From businesses founded under colonial rule to companies that helped shape modern India’s economy, these listed firms have evolved across generations….
1/101. Forbes & Company | Founded: 1767 | Listed: 1919 | Market cap: ₹372 crore | Founded during the East India Company era, Forbes & Company began as a trading business before expanding into engineering products. It is among India’s oldest listed companies and traces more than 250 years of business history. (Image: Forbes)
2/102. EID Parry (India) | Founded: 1788 | Listed: 1957 | Market cap: ₹13,841 crore | EID Parry started as a trading company in Madras before diversifying into sugar, ethanol and nutraceuticals. It is now part of the Murugappa Group and remains one of India’s oldest manufacturing businesses. (Image: EID Parry)
3/103. State Bank of India | Founded: 1806 | Listed: 1997 | Market cap: ₹9.50 lakh crore | SBI traces its origins to the Bank of Calcutta, established in 1806. It later became the Imperial Bank of India before being renamed State Bank of India in 1955, and is now the country’s largest lender.
4/104. P N Gadgil Jewellers | Founded: 1832 | Listed: 2024 | Market cap: ₹8,096 crore | P N Gadgil began as a family-owned jewellery business in Maharashtra and has grown into a national retail brand. Its stock market debut came nearly two centuries after its founding.
5/105. Greaves Cotton | Founded: 1859 | Listed: 1959 | Market cap: ₹6,000 crore | Greaves Cotton began as an engineering company and later became a leading manufacturer of engines and industrial equipment. In recent years, it has expanded into electric mobility and clean transport solutions.
6/106. The Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation | Founded: 1863 | Listed: 1913* | Market cap: ₹10,467 crore | Originally established as a trading and plantation company, Bombay Burmah is widely regarded as India’s oldest continuously listed company. It is part of the Wadia Group and has diversified across several sectors.
7/107. BSE Ltd | Founded: 1875 | Listed: 2017 | Market cap: ₹1.55 lakh crore | BSE traces its origins to the Native Share & Stock Brokers’ Association, formed in 1875. Today, Asia’s oldest stock exchange is itself a listed company and remains central to India’s capital markets. (Image: Reuters)
8/108. Bombay Dyeing | Founded: 1879 | Listed: 1887* | Market cap: ₹2,579 crore | Founded by the Wadia family, Bombay Dyeing became one of India’s best-known textile manufacturers. The company has since expanded into real estate while retaining its textile business.
9/109. Dabur India | Founded: 1884 | Listed: 1994 | Market cap: ₹76,448 crore | Dr S.K. Burman founded Dabur as an Ayurvedic medicines company in Kolkata. It has since evolved into one of India’s largest FMCG companies with brands across healthcare, personal care and foods. (Image: Reuters)
10/1010. Muthoot Finance | Founded: 1887 | Listed: 2011 | Market cap: ₹1.21 lakh crore | The Muthoot Group started as a trading business in Kerala before entering financial services. Today, Muthoot Finance is India’s largest gold loan non-banking financial company. (Image: Reuters)
