<P> The discovery of the sea route to India is the description sometimes used in Europe and among the Portuguese for the first recorded trip made directly from Europe to India via the Atlantic Ocean . It was undertaken under the command of Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama during the reign of King Manuel I in 1497 - 1499 . Considered by Europe to be one of the most remarkable voyages of the Age of Discovery , it consolidated the Portuguese maritime presence in Pacific Ocean and that country 's dominance of global trade routes . </P>
who wanted to be the first to sail from europe to india
Vasco da Gama