Hello everyone, History tells us that Europeans have been the pioneers in discovering new lands and exploring the depths of the world. The focus of many international enthusiasts has been on India. It was not without reason that Europeans preferred many of the goods that were only available in India. For example spices such as navaratna stones, peafowl, pepper and cloves. In the past, the goods could reach Europe only by land. As there were many middlemen along the way and the land journey was long and unsafe, the cost of the goods was very high. It was a time when airplane was not invented. The most important reason why the Europeans wanted to find a sea route to India was that if they found a sea route from Europe to India, trade would be easier and the price of goods would be reasonable.

A Portuguese explorer set foot in India in 1498 and fulfilled Europe's dream. It was Vasco da Gama who discovered the sea route from Europe to India and made a mark in history. Vasco da Gama was born into a wealthy family in Sines, Portugal in 1460. His father Estevao da Gama was an explorer. He was one of those who tried to find a sea route to India but he died without realizing that dream. Little did he know then that his son would make his dream come true. After his death, King John II of Portugal asked Vasco da Gama to finish the work.

Vasco da Gama was well educated and served as a naval officer for some time. So when the king commissioned him to find a sea route to India, he happily accepted and set out to complete it. On July 8, 1497, four ships set sail from Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Named as Sao Gabriel, Sao Rafael, Berrio, starship, a total of 170 men left for India under the command of Vasco da Gama. After traveling at sea for almost 90 days without seeing land, they reached the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa on November 22 of that year. After that they started traveling north along the coast of Africa.

Natal means Christmas in Portuguese. As Christmas approached that year, their ship sailed along the east coast of Africa. Vasco da Gama named the area Natal. The place is still called by the same name. Later, Vasco da Gama landed in areas like Mombasa, Mozambique and Malindi which were under the control of Islamic traders. Muslim traders saw Vasco da Gama as an enemy who they saw as a threat to their trade. They also tried to capture his ships. Vasco da Gama overcame them all and continued his voyage at Malindi, taking with him a Gujarati sailor. With the advice of that sailor, Vasco da Gama, aware of the climatic changes in the Arabian Sea, sailed carefully for 23 days and arrived at Kallikottai (Kozhikode) on the southern coast of Kerala, India. That historic day was 20th May 10498. Part 2 will be upload stay tuned.