Abstract
The arrival of European maritime powers altered the trading patterns and shipping practices of the Arabian Sea region. One development was the establishment by Europeans of commercial bases known as factories. These factories were often built according to European styles, which added a new and very different spectacle to the local environment. This research note focuses on a small factory established by the Dutch at Vengurla on the Konkan Coast, which forms part of the western seaboard of India. The factory was established in 1637 and was under direct administration of Batavia (Jakarta). It initially had a strategic function in the context of the rivalry between the Dutch and the Portuguese based at Goa. Eventually, as the political scenario changed, the factory began to trade in local products. It was finally abandoned in 1682, and although it now lies in ruins it offers an insightful case study of how and why factories operated in the European maritime empires of the early modern era.
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