India has always been a fantastic host. Throughout the history of India, Greeks, Arabs, Turks, Mughals, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Danish and English have invaded and controlled parts of the country. The primary attraction for all the conquerors and colonizers who have time and again raided or ruled India has been the fabled great riches of a land of wealth and wonder. No doubt India lost a great part of her opulence and magnificence to the marauders, but in the bargain the country has also been immensely enriched by such long cultural associations with diverse foreign people. Modern European links with India began with the discovery of the route around the Cape of Good Hope by the Portuguese traveller Vasco da Gama in 1497. The Portuguese had a settlement in Goa, on the western coast of India, until 1962. The Dutch company had its trading bases in Pulicat and Surat. The French had their posts in Surat and Pondicherry, and in Bengal they occupied Chandernagore, which was retained until 1954. The Danish company had a base in Serampore, in Bengal, between 1755 and 1845. The British East India Company (EIC), established in London in 1600 and known as ‘the Grandest Society of Merchants in the Universe’, grew to be the paramount power in India, responsible for the governance of one of the largest empires in history. Its principal settlements were Bombay on the west coast, Madras in the south of the country and Calcutta on the eastern coast. In the first phase of its journey from merchants to administrators, the EIC was dictated primarily by commercial interests and then gradually to consolidate its interests especially against its other European rivals. The Company at first received a firman from the Mughal court in 1608 and got permission to trade in the western parts of India.