Tuesday 27 December 2016

Vasco da Gama

Everybody knows Portuguese traveller vasco da Gama discovered India for Europeans. This "lie" is repeatedly told by Britishers and we Indians believe these things without questioning. If it is a "Lie", then what is the truth?

Europeans were not that great sea farers. It is documented that, Vascoda Gama was only sailing close to land mass for fear of getting lost in sea. He encountered a Gujarati bussinessman. Indian ships were much bigger and better. Indian ships escorted Vasco da Gama to India. This is written in vascoda ga ma's diary itself.  Please check wiki about vasco da gamas page, how he is celebrated world over in introduction but read below passages to find the truth. For example, read the encounter with kerala king (how pathetic it was) and how vasco da ga ma kidnapped some kerala  fisherman to take him back safely to africa (shows his sea faring bravery).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasco_da_Gama

"While Zamorin's officials wondered at why there was no gold or silver, the Muslim merchants who considered da Gama their rival suggested that the latter was only an ordinary pirate and not a royal ambassador.[17] Vasco da Gama's request for permission to leave a factor behind him in charge of the merchandise he could not sell was turned down by the King, who insisted that da Gama pay customs duty—preferably in gold—like any other trader, which strained the relation between the two. Annoyed by this, da Gama carried a few Nairs and sixteen fishermen (mukkuva) off with him by force"

Although many european authors have written books quoting vasco da gamas diary, the original diary is not made public even today. Instead of the original, a strange, undated "copy" was flouted. This undated, spurious and filtered copy is the basis for all history Europeans have flouted. Indian govt should evaluate this copy and announce truth. If they put some effort, they may even be able to trace an exact copy of the original in Africa and with date. Such written documents were quickly copied and treasured, as it was very helpful for sea faring Europeans. ( Afterall, Why hush up such an important document???)

Vasco da gamas writings were simply hushed up by british to build a story to subjugate Indians. So, it is Indians, who discovered Europe and not the other way round.

Do we have solid evidence to claim this? Answer is "Yes", we have evidence. Indians documented important things on stone, especially on temples. Brahmins werr the writers and owing to tradition, they never crossed sea. Hence not much us written in Indian texts about sea voyages. Vysyas used to do that. However, important things was indeed recorded on temple walls. It is unfortunate, the Muslim invasion destroyed lot of these temples in north India. Lot of historical evidences and facts got lost with the destruction of these temples. This helped Europeans to propagate skewed history to world.

However everything was not lost. Check the video link ( https://youtu.be/lvGEyCXvV7A ) to see, how the European connection was documented in Bruhadeeshwara temple in Tamilnaadu. Since the sclupture is 500 years older than vascoda gaama, it establishes the fact that, Indians had been to Europe 500 years before Vascoda Gama. That is most probably by sea as they carried goods to sell it, in far off lands. Fortunately, Chinese emperor was also there, so people will not brush off European as an abbaration. In fact there are archaeological evidences like Indian pottery, jewellary, copper plates, sanskrit hymns etc obtained in far off lands (like Australia) that can be reached only by sea route, confirming existance of trade routes.

Since custom duty was an established process, it indicates lot of foreign ships already visited India. It even indicates, trading with foreigners was a well established practice with Indians. Vasco da Gama visiting India was not a strange event to Indians at that time itself. What vasco da gama offered to kerala king, depicts the "begging bowl" with which they came here.

So, stop preaching your kids, Europeans discovered India. It generates inferiority complex. Instead tell them, how bravely Indians ventured in to sea and sold goods. It shows how our elders and society was ready to take risks and were creating wealth. It inculcates, entrepreneurship and build confidence.

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