Europeans have known since time immemorial that somewhere in the east there is a country where the River Ganges flows. Ptolemy’s world map gives testimony to that. Many more, even older references, may be mentioned in that regard. Before the advent of Jesus Christ, some Europeans wrote first-hand accounts of that land. The Greek and Roman empires met the destiny that every empire meets eventually. Subsequently, Europe plunged into a chaotic phase that led to the free downfall of that society.

When Europe regained itself once again and started its journey into what we call ‘modern times', at that time, unfriendly empires emerged between Europe and the land of the Ganges. That probably made the land route not that acceptable for travel and communication. Moreover, by that time, because of technological advancements, land travel had proved to be much less of an acceptable option than maritime travel.

For various...