New Delhi: Among the few good things to come out of the colonial British Raj in India, the introduction and development of railways remain possibly the most important thing. When the trains were introduced in India, they used to run on steam engine. On February 3, 1925, India witnessed a historic moment as it was on that day the first electrified train was operated. Over the years, the Indian Railways has electrified almost the entire rail network in the country.
Kurla is a suburb of East Mumbai and it acts as the Kurla taluka’s headquarters in the Mumbai Suburban district. It has been named after the eponymous East Indian village, something the suburb has left behind long back. It falls under Zone 5 of the Bombay Municipal Corporation and its railway station, is one of the busiest on the Mumbai suburban railway.
How does Kurla get its name?
The name Kurla has been derived from the East Indian village of Kurla. That name, in turn, came from ‘Kurli’, the local name for crab, as plenty of crabs were found in marshes in the village’s vicinity.
Kurla, Gujarat Sultanate, Kingdom of Portugal, and British Raj
The village of Kurla became a Portuguese territory when Sultan Bahadur of Gujarat and the Kingdom of Portugal signed the Treaty of Bassein on December 23, 1534. Now, Sultan Bahadur, commonly known as Qutb-ud-Din Bahadur Shah, was a sultan of the Muzaffarid dynasty who reigned over the Gujarat Sultanate in the 16th century. In 1532, Mughal Emperor Humayun conquered his kingdom. Bahadur Shah regained the kingdom in 1536 but he was killed by the Portuguese onboard a ship while making a deal with them. On the other hand, the Kingdom of Portugal was a monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and was also known as the Portuguese Empire. It existed to various extents between 1139 and 1910.
In 1548, the Governor of Portuguese India gave Kurla and six other villages to Antonio Pessoa, a soldier for his military services. Kurla was controlled by the Portuguese till 1774 when the British occupied Salsette Island. In 1782, East India Company took control of Kurla through the Treaty of Salbai.
Kurla and the first electrified train in India
During the British Raj, Kurla was spelt as Coorla. Back then, it was a major station on the Great Indian Peninsula Railway between Mumbai and Thane. On December 12, 1910, the Central Railway began its Harbour Line services and it was functional between Kurla and Reay Road station. In 1925, the service was increased to Victoria Terminus and in the same year, the construction of the Kurla Railway Car Shed took place when the Great Indian Peninsula Railway Harbour line’s electrification was undertaken. On February 3, 1925, the first electric train ran between Mumbai and Kurla, hauled by a SLM electric locomotive on DC traction.
Kurla, a bustling Mumbai suburb, boasts a rich history stretching back centuries. Its name originates from the local word for crab. The area transitioned from a Portuguese territory to British rule, becoming a crucial railway hub. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
