AHC- Indian Colonial Power

[SunDeep]

Of course, we all know about OTL's British Raj, and the whole Empress of India thing. China's supposedly indomitable by any colonial power, presumedly impossible for any colonial power to carve apart and annex to their empires (in spite of the plethora of examples where China was fragmented in the past, and the fact that several territories which were formerly part of Imperial China are still ruled over by other nations). But India's always perceived to be a walkover, an easy pick for whichever colonial nation decides to pluck it. Why is that? You challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to bring about the reverse scenario, in which at least one major Indian Colonial Power arises as a plausible rival to the European colonialists, and survives in some shape or form to the present day.

Scoring:

1 point per 1% of the World (excl. Indian subcontinent) under the control of the Indian Colonial Power in 1900. 10 extra bonus points if the Indian Colonial Power's territories, at greatest extent, include a significant (50,000 sq.km or more) portion of Western Europe or/and North America.
x 0.5 if the POD is before 1750.
x 1 if the POD is after 1750.
x 1.5 if the POD is after 1800.
x 2 if the POD is after 1850.

 

[pompejus]

The problem with an Indian colonial power colonizing Europe is that, well, there is nothing in Europe India would want. That was the main incentive for European colonisation. India (and Indonesia, China, etc) had something the Europeans didn't have, so they went to Asia to get it. Europe had nothing except gold and silver, not enough reason to go colonise it, since it is coming to Asia on its own.

Colonising America is problematic too, basicly for the same reason. It doesn't realy haveanything the Indians would want and the way towards India (crossing the pacific) is quite hard compared to the European route. It certainly makes it harder for the Indians to discover America.

 

[SunDeep]

The problem with an Indian colonial power colonizing Europe is that, well, there is nothing in Europe India would want. That was the main incentive for European colonisation. India (and Indonesia, China, etc) had something the Europeans didn't have, so they went to Asia to get it. Europe had nothing except gold and silver, not enough reason to go colonise it, since it is coming to Asia on its own.

Colonising America is problematic too, basicly for the same reason. It doesn't realy haveanything the Indians would want and the way towards India (crossing the pacific) is quite hard compared to the European route. It certainly makes it harder for the Indians to discover America.

Well, that's why it's just for bonus points. It may be challenging to the extreme, and seemingly implausible, but if you can create a plausible scenario in which the Indian Colonial Power succeeds in acquiring colonial territories in Western Europe or North America, then you really deserve to get bonus points for it.

 

[Lord High Executioner]

I don't know nearly enough Indian history to explain how to get there, even using nothing but handwavium and the Rule of Cool, but a more
colony-minded Gujarat seems a good candidate to acquire East African
colonies (and presumably in other parts bordering the Indian Ocean as
well).

 

[SunDeep]

My own personal proposal, and one which would probably have the latest realistic POD, would be an ATL in which the Sikh Empire endures to the present day. This could be achieved in several ways, but the TL which I've put the most research into is one in which Nau Nihal Singh, Maharajah Ranjit Singh's grandson, manages to escape being knocked unconscious by falling masonry upon his return from his father's cremation, and evades assassination.

The Dogras' role in slowly poisoning his father Maharajah Kharak Singh to death, and attempting to bring about the miscarriage of his unborn son by the same means, is soon exposed, and the Dogras flee back to their power base in Jammu and Kashmir, igniting a brief civil war in the Sikh Empire. The Dogras attempt to boost their numbers by declaring the rebirth of the Sikh Confederacy, enticing a few ambitious misldars, and a couple of Cis-Sutlej states, to join their cause. In spite of the Dogras also approaching the British for support though, the BEIC rightly see it as a lost cause, and choose to stay neutral in the conflict, leaning towards the Sikh Raj due to their reliance on free passage through the territories they hold in order to continue their ongoing Anglo-Afghan War.

Eventually, the Anglo-Sikh Wars do still happen ITTL, when the unresolved issue of the Sikh princely states' involvement in the civil war comes to a head; but with better leadership, greater experience, better equipment and more troops than IOTL, the Sikhs win the first Anglo-Sikh War relatively comfortably, with the BEIC electing to sacrifice the guilty Sikh princely states (presumedly temporarily, with the intention of conquering them back and governing them directly after the next Anglo-Sikh War) to be annexed by the Sikh Empire in the peace deal, rather than paying indemnities.

