The
Bombay State was a former state of
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
, dissolved with the formation of
MaharashtraMaharashtra is a state located on the western coast of India. Maharashtra is a part of Western India. It is India's third largest state by area and second largest by population....
and
GujaratGujarat is the westernmost state in India. It is home to the Gujarati speaking people of India. The state encompasses major sites of the Indus Valley Civilization such as Lothal and Dholavira. Gujarat played an important role in the economic history of India throughout the history of India...
states on May 1, 1960.
During
British ruleThe British Raj was the British colonial rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; it can also refer to the period of dominion, and even the region under the rule...
, portions of the western coast of India under direct British rule were part of the
Bombay PresidencyThe Bombay Presidency was a former province of British India. It was established in the 17th century as a trading post for the British East India Company, but later grew to encompass much of western and central India, as well as parts of post-partition Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula.At its...
. In 1937, the Bombay Presidency became a province of British India.
After Indian independence in 1947, many former princely states, including the
Gujarat statesGujarat is the westernmost state in India. It is home to the Gujarati speaking people of India. The state encompasses major sites of the Indus Valley Civilization such as Lothal and Dholavira. Gujarat played an important role in the economic history of India throughout the history of India...
and the Deccan states, were merged with the former Bombay province, which was renamed the State of Bombay.
The State of Bombay was significantly enlarged on November 1, 1956, expanding eastward to incorporate the Marathi-speaking
MarathwadaThe name Marathwada identifies one of the five regions in Maharashtra state of India. The region coincides with the Aurangabad Division....
region of
Hyderabad StateHyderābād state was the largest princely state in the erstwhile British Indian Empire. It was located in the south-central region of the Indian subcontinent, and was ruled, from 1724 until 1948, by a hereditary Nizam...
, the Marathi-speaking
VidarbhaVidarbha is the eastern region of Maharashtra state made up of Nagpur Division and Amravati Division. It occupies 31.6% of total area and holds 21.3% of total population of Maharashtra. It borders the state of Madhya Pradesh to north, Chattisgarh to east, Telangana to south and Marathwada and...
region of southern
Madhya PradeshMadhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal. Madhya Pradesh was originally the largest state in India until November 1, 2000 when the state of Chhattisgarh was carved out...
, and
GujaratiGujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family...
-speaking Saurashtra and Kutch.
Discussion
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The
Bombay State was a former state of
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
, dissolved with the formation of
MaharashtraMaharashtra is a state located on the western coast of India. Maharashtra is a part of Western India. It is India's third largest state by area and second largest by population....
and
GujaratGujarat is the westernmost state in India. It is home to the Gujarati speaking people of India. The state encompasses major sites of the Indus Valley Civilization such as Lothal and Dholavira. Gujarat played an important role in the economic history of India throughout the history of India...
states on May 1, 1960.
History
During
British ruleThe British Raj was the British colonial rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; it can also refer to the period of dominion, and even the region under the rule...
, portions of the western coast of India under direct British rule were part of the
Bombay PresidencyThe Bombay Presidency was a former province of British India. It was established in the 17th century as a trading post for the British East India Company, but later grew to encompass much of western and central India, as well as parts of post-partition Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula.At its...
. In 1937, the Bombay Presidency became a province of British India.
After Indian independence in 1947, many former princely states, including the
Gujarat statesGujarat is the westernmost state in India. It is home to the Gujarati speaking people of India. The state encompasses major sites of the Indus Valley Civilization such as Lothal and Dholavira. Gujarat played an important role in the economic history of India throughout the history of India...
and the Deccan states, were merged with the former Bombay province, which was renamed the State of Bombay.
The State of Bombay was significantly enlarged on November 1, 1956, expanding eastward to incorporate the Marathi-speaking
MarathwadaThe name Marathwada identifies one of the five regions in Maharashtra state of India. The region coincides with the Aurangabad Division....
region of
Hyderabad StateHyderābād state was the largest princely state in the erstwhile British Indian Empire. It was located in the south-central region of the Indian subcontinent, and was ruled, from 1724 until 1948, by a hereditary Nizam...
, the Marathi-speaking
VidarbhaVidarbha is the eastern region of Maharashtra state made up of Nagpur Division and Amravati Division. It occupies 31.6% of total area and holds 21.3% of total population of Maharashtra. It borders the state of Madhya Pradesh to north, Chattisgarh to east, Telangana to south and Marathwada and...
region of southern
Madhya PradeshMadhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal. Madhya Pradesh was originally the largest state in India until November 1, 2000 when the state of Chhattisgarh was carved out...
, and
GujaratiGujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family...
-speaking Saurashtra and Kutch. The southernmost, Kannada-speaking portion of the state became part of the new linguistic state of
KarnatakaKarnataka is a state in the southern part of India. It was created on November 1, 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act...
. The state was being referred to by the local inhabitants as
Maha Dwibhashi Rajya, literally,
the great bilingual state.
The state was home to both Marathi and Gujarati linguistic movements, both seeking to create separate linguistic states. The Mahagujarat movement in Gujarat was led by Shri Indubhai Yagnik. On May 1, 1960, after a movement for a separate Marathi state turned violent, the State of Bombay was partitioned into the States of
GujaratGujarat is the westernmost state in India. It is home to the Gujarati speaking people of India. The state encompasses major sites of the Indus Valley Civilization such as Lothal and Dholavira. Gujarat played an important role in the economic history of India throughout the history of India...
and
MaharashtraMaharashtra is a state located on the western coast of India. Maharashtra is a part of Western India. It is India's third largest state by area and second largest by population....
.
Politics
Bombay State had three chief ministers in its history. Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher was the first
Chief MinisterA Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British overseas territory that has attained self-government...
of Bombay after India gained independence, and followed by
Morarji DesaiMorarji Ranchhodji Desai was an Indian independence activist and the Prime Minister of India from 1977-79. He was the first Indian Prime Minister who did not belong to the Indian National Congress...
, and later
Yashwantrao ChavanYashwantrao Balwantrao Chavan was the first Chief Minister of Maharashtra after the division of Bombay State and fifth Deputy Prime Minister of India. He was a strong Congress leader, freedom fighter, Cooperative leader, social activist, and writer...
.
See also
- Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti
Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti , roughly translated as United Maharashtra Committee, was an organisation that spearheaded the demand in the 1950s for the creation of a separate Marathi-speaking state out of the State of Bombay in western India, with the city of Bombay as its capital.The organisation...
: movement for a separate Marathi state