VASCO DE GAMA - THE MAN WHO STARTED EUROPEAN COLONIALISM IN INDIA

For eons, Europeans have been getting the supply of black pepper, cinnamon & spices from India via Arab traders. They were looking for a sea route to India so that they could directly do profitable business with it, avoiding the middlemen. In those times, the GDP of india exceeded 30% of the global figure. No wonder the European were desperate to reach it.

Many of the European nations, mostly Spain, Portuguese, France, Dutch and British were making attempts to reach India by sea and we had known the attempt of Columbus of Spain! It was at the same time that Vasco da Gama of Portugal sailed to the tip of Africa and went round of Cape of Good Hope to take up north easterly sea route to the coast of Malabar on May 1498 CE.

Opening up of direct sea route with India improved Portugal’s economy tremendously. Gama took 3 voyage courses to India, beginning in 1497, 1502 and 1524. On his last voyage, he fell ill and died in Cochin. Landing of Gama in Kappad, Kozhikode at the end of 15th century CE was the beginning of European colonialism in India. The violence and hostage-taking methods employed by Gama and his successors on India's indigenous kingdoms were truly brutal, that set the pattern for European colonialism in india.

From the Portuguese the control of the sea route and trade power shifted to the Dutch by 17th century and later permanently to the British with some feeble attempts by the French too, in between.

Considering his contribution to the country’s economy, by 1524, Vasco da Gama was anointed as Viceroy of Portugal to India by the Portugal Monarch. After he passed away in December 1524, he was interred inside the St. Francis Church at Fort Kochi which is the very first European church in India, consecrated in 1503 CE. From his tomb here the remains were taken and buried at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, later

The photos below show the Church which though started as a Catholic Church, is now occupied by the Church of South India which follows the Protestant Christian system. Prayers happen in the church even today. The Portuguese occupied the church between 1503 & 1663 CE. The Dutch took It over from them in 1664 and used it for their prayers upto 1804 CE. From the Dutch the British took control of it and after India’s independence, it was handed over to the Church of South India.

Fort Kochi is declared by the government as as heritage locale and many of the old infrastructure is maintained in its original form. It attracts tourists from across the world. While the European tourists visit all those edifices with utter reverence due to its global historical importance, many of locals do not give it a damn.

The fact is, history sleeps in the church. In this very first European church of India, the man who converted India into a European colony for close to 400+ years; lived, prayed and rested. His tomb stone  is still here.