Many sailors from the Western world sailed to discover the land in the Far East called India - a land fabled to be richer than all the known worlds put combined.

But none succeeded except for Vasco Da Gama, a Portuguese sailor who became the first European to land in India on 17 May 1498 when he landed on the shores of Calicut in Kerala with four vessels.

Christopher Columbus who had started his voyage in 1492, five years before Da Gama too wanted to discover the sea route to India, but instead reached the Americas, the world completely unheard before then.

By then India had already seen many foreign invaders in the form of Alexander -The Great, the Arabs, and the Mongols. But they all came through the land route or precisely via the infamous Khyber Pass.

Vasco Da Gama, The Royal Museum Greenwich

But the sea route to India was still unknown. That was until Da Gama discovered a route sailing adjacent to the western coast of Africa, reaching the last point of Africa which the Portuguese garrulously called ‘Cape of Good Hope’ and then sailed along the eastern coast of Africa till Mozambique and then sailed through the Arabian sea to reach Calicut.

Discovery of India by Da Gama is considered to be the milestone in the field of navigation and riches of Silk and Spices of Far East lands like India and China turned the otherwise curiosity of Western countries into greed and lust for wealth.

Vasco Da Gama voyaged to India thrice (1497-98, 1502-03, and 1524) before he died in India in 1524.

Here is the story of Vasco Da Gama, how he discovered the sea route to India and how his discovery paved way for the arrival of Dutch, French, Danish, and the British.

Born in 1460

Vasco Da Gama was born in 1460 to a family of nobles in Sines, Portugal. His father, Estevao, was also an explorer. Da Gama joined the Portuguese navy in the 1480s where he learnt how to navigate.

His predecessor navigators helped him understand sea routes

Henry of Portugal, aka Henry - The Navigator who was the Duke of Viseu had patronised several successful voyages in North and West Africa. The voyages funded by him were first steps in making Portugal, a maritime and colonial power. In 1487, Bartolomeu Dias discovered that the Indian and Atlantic Oceans were connected.

Da Gama who was keenly interested in navigation knew that if Indian and Atlantic Oceans connect at the end of Africa, he could find the way to reach India through the last point of land in Africa. And that’s why later when he reached the last point of Africa, known as “Cape of Good Hope”, he felt that his dream could turn into reality.

In 1597, Da Gama started his first Voyage

Crossing the Ocean Sea

On July 8th, Da Gama began his voyage from Portugal with four vessels. Da Gama himself rode in the 200-ton St. Gabriel and his younger brother Paulo led the St. Rafael. Passing through the Canary Islands near present-day Morocco, the fleet reached Cape Verde islands and remained there until August 3. He carried Padrao, the pillar to mark the route and installed Padrao at various important halts.

Da Gama took detour and reached South Africa

In order to avoid the current of Gulf of Guinea, Da Gama took a long detour in Atlantic ocean before he took a turn toward East to round the Cape of Good Hope, his first major destination on the discovery of India.

The fleet reached Santa Helena Bay (Yes, where Napoleon was imprisoned) in modern South Africa on November 7. Unfavourable winds and the adverse current delayed the rounding of the Cape of Good Hope until November 22.



Left ‘Cape of Good Hope’ after installing another Padrao

Padrao, the pillar to mark the route (Padrao at Cape of Good Hope)

Da Gama started the voyage on December 8 and his fleet reached the coast of Natal on Christmas Day. By crossing various rivers inward and outward, the fleet head towards Mozambique, another mainstay of the journey. In between, the fleet took rest at one place where the fleet took rest there for one month. Meanwhile, ships were repaired. On March 2 the fleet reached the Island of Mozambique, the inhabitants of which believed the Portuguese to be Muslims like themselves.

Cape of Good Hope, AP

There Da Gama learned that they traded with Arabs and he also found four vessels laden with gold, jewels, silver and spices were there on the port. Da Gama knew he was heading in the right direction as during the course he met local people who frequently had travelled to Indian coasts.

The interaction with them helped Da Gama to understand the direction in which he had to head.

Stopped at Mombasa, Kenya and met a Gujarati pilot

Reuters

On April 7, 1598, the fleet reached another important stoppage Mombasa (present day Kenya).dropped the anchor at Malindi (also in Kenya) on April 14. Here he met a Gujarati pilot who knew the route to Calicut, on the South-West coast of India. He was taken aboard.

And he reached Calicut

Emaze

After a 20 day run across the Indian Ocean, Da Gama could see the ghats and mountains of India. On 17 May 1498, the first European landed on India’s Calicut port.

He returned with Spices and silk

When Da Gama returned to Portugal with spices and silk, the legend says that he earned four times the money he spent on voyage just by selling the spices. This lucrative trade made Da Gama instant sensation back home and the king of Portugal again sent him to India in 1502-03. He died in 1524 in Calicut when he was on his third voyage of India.

He paved way for other European traders

Once the sea-route to India was discovered, Da Gama’s fame reached to whole Europe and other countries too sent expedition India via the same route. After Portuguese, the Dutch, the Danish, the British and the French came to India. And the rest is history.