It is believed that when the Portuguese conquered the seven islands that became Bombay, the East Indian community was born. The English acquired Bombay from the Portuguese as part of Catherine Braganza's dowry when she married Charles II in 1661. In 1698 the East India Company leased Bombay and adjoining hinterland for ten
pounds per year. Many East Indians went to work for the company. And this community came to be known as East Indians. Says the parish priest of Manori, a largely East Indian village south of Bombay, "We are actually West Indians. We belong to West India. I believe the community is about 400 years old."