With reference to Indian history, consider the following statements: 1. The Dutch established their factories/werehouses on the east coast on lands granted to them by Gajapati rulers. 2. Alfonso de Albuquerque captured Goa from the Bijapur Sultanate. 3. The English East India Company established a factory at Madras on a plot of land leased from a representative of the Vijayanagara empire. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect. The United East India Company of the Netherlands (VOC) was formed in 1602. The Gajapati dynasty, which ruled the Odisha region, had declined significantly by 1541 (the last ruler being Kakharua Deva). Therefore, the Dutch could not have received land grants from Gajapati rulers. They typically acquired land from local rulers like the Nayakas or the Golconda Sultanate on the east coast.
Statement 2 is correct. Alfonso de Albuquerque captured Goa in 1510 from the Bijapur Sultanate (Adil Shahis). This victory established the Portuguese as a formidable regional power.
Statement 3 is correct. In 1639, Francis Day of the English East India Company obtained a lease for a strip of land in Madras from the Nayaka of Chandragiri (Damarla Venkatapathy), who was a representative/vassal of the declining Vijayanagara Empire.