Upper Class European’s Bungalow At Malabar Hill Colonial Era Bombay, 1895 Photo
A 1895 photo of an upper-class European bungalow at Malabar Hill during the colonial era in Bombay (Mumbai). A beautiful bungalow amidst a cluster of shady trees was once a common sight in Bombay. The bungalow was said to be of a high-ranking European working in the Bombay Castle at the fort.
The house seems to be of the Indo-Portuguese or southern Indian style. With wide verandahs and tiled roofs that block the harshness of tropical weather. The Bombay Fort’s defensive walls were demolished on the orders of Governor Bartle Frere in 1862. Making way for real estate space, the Europeans staying inside the fort area moved out to build their bungalows at Malabar Hill.
One such bungalow is seen in this photo. Before Bombay was unified into a single landmass, Malabar lay on the ‘H’ shape of the Bombay Island (one of the seven islands). A virgin forested area inhabited by wildlife of tigers, jackals, bears, and leopards. In addition, pirates from the Malabar coast (Kerala) made it their perfect hideout on the Hill. It is believed that is how the place got its name.
See post Antique Map of Salsette Mumbai 1893.
Did you know- in Portuguese times, the islands of Bombay had dense coconut plantations side by side in what was thick jungle.
From the collection- Raja Ravi Varma’s “Birth of Shakuntala” Oleograph 1894., Old Postcard – Trivandrum Canal Landing Place 1900., Old Photo – Bombay Docks / Port 1916., Our Journey Around The World – 1894 Book
