Maritime Malabar and the Europeans, 1500-1962

The collection of articles contained in this book shed light on various aspects of European contacts with Maritime Malabar which was in fact the entry point of almost all the Europeans to the subcontinent of India since the opening of the direct sea route connecting Indian Ocean region with the Atlantic. The techniques of navigation in vogue on the Malabar coast and the heights reached by Indian scientists with emphasis on the Malabar coast are discussed in this work. Another field which has been thoroughly researched and brought out in this work is the art of navigation developed by the Portuguese and the techniques of shipbuilding in Portugal, the pioneering nation to come to India via Cape of Good Hope. With these studies forming the background of the discussion on the interaction between the various parts of Europe and the Maritime Malabar. The authors of the research papers discuss the activities of the Portuguese, the Dutch, the English, the French, the Danes and the Germans on the Malabar coast. European impressions about India with emphasis on elephants, maritime trade, cultural exchange, transfer of technology, Indo-Portuguese architecture, contribution of the Germans to educational development on the Malabar coast, state formation and resistance against the foreign domination constitute some of the important aspects covered in this book.