Despite modern India being one of the largest producers of tea and tea serving as a huge source of income for the British Empire, tea was hardly cultivated in India before the 19th century. Only in a few regions was tea known, and even then it was only wild relatives of tea. Tea itself was a Chinese import, for China was the area of widespread cultivation.
So what if in the period 700-1400 (tea was not as popular before 700), tea cultivation was introduced to India from China? There was a long-standing history of contact between China and India, one most especially linked to Buddhism. Buddhism itself underwent periods of persecution in China, and China had periods of violence and instability. What if during one of these persecutions, Buddhist monks traveled south to India, established a monastery, and began cultivating tea there? This was not uncommon, since in Japan, Zen monks in the 12th century promoted tea cultivation and completely changed the way Japan approached tea.
Could the same be done in India? While Buddhism itself was a declining faith in much of India, it seems feasible that it could spread beyond both the foreign and local Buddhist community. All the moreso if a Buddhist state like the Pala Empire (India's last great Buddhist state) centered in modern Bengal promotes tea cultivation--incidentally, much prime land for growing tea was under Pala control. If tea becomes widely grown on the southern slopes of the Himalayas, just how much will that region benefit? How does it alter trade between India and China? Does it become the primary focus of European trade, potentially to the detriment of China? This seems to constrain the import of European silver into China given how much of it was used to pay for tea.
So what if in the period 700-1400 (tea was not as popular before 700), tea cultivation was introduced to India from China? There was a long-standing history of contact between China and India, one most especially linked to Buddhism. Buddhism itself underwent periods of persecution in China, and China had periods of violence and instability. What if during one of these persecutions, Buddhist monks traveled south to India, established a monastery, and began cultivating tea there? This was not uncommon, since in Japan, Zen monks in the 12th century promoted tea cultivation and completely changed the way Japan approached tea.
Could the same be done in India? While Buddhism itself was a declining faith in much of India, it seems feasible that it could spread beyond both the foreign and local Buddhist community. All the moreso if a Buddhist state like the Pala Empire (India's last great Buddhist state) centered in modern Bengal promotes tea cultivation--incidentally, much prime land for growing tea was under Pala control. If tea becomes widely grown on the southern slopes of the Himalayas, just how much will that region benefit? How does it alter trade between India and China? Does it become the primary focus of European trade, potentially to the detriment of China? This seems to constrain the import of European silver into China given how much of it was used to pay for tea.
