Explain the following statement with reasons: Indian rulers found it difficult to fight the Portuguese.

Answer: Because the Portuguese were strong at sea while Indian rulers had no strong navy.

• Indian rulers were mainly land powers; they had not given importance to building a strong navy.
• The Portuguese had well-armed ships with cannon and good knowledge of the seas, so they controlled the sea trade of the west coast.
• They built strong forts on the coast (Goa, Diu, Daman, Vasai, Chaul) and made Goa their headquarters.
• Indian rulers were divided and fought among themselves; the Portuguese took advantage of their rivalries.
• Through the ‘cartaz’ (permit) system they forced Indian ships to buy their permission, so Indian rulers found it difficult to fight them.