Hey everybody, I'm new here (and will be playing that card until I break 10 posts) but I've been lurking for a LONG time, and thought I'd finally post a question on this forum. In OTL India was eventually taken over completely by Britain, but what other powers could have had large colonies there? Specifically, what powers that aren't strictly "Western", or are even purely Eastern?
My AP European History book told me that British played the Great Game because they were afraid Russia would threaten India if they got a hold of Afghanistan, but could the Russians have really projected power through the Hindu Kush? What kind of a POD would be necessary to get them into India proper?
Could the Chinese have set up colonies in India had Zheng He and others like him been allowed to continue their expeditions?
If the Ottomans had a strong enough fleet in either the Red Sea or the Persian Gulf, could they have pushed out into the Indian Ocean and eventually colonized parts of India? A Turkish Kerala would be fascinating.
The Persians might establish contiguous control over northern India, so they wouldn't technically have colonies in the "overseas" sense of the word, but how much could they grab given the right circumstances?
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject.