Vasco da Gama

Credited with ‘finding’ India and the maritime route to the East, this Portuguese explorer adept at mathematics, astronomy and navigation, first landed in India in 1498, at Calicut. He was born in 1460 or 1469. Dom Vasco da Gama held the title of 1st Count of Vidigueira, and did so without being born of royal blood. His father, Estêvão da Gama, was rich nobility of Portugal. His mother was Isabel Sodré.

The Age of Discovery, which started in the 15th century and lasted till the 17th century saw many Europeans travelling to the Americas, Southern Asia and China. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to come to India. Da Gama circled Africa – stopping at places like Cape of Good Hope and Madagascar – to reach India. As the Portuguese had already trade relations going on with parts of Africa since the mid-1400s, it was easy for them to move eastward in search of greener pastures. King Manuel I of Portugal gave the job of linking the African and Indian routes to da Gama’s father, but it fell into his hands.

His first journey, on 8 July 1497, consisted of 4 ships and a crew of 170. After more than 7 months and touching areas in South Africa, Kenya and Mozambique, they reached Calicut. He convinced the Arab merchant and the ruling Zamorins to let his men start a trading post there. He got back to Portugal in 1499 and took on his 2nd journey in February 1502 with 20 warships. In the meantime Pedro Álvares Cabral was sent to India, too.

After realizing that his men were killed, he sailed south to reach Cochin. Da Gama became famous in Portugal as he brought back gold,
silk and spices from Kerala. He came to the subcontinent in 1524 for the third time and was made Governor of Portuguese India. But he died of malaria in Cochin on the Christmas Eve of 1524. Though his body was buried in St Francis Church in Fort Kochi, it was taken to Vidigueira in Portugal, in 1539.

The Monastery of the Hieronymites in Belém was erected in honour of da Gama’s voyage to India. He has many churches, institutions, bridges, plazas, football clubs and cities named after him. Many poems, plays, songs and epics have mentioned him and his discoveries.