Mumba Devi Temple

We end at the place that gave the city its name. Mumba Devi is a form of the mother goddess worshipped by the Kolis, the fishermen of the seven islands. From 'Mumba' and 'Aai', 'mother' in Marathi, comes Mumbai, the name the city has always had in Marathi and the official one since 1995. 'Bombay' comes from the Portuguese 'Bombaim'; the popular explanation that it means 'good bay' is appealing, but many historians doubt it.

1A temple that moved

The first shrine stood near Bori Bunder, where the CSMT station you saw earlier now stands. In the eighteenth century it was demolished and a new one was built here in Bhuleshwar; the temple itself gives the year 1737, although other sources suggest later dates. Around it grew one of the city's densest commercial districts: Zaveri Bazaar, the jewellers' market, is just around the corner.

2The goddess and the demon

According to the tradition kept by the temple, the goddess was sent to defeat a demon called Mumbaraka who terrorised the islanders. Vanquished, the demon begged her to take his name. It is a devotional story, not a historical fact.

A metropolis of more than twenty million people that still bears the name of a fishing community's goddess.

3What to look for

• The illuminated sign with the temple's name in Devanagari.
• The garland stalls selling marigolds for offerings.
• The jewellery shops of Zaveri Bazaar, a few steps away.