However, this decision soon backfires on them, shaking the faith of India's sovereigns in the value of being British protectorates, and prompting several leaders to attempt to renegotiate their treaties with the BEIC- or in the case of some states, to attempt to end their treaty with the BEIC entirely. Among these, Khairpur (then encompassing the entirety of Upper Sindh) would be the most noteworthy- its ruler, Mir 'Ali Murad, already greatly mistrusted the British, and as such, he would take the lead in declaring that the British had failed in their duty to provide protection, ending his agreement with the British and entering treaty negotiations with the Sikh Empire instead.

Understandably, this draws the ire of the BEIC, but as they begin to amass enough colonial troops near the border to wage their Second Anglo-Sikh War and winning, preparing them for the coming war by equipping them with the latest Pattern 1853 Enfield rifles, rumors begin to spread about the cartridges, sparking off a far more severe Indian Rebellion than IOTL- with extra kindling also provided by the far more vocal opposition of the Company among the Indian Aristocracy ITTL, enough to turn it into a true 1st Indian War of Independence.

In spite of the enmity between them and the British though, the rebels' decision to rally under the banner of Bahadur Shah II, and to restore the Mughal Empire, would be the deciding factor for the Sikhs. With the resurrection of the Mughals perceived to be a far greater evil than the British could ever be, the Sikh Empire decides to offer its full support to the British in the conflict, enabling the British to eventually succeed in reconquering the short-lived Second Mughal Empire. In return for their assistance, and to cover their own financial losses in the conflict, one of the BEIC's final actions would be to sell the territories of Lower Sindh (incl. Kutch) and Bahawalpur to the Sikhs for a reasonable fee (with the Sikhs having to conquer these regions from the hostile occupying Mughal/Rebel forces themselves first).

After the formation of the British Raj, the military cooperation of the Sikh Empire with the British would lead to the signing of a formal military alliance between the Sikh Empire and the newly formed British Raj- with the Afghans' decision to become a protectorate of the Russians while the British were otherwise occupied reconquering Northern and Central India providing added incentive. As with OTL's Anglo-Japanese Alliance, while the British see as a warning to Russia, the Sikh Empire would be emboldened by it, seeing it as an open invitation for imperial expansion. Wakhan, the Baluch Kingdoms and the Sultanates of Oman and Zanzibar, along with large swathes of the Zanj Coast, would be their first targets- the Mahra Sultanate and Yakub Beg's Kashgaria would soon follow, and by the 1880s, the Sikhs set their sights on acquiring colonial territories, and establishing colonial settlements, further afield...

 

[Flocculencio]

Maintain Chola/Chera naval control over the SE Asian trade routes and you could have a chance of a South Indian thallasocracy in SE Asia.

 

[Shahrasayr]

The maritime states of Tamilikam come to mind. Maybe even a kingdom of Karnataka, such as the Hoysalas or Vijayanagara could achieve such things.

 

[Dathi THorfinnsson]

Maintain Chola/Chera naval control over the SE Asian trade routes and you could have a chance of a South Indian thallasocracy in SE Asia.

Followed by colonization of Australia?

 

[British Republic]

My own personal proposal, and one which would probably have the latest realistic POD, would be an ATL in which the Sikh Empire endures to the present day. This could be achieved in several ways, but the TL which I've put the most research into is one in which Nau Nihal Singh, Maharajah Ranjit Singh's grandson, manages to escape being knocked unconscious by falling masonry upon his return from his father's cremation, and evades assassination.

The Dogras' role in slowly poisoning his father Maharajah Kharak Singh to death, and attempting to bring about the miscarriage of his unborn son by the same means, is soon exposed, and the Dogras flee back to their power base in Jammu and Kashmir, igniting a brief civil war in the Sikh Empire. The Dogras attempt to boost their numbers by declaring the rebirth of the Sikh Confederacy, enticing a few ambitious misldars, and a couple of Cis-Sutlej states, to join their cause. In spite of the Dogras also approaching the British for support though, the BEIC rightly see it as a lost cause, and choose to stay neutral in the conflict, leaning towards the Sikh Raj due to their reliance on free passage through the territories they hold in order to continue their ongoing Anglo-Afghan War.

Eventually, the Anglo-Sikh Wars do still happen ITTL, when the unresolved issue of the Sikh princely states' involvement in the civil war comes to a head; but with better leadership, greater experience, better equipment and more troops than IOTL, the Sikhs win the first Anglo-Sikh War relatively comfortably, with the BEIC electing to sacrifice the guilty Sikh princely states (presumedly temporarily, with the intention of conquering them back and governing them directly after the next Anglo-Sikh War) to be annexed by the Sikh Empire in the peace deal, rather than paying indemnities.

