Question

how did the presidency presidency cities gain prominence

Answer 1

In the late eighteenth century; Calcutta, Bombay and Madras rose in importance as they became the Presidency cities. These three cities became the centres of British power in different regions of India. Around the same time, many smaller cities declined in importance. Many towns which were important manufacturing centres declined in importance because of a drop in the demand for what they produced. When the flow of trade moved to new centre, old trading centres and ports could not survive.