Question

Why were European trading companies attracted to India?

Answer 1

Hint: European trading companies first arrived in India in the 18th century. The first European that arrived in India through a direct sea route was a Portuguese known as Vasco da Gama. He took with him a rich cargo while returning back and sold it at the market in Europe at a huge price. This was the first thing that attracted European trading companies to India.

Complete Answer:
European trading companies used to look for new lands while venturing across the oceans that could benefit them in terms of trade. These trading companies aimed at buying goods at very cheap rates in different lands and then take those goods along with them to Europe and sell them in their markets at huge rates. When European trading companies discovered India, they found goods in India that they could buy at cheaper rates and sell them in Europe at an enormous rate. India is a producer of fine qualities of silk and cotton and silk and cotton have a huge market in Europe. These fine qualities of silk and cotton produced in India attracted these European trading companies to a large extent because of the fact that the trading companies would buy the cotton and silk at cheaper rates in India and sell the same in Europe at huge rates. Apart from cotton and silk produced in India, European trading companies were attracted to India for its wide variety of spices. Spices like clove, pepper, cinnamon, and cardamom were produced in India and all these spices were of great demand in Europe. These are the primary reasons why European trading companies were attracted to India.

Note: The spices that had become an important part of cooking in Europe while European trading companies arrived in India were the spices like pepper, dried ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg that were grown in India in tropical climates.