The end of this explosive is the beginning of a body of water and taken together was the colonial name for this alpha city of islands now named after a goddess. Which goddess?

Verbonica

The goddess is Mumba Devi, the patron goddess of Mumbai, India. Initially, Mumbai was not part of mainland India as it is today, but a string of seven islands, which the British began connecting in 1782 and completed in the early 1900s. The islands were named: Bombay Island, Parel, Mazagaon, Mahim, Colaba, Worli, and Old Woman's Island (also known as Little Colaba). In colonial times Mumbai was known as Bombay. http://archives.amritapuri.org/bharat/purana/mumbai.php http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai Sep 05 09, 11:55 PM

edmund80

Excellent! "The name Mumbai is an eponym, etymologically derived from Mumba or Maha-Amba—the name of the Koli goddess Mumbadevi—and Aai, "mother" in Marathi. The former name Bombay had its origins in the 16th century when the Portuguese arrived in the area and called it by various names, which finally took the written form Bombaim, still common in current Portuguese use.[9] After the British gained possession of the city in the 17th century, it was believed to be anglicised to Bombay from the Portuguese Bombaim." "As of 2009, Mumbai was named an Alpha World City." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai And of course, the end of "bomb" is the beginning of "bay" and together spell the colonial name Bombay. Sep 06 09, 12:37 AM