Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Why did Bombay become the capital of Maharashtra?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Mumbai
Entrance to Mumbai Harbour, marked by the Gateway of India (right foreground).
Bombay (now known as Mumbai) became the capital of Maharashtra following the linguistic and political reorganization of Indian states in 1960.
Prior to this, the region was part of the bilingual Bombay state, which included both Marathi-speaking and Gujarati-speaking populationsāa structure that was a legacy of British imperialism. This arrangement led to intense protests by Marathi speakers who demanded a state defined by their own language.12
In response to these demands, the state was partitioned on May 1, 1960, into the new states of Gujarat in the north and Maharashtra in the south. As part of this reorganization, Bombay was designated as the capital of the newly formed state of Maharashtra.12