However, this decision soon backfires on them, shaking the faith of India's sovereigns in the value of being British protectorates, and prompting several leaders to attempt to renegotiate their treaties with the BEIC- or in the case of some states, to attempt to end their treaty with the BEIC entirely. Among these, Khairpur (then encompassing the entirety of Upper Sindh) would be the most noteworthy- its ruler, Mir 'Ali Murad, already greatly mistrusted the British, and as such, he would take the lead in declaring that the British had failed in their duty to provide protection, ending his agreement with the British and entering treaty negotiations with the Sikh Empire instead.

Understandably, this draws the ire of the BEIC, but as they begin to amass enough colonial troops near the border to wage their Second Anglo-Sikh War and winning, preparing them for the coming war by equipping them with the latest Pattern 1853 Enfield rifles, rumors begin to spread about the cartridges, sparking off a far more severe Indian Rebellion than IOTL- with extra kindling also provided by the far more vocal opposition of the Company among the Indian Aristocracy ITTL, enough to turn it into a true 1st Indian War of Independence.

In spite of the enmity between them and the British though, the rebels' decision to rally under the banner of Bahadur Shah II, and to restore the Mughal Empire, would be the deciding factor for the Sikhs. With the resurrection of the Mughals perceived to be a far greater evil than the British could ever be, the Sikh Empire decides to offer its full support to the British in the conflict, enabling the British to eventually succeed in reconquering the short-lived Second Mughal Empire. In return for their assistance, and to cover their own financial losses in the conflict, one of the BEIC's final actions would be to sell the territories of Lower Sindh (incl. Kutch) and Bahawalpur to the Sikhs for a reasonable fee (with the Sikhs having to conquer these regions from the hostile occupying Mughal/Rebel forces themselves first).

After the formation of the British Raj, the military cooperation of the Sikh Empire with the British would lead to the signing of a formal military alliance between the Sikh Empire and the newly formed British Raj- with the Afghans' decision to become a protectorate of the Russians while the British were otherwise occupied reconquering Northern and Central India providing added incentive. As with OTL's Anglo-Japanese Alliance, while the British see as a warning to Russia, the Sikh Empire would be emboldened by it, seeing it as an open invitation for imperial expansion. Wakhan, the Baluch Kingdoms and the Sultanates of Oman and Zanzibar, along with large swathes of the Zanj Coast, would be their first targets- the Mahra Sultanate and Yakub Beg's Kashgaria would soon follow, and by the 1880s, the Sikhs set their sights on acquiring colonial territories, and establishing colonial settlements, further afield...

Well it is going to change the history of my faith for sure (I am of the Sikh Faith after all).

What would happen to the British Raj and the Sikh Empire by the 20th Century?

 

['Ezana]

My own personal proposal, and one which would probably have the latest realistic POD, would be an ATL in which the Sikh Empire endures to the present day. This could be achieved in several ways, but the TL which I've put the most research into is one in which Nau Nihal Singh, Maharajah Ranjit Singh's grandson, manages to escape being knocked unconscious by falling masonry upon his return from his father's cremation, and evades assassination.

The Dogras' role in slowly poisoning his father Maharajah Kharak Singh to death, and attempting to bring about the miscarriage of his unborn son by the same means, is soon exposed, and the Dogras flee back to their power base in Jammu and Kashmir, igniting a brief civil war in the Sikh Empire. The Dogras attempt to boost their numbers by declaring the rebirth of the Sikh Confederacy, enticing a few ambitious misldars, and a couple of Cis-Sutlej states, to join their cause. In spite of the Dogras also approaching the British for support though, the BEIC rightly see it as a lost cause, and choose to stay neutral in the conflict, leaning towards the Sikh Raj due to their reliance on free passage through the territories they hold in order to continue their ongoing Anglo-Afghan War.

Eventually, the Anglo-Sikh Wars do still happen ITTL, when the unresolved issue of the Sikh princely states' involvement in the civil war comes to a head; but with better leadership, greater experience, better equipment and more troops than IOTL, the Sikhs win the first Anglo-Sikh War relatively comfortably, with the BEIC electing to sacrifice the guilty Sikh princely states (presumedly temporarily, with the intention of conquering them back and governing them directly after the next Anglo-Sikh War) to be annexed by the Sikh Empire in the peace deal, rather than paying indemnities.

