[citation needed] The name Colaba comes from Kolabhat, a word in the language of Kolis, the indigenous inhabitants of the islands, before the arrival of the Portuguese.

Angered by the back-tracking, Charles II leased these lands to the British East India Company for a nominal annual rent.

Gerald Aungier, second Governor (1672), and the president of the English settlement of Surat, took possession of Colaba and Old Woman's Island on behalf of the Company in 1675.

This was leased by the Portuguese Government of Goa to the Bishop of Damao, the head of the Padroado party in Mumbai, as his residence.

Colaba was known for the variety of fishes – the bombil (Bombay duck), rawas, halwa, turtles, crabs, prawns and lobsters.

The horse-drawn tram-cars were introduced in 1873 by Stearns and Kitteredge, who had their offices on the west side of the Causeway, where the Electric House now stands.

Eminent citizens of Mumbai, such as Sir Pherozeshah Mehta, opposed the work, fearing that the reclamation would depress prices of land.

The southern tip is occupied by a military cantonment, including the large Navy Nagar layout built on reclaimed land known as Holiday Camp.

The older parts of the cantonment retains its large, wooded spaces and is the only bit of green left in this otherwise congested area.

Nearest railway stations: On 26 November 2008, terrorist strikes occurred at various places in and near Colaba, notably the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Leopold Café, Marine Drive and Mumbai Chabad House.