Hand written eye witness journal on Vasco da Gama’s historic voyage to India declared one of the World’s greatest documents
LONDON: A hand written journal of Vasco da Gama’s first voyage to India, dating back to 1497-1499 that describes how he led the first fleet around Africa to India, arriving in Calicut and starting a maritime route from Portugal to India, changing the course of history of humankind has been included in the most prestigious list of the world’s greatest documents.
Unesco’s world heritage body that met on Tuesday has decided to include this journal – the only copy of the voyage of Vasco da Gama in the Memory of the World Register 2013.
Although the journal is an anonymous work written by an eyewitness who accompanied the fleet and also took part in the expedition on land, Unesco said it provides testimony of the pioneer sea voyage to India, one of the defining moments that changed the course of history.
Source: Times of India, June 19, 2013, 02:11 AM IST