However, this decision soon backfires on them, shaking the faith of India's sovereigns in the value of being British protectorates, and prompting several leaders to attempt to renegotiate their treaties with the BEIC- or in the case of some states, to attempt to end their treaty with the BEIC entirely. Among these, Khairpur (then encompassing the entirety of Upper Sindh) would be the most noteworthy- its ruler, Mir 'Ali Murad, already greatly mistrusted the British, and as such, he would take the lead in declaring that the British had failed in their duty to provide protection, ending his agreement with the British and entering treaty negotiations with the Sikh Empire instead.

Understandably, this draws the ire of the BEIC, but as they begin to amass enough colonial troops near the border to wage their Second Anglo-Sikh War and winning, preparing them for the coming war by equipping them with the latest Pattern 1853 Enfield rifles, rumors begin to spread about the cartridges, sparking off a far more severe Indian Rebellion than IOTL- with extra kindling also provided by the far more vocal opposition of the Company among the Indian Aristocracy ITTL, enough to turn it into a true 1st Indian War of Independence.

In spite of the enmity between them and the British though, the rebels' decision to rally under the banner of Bahadur Shah II, and to restore the Mughal Empire, would be the deciding factor for the Sikhs. With the resurrection of the Mughals perceived to be a far greater evil than the British could ever be, the Sikh Empire decides to offer its full support to the British in the conflict, enabling the British to eventually succeed in reconquering the short-lived Second Mughal Empire. In return for their assistance, and to cover their own financial losses in the conflict, one of the BEIC's final actions would be to sell the territories of Lower Sindh (incl. Kutch) and Bahawalpur to the Sikhs for a reasonable fee (with the Sikhs having to conquer these regions from the hostile occupying Mughal/Rebel forces themselves first).

After the formation of the British Raj, the military cooperation of the Sikh Empire with the British would lead to the signing of a formal military alliance between the Sikh Empire and the newly formed British Raj- with the Afghans' decision to become a protectorate of the Russians while the British were otherwise occupied reconquering Northern and Central India providing added incentive. As with OTL's Anglo-Japanese Alliance, while the British see as a warning to Russia, the Sikh Empire would be emboldened by it, seeing it as an open invitation for imperial expansion. Wakhan, the Baluch Kingdoms and the Sultanates of Oman and Zanzibar, along with large swathes of the Zanj Coast, would be their first targets- the Mahra Sultanate and Yakub Beg's Kashgaria would soon follow, and by the 1880s, the Sikhs set their sights on acquiring colonial territories, and establishing colonial settlements, further afield...

I like this idea. The Sikhs could potentially also industrialize to a certain extent. They are within striking distance of Xinjiang, which has some huge coal resources, and they could get British support by acting as a barrier to the Russians.

EDIT:There's also a lot of potential with the Southern Indian polities mentioned by others. The Chola already ruled parts of Sri Vijyaya, and these guys: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_Guilds_of_South_India look like they could lead trading company-style colonization, like the VOC or BEIC. It would definitely help if these trading companies were looking for a specific resource that is hard to obtain in India, which I'm drawing a blank on. What is it that Europeans traded Indians for spices anyway?

 

[British Republic]

I like this idea. The Sikhs could potentially also industrialize to a certain extent. They are within striking distance of Xinjiang, which has some huge coal resources, and they could get British support by acting as a barrier to the Russians.

Would that mean the Sikhs would challenge Russia over control of Central Asia?

 

[sahaidak]

What is it that Europeans traded Indians for spices anyway?

Gold and silver.

However, Indians did purchase a lot of horses from Iran and Central Asia (horses did not thrive, much less propagate, in India), as well as some high-value manufactures (sidearms, carpets, linen goods etc.) from Middle East (it was mostly Muslim Indian rulers and aristocrats who bought these manufactures, as they were attracted to Baghdad/Isfahan fashions).

 

[SunDeep]

Would that mean the Sikhs would challenge Russia over control of Central Asia?

