The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in India in 1498. The closing of traditional trade routes in western Asia by the
Ottomans and rivalry with the
Italian states, set
Portugal in search of an alternate sea route to India. The first successful voyage to India was by
Vasco da Gama in 1498, when he arrived in
Calicut, now in
Kerala. The Portuguese established a chain of outposts along India's west coast and on the island of
Ceylon in the early 16th century. They built the St.Angelo Fort at
Kannur to guard their possessions in North
Malabar.
Goa was their prized possession and, the seat of Portugal's
viceroy who governed Portugal's empire in Asia. Portugal's northern province included settlements at
Daman,
Diu,
Chaul,
Baçaim,
Salsette, and
Mumbai.
Bombay (Mumbai) was given to the British crown in 1661 as part of the dowry of
Catherine of Braganza. The rest of the northern province, with the exception of
Daman and Diu, was lost to the
Marathas in the early 18th century.
Dadra and Nagar Haveli was acquired by the Portuguese in 1779. Dadra and Nagar Haveli was occupied by the
Republic of India in 1954, and Goa, Daman, and Diu were
annexed to India in 1961.
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