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Discovery of the Sea-Route to India

Vasco da Gama's name has figured in all history books, whether they relate to World, European,1 Asian or Indian history,2 as a great sailor and adventurer. He has been solely credited with the honour of having discovered the sea-route from Europe to India via the Cape of Good Hope. At the same time, the name of another great sailor—Ibn Majid—who actually piloted Vasco da Gama's ship from Malindi on the east coast of Africa to Calicut in India, has been ignored. His name has gone unnoticed due to several reasons. In the first place there is a general lack of information about his career and achievements. Secondly, the euro-centric approach sees all progress in history, science and art from the high pedestal built by the European scholars for Western civilization.3 And lastly, the Arab historians held back the true facts about Ibn Majid being the pilot of Vasco da Gama's ship. This article attempts to piece together the evidence collected from various sources in Europe, Africa and India.