In essence, yes- initially though, they'd be perceived to be challenging the Russians for control over Central Asia as a proxy of the British. Eventually though, they'd become too wealthy and powerful not to be acknowledged as a major colonial power in their own right. I've researched the figures, crunched the data, and the GDP (PPP) per capita of the Sikh Empire IOTL prior to its annexation by the British- even after the First and Second Anglo-Sikh Wars, after almost ten years of political turmoil and poor administration) was still around 90% of that of Imperial Japan at the same time- and unlike the Japanese, who would only get off the mark and switch from their feudal system to a market economy after the Meiji Restoration some twenty years later, the Sikhs were already calling upon European expertise to help them to modernise their military and get proto-industrialisation under way prior to the cited POD in 1840.

ITTL, even if the growth of the Sikh Empire's economy from this stage onwards merely manages to keep pace with the growth of the larger world economy, or grows at a rate comparable to that of the Japanese economy after the Meji Restoration, the total GDP (PPP) of its core territories (encompassing the entirety of OTL's Pakistan, the Indian states and districts of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir and Kutch) would still exceed that of the Kingdom of Italy prior to 1914. Add non-core regions such as Kashgaria (present-day Nanjiang) and easily acquired colonial territories such as Oman, the Mahra Sultanate, Zanzibar and the Zanj Coast, and the size of the Sikh Empire's economy could well rival that of the entire South American economy by this stage.

And you could easily argue that these projections, basing the Sikh Empire's projected economic growth upon that of Meiji-Era Japan would be more likely to lead to an overly conservative estimate than the other way round. If you believe that more liberal, egalitarian and anti-discriminatory policies (related to race, religion and gender) serve to provide a more conducive environment for economic growth, then TTL's Sikh Empire should be more than capable of outperforming OTL's Imperial Japan. Indeed, it might not be OTT to suggest that the GDP (PPP) of the Sikh Empire could even rival that of the French Third Republic by the time World War I approaches its conclusion...

 

[Corsair_Caruso]

In essence, yes- initially though, they'd be perceived to be challenging the Russians for control over Central Asia as a proxy of the British. Eventually though, they'd become too wealthy and powerful not to be acknowledged as a major colonial power in their own right. I've researched the figures, crunched the data, and the GDP (PPP) per capita of the Sikh Empire IOTL prior to its annexation by the British- even after the First and Second Anglo-Sikh Wars, after almost ten years of political turmoil and poor administration) was still around 90% of that of Imperial Japan at the same time- and unlike the Japanese, who would only get off the mark and switch from their feudal system to a market economy after the Meiji Restoration some twenty years later, the Sikhs were already calling upon European expertise to help them to modernise their military and get proto-industrialisation under way prior to the cited POD in 1840.

ITTL, even if the growth of the Sikh Empire's economy from this stage onwards merely manages to keep pace with the growth of the larger world economy, or grows at a rate comparable to that of the Japanese economy after the Meji Restoration, the total GDP (PPP) of its core territories (encompassing the entirety of OTL's Pakistan, the Indian states and districts of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir and Kutch) would still exceed that of the Kingdom of Italy prior to 1914. Add non-core regions such as Kashgaria (present-day Nanjiang) and easily acquired colonial territories such as Oman, the Mahra Sultanate, Zanzibar and the Zanj Coast, and the size of the Sikh Empire's economy could well rival that of the entire South American economy by this stage.

And you could easily argue that these projections, basing the Sikh Empire's projected economic growth upon that of Meiji-Era Japan would be more likely to lead to an overly conservative estimate than the other way round. If you believe that more liberal, egalitarian and anti-discriminatory policies (related to race, religion and gender) serve to provide a more conducive environment for economic growth, then TTL's Sikh Empire should be more than capable of outperforming OTL's Imperial Japan. Indeed, it might not be OTT to suggest that the GDP (PPP) of the Sikh Empire could even rival that of the French Third Republic by the time World War I approaches its conclusion...

Is this a thing? Why isn't this a thing? Why haven't I read this TL?

 

['Ezana]

In essence, yes- initially though, they'd be perceived to be challenging the Russians for control over Central Asia as a proxy of the British. Eventually though, they'd become too wealthy and powerful not to be acknowledged as a major colonial power in their own right. I've researched the figures, crunched the data, and the GDP (PPP) per capita of the Sikh Empire IOTL prior to its annexation by the British- even after the First and Second Anglo-Sikh Wars, after almost ten years of political turmoil and poor administration) was still around 90% of that of Imperial Japan at the same time- and unlike the Japanese, who would only get off the mark and switch from their feudal system to a market economy after the Meiji Restoration some twenty years later, the Sikhs were already calling upon European expertise to help them to modernise their military and get proto-industrialisation under way prior to the cited POD in 1840.

