

However, the interview with the king did not produce a concrete conclusion, as the king did not approve of the gifts brought by the foreigners. Hearing the news of the foreign fleet’s arrival, the King of Calicut received them with a great hospitality. The fleet arrived in Kappadu near Calicut, India, on 20 May 10 Months after they set out for the journey. Further, under the guidance of pilot who was aware of the monsoon wind they turned away from the coast and sailed into the vast and unknown sea to explore their dreamland. Sticking to the coastal line, they kept going northwards until they reached Malindi. Naming it “Cape of Good Hope” Portuguese fleet under the navigation of Vasco da Gama began their journey further. He went further south and saw a piece of land after the voyage of 3 months. With this achievement, a new wave of hope spread among the explorers.įollowing the route of Bartolomeu Dias, a Portuguese captain, Vasco da Gama, sailed in.

In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias reached the Indian Ocean. Expedition after expedition was sent forth throughout the 15th century to explore the coast of Africa.

The Portuguese began systematically exploring the Atlantic coast of Africa from 1418, under the sponsorship of Prince Henry. Global exploration started with the Portuguese discovery of the east.

With the fall of Constantinople in 1453, there was an urgent need to find alternate trade routes. However, the only way to travel from Europe to India was over land which was a long and expensive trip. Indian commodities such as spices, cotton, semi–precious stones, and perfumes were popular in European countries. Many lands previously unknown to Europeans were discovered during this period. Known as the Age of Discovery, the period of 15 th Century is marked with extensive overseas exploration that emerged as a powerful factor in European culture. India soon became a market for the western countries. The arrival of Portuguese in India encouraged many other European countries to sail eastwards. It was on 20 th May 1498 Portuguese sailor Vasco da Gama set foot on the west coast of India. Vasco da Gama sailed south and east and found what the others were looking for. While Christopher Columbus sailed west, looking for the India. Coins of the World, Interesting Facts, Notes of India, Notes of the World, Stamps of India Age of Discovery, Discovery of India, Expedition of Vasco ds Gama to India, First European power sailed to India, Vasco ds Gama Coins, Vasco ds Gama Notes, Vasco ds Gama stamps, Voyages of Vasco ds Gama Team Mintage World
