Gama's encounter with the "Christians" of India

 The first modern European to discover the sea route to India, Vasco De Gama, set out in 1497 to discover the fabled land of India. It was generally accepted with the most solemn conviction, for instance, that the Biblical Garden of Eden was located in the East and that there thrived all sorts of absurdly exotic creatures like unicorns, men with dog's heads and supernatural races called " The Apple Smellers". 

In July 1497 Gama arrived at Kappad beach, Calicut. His fellow crew members were actually prisoners released from jail by King Manuel, as nobody else had the guts to embark on such a long and treacherous sea quest, which many believed was a one way trip. Upon reaching the shores Gama sent one of his mates to go, investigate and give a first hand report of the land. 

The following are narrations of eyewitness accounts by the sailors of what all they saw in this strange new land. 

Gama was entrusted on a mission to find 'spices and Christians'. Since the inhabitants of Calicut were not practicing Islamic rituals or dress code, Gama took it for granted that they were infact the Christians of India. Infact he truly believed that he had discovered the much fabled kingdom of 'Prestor John'. The following excerpts are quite funny when we realize the blunder committed by the famous navigator.

"On Sunday, we sailed past some mountains, that tower over the city of Calicut, and we sailed so close to them that the ship’s navigator recognized them, and said this was the country we were trying to reach, and in the afternoon on that same day, we dropped anchor, two leagues below the city of Calicut.[…]

And after we were anchored, for rowboats came to us from shore. They came to find out who we were, and they showed us Calicut and told us its name. In the same way, these rowboats came back to our ship on the other day, and the captain sent one of the exiles to Calicut and the people whom he accompanied brought him to a place where two Moors from Tunis lived, who could speak Castilian and Genoese, and the first thing they cried out to him was, ‘Go to hell! Who brought you here anyway?’

They asked what we were looking for so far from home, and he answered, ‘We came to look for Christians and spices.’ They said to him, ‘Why hasn’t the king of Castile sent anyone here, or the King of France or the Signoria of Venice.?’ And he answered that that the king of Portugal would not tolerate that from the other countries, and they said that he would be well advised to do so.

Then they fed him wheat bread and honey, and after he ate he came back to the ships, and one of the Moors came with him. And as the Moor came on board, his first words were, ‘Welcome, welcome! Many rubies and many emeralds! Get down on your knees and thank God that he brought you to this land of so many riches!’ Hearing him speak we were very surprised and we could hardly believe that there was a man so far from Portugal who understood our language.

The city of Calicut is inhabited by Christians….They are of tawny complexion. Some of them have big beards and long hair, whilst other clip their hair short or shave the head.[…] On the following morning, which was Monday, May 28th [1498], the Captain Major [Vasco da Gama] set out to speak to the king, and took with him thirteen men, with me among them. We put on our best clothes for the occasion and we took bombards on to the boat with us and many trumpets and flags. On landing, the captain-major was received by the alcaide with whom were many men, armed and unarmed. The reception was friendly as if the people were pleased to see us[…].

They took us to the large church and this was what we saw. The body of the church is as large as a monastery all built of hewn bronze as high as a mast, on the top of which was perched a bird, apparently a cock. In addition to this there was another pillar, as high as a man, and very stout. In center of the body of the church rose a chapel, all built of hewn stone with a bronze door sufficiently wide for a man to pass, and stone steps leading upto it. Within this sanctuary stood a small image, which they said represented Our Lady. Along the walls by the main entrance, hung seven small bells. In this church, the captain-major said his prayers, and we with him.

We did not go within the chapel, for it is a custom that only certain servants of the church, called quafees should enter. These quafees wore some threads, passing over the left shoulder and under the right arm, in the same manner as our deacons wear the stole. They threw holy water over us, and gave us some white earth, which the christians of this country are in habit of putting on their foreheads, breasts, around the neck and the forearm. 

They threw holy water upon the captain-major and gave him some of the earth, which he gave in chrge to someone, giving them to understand that he would put it on later. Many other saints were painted on the wall of the church, wearing crowns. They were painted variously with teeth protruding an inch from the mouth, and four or five arms. Below this church there was a large masonry tanks, similar to many others, which we had seen along the road.

                                                                     fig. Gama's route map to India

The king [the Samorin of Calicut], when he joined the captain-major,[Vasco da Gama], threw himself upon another couch, covered with various stuffs embroidered in gold, and asked the captain-major what he wanted.

And the captain-major told him he was the ambassador of the king of Portugal, who was Lord of many countries and possessor of great wealth of every description, exceeding that of any king of these parts; that for a period of sixty years his ancestors had annually sent out vessels to make discoveries in the direction of India, as they knew that they were Christian kings there like themselves. 

This he said was the reason which induced them to order this country to be discovered, not because they sought for gold or silver, for of this they had such abundance, that they needed not what was to be found in this country.[…] In reply to this the king said that he was welcome; that on his part, he held him as a friend and brother, and would send ambassadors with him to Portugal.

On Tuesday, [May 29] the captain-major got ready the following things to be sent to the king, viz., twelve pieces of lambel, four scarlet hoods, six hats, four strings of coral, a case containing six wash-hands basins, a case of sugar, two casks of oil, and two of honey. As it is the custom, not to send anything to the king without the knowledge of the Moor, his factor and of the Bayle, the captain-major informed them of his intention.

 They came, and when they saw the present they laughed at it, saying that it was not a thing to offer to a king, that the poorest merchants from Mecca, or any other part of India gave more, and that if he wanted to make a present it should be in gold, as the king would not accept such things.[…]

It wounded our pride to be treated so shamefully by a king.[…] But, we did not blame him overmuch, for we knew that we were a nuisance, to the Moors who lived here. They were merchants from Mecca and from many other areas, and they knew us and [and slandered us to the Samorin].[…] 

On a Wednesday, the 29th [of August 1498], the captain-major decided to set sail, since he was of the opinion that we had already found that which we had sought – spices and jewels – and because we were not able to take our leave, of the inhabitants of the land in peace and brotherhood, and so we set sail without delay, and set out on our return journey to Portugal.”