ITTL, even if the growth of the Sikh Empire's economy from this stage onwards merely manages to keep pace with the growth of the larger world economy, or grows at a rate comparable to that of the Japanese economy after the Meji Restoration, the total GDP (PPP) of its core territories (encompassing the entirety of OTL's Pakistan, the Indian states and districts of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir and Kutch) would still exceed that of the Kingdom of Italy prior to 1914. Add non-core regions such as Kashgaria (present-day Nanjiang) and easily acquired colonial territories such as Oman, the Mahra Sultanate, Zanzibar and the Zanj Coast, and the size of the Sikh Empire's economy could well rival that of the entire South American economy by this stage.

And you could easily argue that these projections, basing the Sikh Empire's projected economic growth upon that of Meiji-Era Japan would be more likely to lead to an overly conservative estimate than the other way round. If you believe that more liberal, egalitarian and anti-discriminatory policies (related to race, religion and gender) serve to provide a more conducive environment for economic growth, then TTL's Sikh Empire should be more than capable of outperforming OTL's Imperial Japan. Indeed, it might not be OTT to suggest that the GDP (PPP) of the Sikh Empire could even rival that of the French Third Republic by the time World War I approaches its conclusion...

Do you know what the states of the literacy rate and internal stability in the Sikh Empire were? Those were factors in Japan's modernization. Also referring to your post, Japan actually was calling upon European expertise prior to the Meiji Restoration. They even had a whole field of study called "Rangaku" meaning "Dutch Learning" which allowed Japan to accumulate Western knowledge via the Dutch during the Shogunate era. Anyway, this should definitely be a TL.

 

[SunDeep]

Is this a thing? Why isn't this a thing? Why haven't I read this TL?

I've been researching it for a while, and I've already started writing the first novel in the series (detailing the POD, and following the course of events immediately afterward, primarily focusing on the Sikh Civil War between the Loyalists and the Confederates). I'm still hoping to actually publish them properly though, so I'm not ready to place excerpts out there in the public domain just yet. Don't worry though- hopefully, you'll be able to read this TL some day soon.

 

[Badshah]

Do you know what the states of the literacy rate and internal stability in the Sikh Empire were? Those were factors in Japan's modernization. Also referring to your post, Japan actually was calling upon European expertise prior to the Meiji Restoration. They even had a whole field of study called "Rangaku" meaning "Dutch Learning" which allowed Japan to accumulate Western knowledge via the Dutch during the Shogunate era. Anyway, this should definitely be a TL.

The Sikh Empire already had Western commanders in their army and they used European tactics. It isn't too far gone to suggest that there might be more Western influence in the country. However, the Sikhs need to deal with their centralisation problems.

 

[Corsair_Caruso]

I've been researching it for a while, and I've already started writing the first novel in the series (detailing the POD, and following the course of events immediately afterward, primarily focusing on the Sikh Civil War between the Loyalists and the Confederates). I'm still hoping to actually publish them properly though, so I'm not ready to place excerpts out there in the public domain just yet. Don't worry though- hopefully, you'll be able to read this TL some day soon.

Best of luck! Keep us posted

 

[Flocculencio]

Followed by colonization of Australia?

Unlikely, IMO. There's nothing there that would attract colonisation (any more than it did until it was specifically selected as a settler colony for undesirables by the British). An Indian thallasocracy would be trade based and there's really nothing that Northern Australia can provide. It's very telling that even the Indonesians (who were perfectly aware of the existence of the Top End) didn't bother settling it. There's lots of much richer empty space in the East Indies.

 

[Flocculencio]

It would definitely help if these trading companies were looking for a specific resource that is hard to obtain in India, which I'm drawing a blank on. What is it that Europeans traded Indians for spices anyway?

It's important to note that Europeans didn't just trade for spices. India was a major exporter of finished cloth to Europe (up until the EI destroyed the local weaving industry).

But yeah, they purchased Indian trade goods with gold and silver which, incidentally is why you don't see much of an incentive for Indian traders to head West- if there are no trade goods you need from Europe, it's much easier to let Europeans come and bring gold to you. That's why, if we're talking about a South Indian maritime power, SE Asia is a logical area for expansion- gaining hegemony in the East Indies gives direct material control over the trade goods thereof, as opposed to launching long expeditions to bring spices to Europe to sell for gold which they would have brought you anyway.