The EIC's Forgotten Architect: How Bombay Became a City

Before Bombay was a megacity, it was a swampy Portuguese outpost. When the East India Company acquired it in 1661 as part of Catherine of Braganza's dowry, they almost gave it up. This episode tells the story of Gerald Aungier, the Company governor who transformed seven malarial islands into a fortified commercial hub. We explore how Aungier lured Parsi shipbuilders, Hindu merchants, and Jewish traders with religious tolerance and tax breaks, creating a cosmopolitan port that would eventually eclipse Surat. We also look at the 1689 siege by the Siddi of Janjira, which nearly wiped out the settlement, and the ingenious defenses Aungier built, including the Bombay Castle. The episode touches on the Kasturi Dargah, a Muslim shrine that became a symbol of Aungier's inclusive policy, and the legacy of the 'Bombay spirit' that persists today. A story of urban planning, diplomacy, and the birth of a city from mud and ambition. #GeraldAungier #BombayCastle #SiddiOfJanjira #CatherineOfBraganza #ParsiShipbuilders #Bombay #EastIndiaCompany #MumbaiHistory #PortugueseBombay #KasturiDargah #ReligiousTolerance #17thCentury #ColonialIndia #UrbanHistory #FexingoHistory #History #Empire #MarathaEmpire Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo