ending the Hindu sovereignty over the islands. The Treaty of Bassein between the Portuguese and Sultan Bahadur Shah of the Gujarat Sultanate placed the islands into Portuguese possession in 1534. Charles II of England received possession of the islands in 1661 as the dowry of Catherine de Braganza, and he later leased them to the British East India Company in 1668. The city was named Bombay by the British. The islands suffered incursions from Mughals towards the end of the 17th century. During the mid-18th century, the city emerged as an important trading town, with maritime trade contacts with Mecca and Basra. Economic and educational development characterised the city during the 19th century with the first-ever Indian railway line beginning operations between Bombay and neighbouring Thane in 1853. The city became a strong base of the Indian independence movement during the early 20th century and was the main centre of the Rowlatt Satyagraha of 1919 and Royal Indian Navy Mutiny of 1946.