In India, among the following locations, the Dutch established their earliest factory at

1. Surat
2. Pullicat
3. Cochin
4. Cassimbazar

Explanation

Option (b) is correct

• The Dutch East India Company established its first factory at Machilipatnam in 1605, followed by another at Petapuli in 1606. In 1609, the Dutch set up a factory at Pulicat near Chennai, which became the headquarters of their Coromandel Directorate in 1616. They later established trading depots at Nagapattinam, Kochi, Surat, Chinsurah, Agra, and Patna. In 1690, the Dutch shifted their headquarters from Pulicat to Nagapattinam on the southern Coromandel Coast.

Answer: (b) Pullicat