Previous Year Question
In which of the following places the Dutch established their trading centres in India?
Nagappattinam, Chinsura, Machilipatnam
Surat, Bharuch, Agra
Cochin, Ahmedabad, Patna
All the above
Correct Answer: D
Detailed Solution
The Dutch merchants established the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in 1602 CE. Their principal objective in India was to expand control over the trade in spices as well as cotton textiles, silk, indigo, saltpetre and other commercial commodities.
The first Dutch factory in India was established at Machilipatnam in 1605 CE. They subsequently developed important centres on the Coromandel Coast, including Pulicat and Nagappattinam. In 1690, the headquarters of Dutch Coromandel was shifted from Pulicat to Nagappattinam.
In Bengal, the Dutch established centres at Chinsura, Patna, Kasimbazar and Balasore. Their trading centres in western India also included Surat, Ahmedabad and Agra. On the south-western coast, Cochin became an important Dutch centre.
The Dutch also had a commercial presence at Bharuch. District records of the Government of Gujarat mention a Dutch factory or trading post there, established during the seventeenth century. Historical remains associated with the old Dutch factory are still recorded at Bharuch.
Thus, Nagappattinam, Chinsura and Machilipatnam in option (a), Surat, Bharuch and Agra in option (b), and Cochin, Ahmedabad and Patna in option (c) were all associated with Dutch commercial activity.