Where did the British set up their first permanent factory in India in 1613?

Key Fact(s)

The first permanent British factory in India was established at Surat in 1613 by the English East India Company. Surat was a major port city on the western coast and an important center of Mughal overseas trade.

Permission for this factory was granted during the reign of Mughal Emperor Jahangir after the English success against the Portuguese in the Battle of Swally (1612). The factory enabled the English to trade in cotton textiles, indigo, and spices. This establishment marked the beginning of permanent British commercial presence in India, which later expanded into political control.