• First Arrival:Vasco da Gama in 1498.
• Sea Route:Cape of Good Hope, Africa.
• Landed At:Calicut (Kozhikode), Kerala.
• Local King:Zamorin. Vasco da Gama's initial trade talks were unsuccessful.
• Second Arrival:Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500, who secured trade rights.
• First Factory:Established in Calicut.
• First Fort:Fort Emmanuel in Cochin (Kochi), 1503.
• Goa Conquest:Captured Goa from the Bijapur Sultanate (Adil Shahi dynasty) in 1510.
• First Printing Press:Established in Goa, 1556.
• Cuisines Introduced:Potato, Tomato, Corn, Chillies, and Beans.

• Francisco de Almeida: Known for the 'Policy of Blue Water', aiming for naval supremacy.
• Afonso de Albuquerque: Considered the real founder of Portuguese power in Asia. His policy was Imperialism.
• Nino de Cunha: Transferred the capital from Cochin to Goa in 1530. The Portuguese were the last to leave India in 1961.

The official 'Portugal East India Company' was formed in 1628 but was removed by 1633. In 1632, Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan recaptured Hooghly from them. Bombay was also given to Charles II of England as dowry by the Portuguese king.

• Thomas Stephens (1579): A Jesuit priest who arrived in Goa on a Portuguese ship.
• Ralph Fitch (1583): An English merchant who carried a letter from Queen Elizabeth to Emperor Akbar.
• John Mildenhall (1599): Reached Akbar's court in 1603 but failed to get trade permission.
• William Hawkins (1608): An official envoy who arrived in Surat on his ship 'Hector'. He received trade permission from Emperor Jahangir but it was revoked due to Portuguese pressure.
• The British established a temporary factory at Masulipatnam in 1611.
• Battle of Swally (1612): The British defeated the Portuguese in a naval battle near Surat.
• 1613: Following the victory, Jahangir gave permanent permission to the British to establish a factory at Surat. The British East India Company was formed in 1600.

After the death of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1707, the governor of Bengal, Murshid Quli Khan, declared himself the independent Nawab of Bengal in 1717, moving the capital from Dhaka to Murshidabad.

Battle of Plassey (1757)

Robert Clive defeated Nawab Siraj-ud-daulah, largely due to the betrayal of Mir Jafar, the Nawab's army chief. This victory marked the beginning of British rule in India. The British gained control of the 24 Parganas and a large sum of money.

Battle of Buxar (1764)

Mir Qasim (who had briefly replaced Mir Jafar) allied with Shah Alam II (Mughal Emperor) and Shuja-ud-daulah (Nawab of Awadh) against the British led by Hector Munro. The British victory established their supremacy in India.

Treaty of Allahabad (1765)

Following the Battle of Buxar, this treaty granted the British the 'Diwani' (revenue collection) rights for Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha, solidifying their control.