Question

How did new towns, such as Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta, developed during the rule of the East India Company in India?

Answer 1

Instructions: Elaborate on the evolution for each city as a port city, commercial centre, or trading settlement from the time it was handed over to or occupied by the British East India Company.​

Solution: The cities of Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta developed considerably under the British rule.​

• Madras: Madras was one of the centres of the East India Company. After the First Carnatic War between the French and the British, it was handed over to the British. Madras developed into a port city and a commercial centre.​
  
• Bombay: The city of Bombay was given to England in dowry when Charles II married the Portuguese queen, Catherine, in 1661 A.D. It was then given to the East India Company on rent and later became their Presidency. It gradually developed into a big commercial, trading, and cultural centre.​
  
• Calcutta: The Britishers established their first factory in Calcutta in 1695 A.D., which was later fortified. Calcutta became all the more important after the defeat of the Nawabs of Bengal at the hands of the British in the Battle of Plassey and the Battle of Buxar.