A world without Mumbai

Brahma, Chakreshwara Tirtha, Nirmal, 11th century CE, one of the antiquities found in the Sopara and Kalyan region

Have you ever thought what would happen if Mumbai, as we know it today, didn't exist? What if the British and the Portuguese hadn't interacted? Which other urban centres would be the seat of trade and commerce? At an upcoming virtual lecture series titled If Not Bombay, Dr Suraj Pandit, head and associate professor, Department of Ancient Indian Culture and Buddhist Studies at Sathaye College, and archaeologist Dr Kurush F Dalal will find answers to these questions while discussing four alternatives to Mumbai.

The series, hosted by the Mumbai Research Centre of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai, will span four days. Dr Pandit shares that the idea came from Dr Shehernaz Nalwalla of the Mumbai Research Centre. "There would have been many other cities which would have flourished like Mumbai. When there was no Mumbai, cities such as Sanjan, Sopara, Kalyan and Mandad functioned as important port cities," he explains. In the lecture series, he adds, participants will try to understand the archaeological history of these cities, what their potential was, and their contribution to the heritage of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

Vishnu, Nale, 11th century CE. Pics Courtesy/Dr Suraj Pandit

Dr Pandit, whose sessions will delve into Sopara (Souppara) and Kalyan (Kalliena), reveals that the former is the oldest urban centre in western Maharashtra, with a history of over 2,000 years. "There are references to Sopara and Kalyan in the accounts of Roman and Arab traders; some scholars believe Sopara has been referred to in the Bible as a commercial centre. There are no less than 60 Sanskrit and Prakrit texts that give us descriptions of these cities. And now, corresponding archaeological evidence has also surfaced," he explains, adding that these places emerged as the seat of education, art and learning. However, there are various reasons why Mumbai flourished, while these cities didn't. "I'll be walking participants through a historical view of these cities and proceed to understand the reasons for their decline vis-a-vis the rise of Mumbai."

Dr Dalal, meanwhile, will focus on the growth of Sanjan (Poulipoula to the Greeks) which lies just across the border in Gujarat, and Mandad (Mandagora) in the Janjira creek. Both Sanjan and Mandad, too, were significant creek ports, he tells us. Sanjan - where the Parsis first made landfall when they came to India - occupied the same position between 8th and 13th century AD as Bombay, with a vibrant multicultural business centre, he informs us.

Dr Kurush F Dalal and Dr Suraj Pandit

"Mandad, on the other hand, has a series of interesting caves overlooking the port. We've identified the Mandad caves as the Roman site of Mandagora," Dr Dalal reveals. The caves, he adds, boast of inscriptions that all talk about the independent ruling family of Mandad. "There are also coins that tell us about them. This indicates the presence of a lot of trade and commerce. So, much like Mumbai, we had many such independent rulers developing their pocket empires on trade. We'll look into their potential to become an alternative to Mumbai," he signs off.

From: January 31 to February 4, 7 pm to 8.30 pm
Log on to: pages.razorpay.com/ifnotbombay
Cost: Rs 1,000