Where is the East India Company, which ruled India for 200 years, now?

The East India Company wasn't just a trading company but an institution through which the British expanded their empire across Asia. It had a formidable army and enjoyed the support of the British government. From 1757 to 1858, the company plundered India through the trade of spices, tea, textiles and opium.

The inception of the East India Company dates back to December 31, 1600, when Queen Elizabeth I granted it a license to trade in India. It operated as a unique entity where individuals invested money and shared profits. The company was managed by 215 traders and investors under the leadership of the Earl of Cumberland.

The East India Company invested heavily in its professional army. In 1763, it had 6,680 soldiers in Bengal alone, which grew to 1,29,473 by 1823. Initially, soldiers and officers were recruited from various places, but after reforms in 1785, only Englishmen were appointed as officers. The number of company soldiers exceeded that of its other employees by a significant margin. In 1830, the company employed about 3,500 Indian staff.

Besides trade, the East India Company dealt in various commodities, including Chinese porcelain, silk, saltpetre for making gunpowder, indigo, coffee, silver, and wool. The company's ships, which transported these goods worldwide, were heavily armed, typically equipped with 30 to 36 cannons. The company benefitted from the dominance of the British Navy in the Indian Ocean.

The British East India Company was dissolved by the British Parliament in 1874, almost 300 years after its founding. The company became part of the British Empire in 1858, and the British Crown nationalized its Indian possessions that same year. The East India Stock Dividend Redemption Act of 1873 formally dissolved the company, making it obsolete and powerless. The dissolution of the company marked the beginning of the British Raj, or direct British imperial rule of India.