The history-rich waters of the Bay of Bengal are considered sacred by many Hindus. In ancient Hindu lore, the bay is called Mahodadhi, meaning “great water receptacle.” Still today, the devout perform a daily aarti, a religious ritual in which they place fire offerings into the surf and let the tides carry them away. During the early 1600s, Britain’s East India Company sailed along the coast, settled throughout India and established a trading body; soon after, half of the world’s maritime commerce of goods such as cotton, silk and tea were traded exclusively through them.
