519 years since Vasco da Gama arrived in India
Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama became the first European to reach India via sea on May 20, 1498. Linking Europe and Asia by an ocean route, Da Gama sailed from Portugal in July 1497, anchored on the east coast of Africa and arrived at Calicut in Kerala. Further, he was appointed as Portuguese viceroy in India in 1524.