The first mention of tobacco in India occurred during the Mughal era. The court was as radiant as ever. The king’s arrival was announced, and the entire court stood in awe of his majesty. The king entered, bowed to the court, and greeted everyone. Akbar’s health had begun to deteriorate. The royal physician advised rest, but Akbar still attended the court, as it was a special day.
Mirza Asad Beg returned from Bijapur with good news. The marriage of Prince Daniyal to Adil Shah’s daughter had been finalized. After sealing this alliance, Asad Beg arrived in Agra with a gift called Zar-o-Maal from Bijapur.
When the cover was removed from the gift, it revealed several items on silver and gold plates. The king glanced at each one. Asad Beg presented himself before the emperor and placed a small silver tray in front of him.
Akbar Smoked Hookah for the First Time
The tray held several items, including a beautifully carved pipe and a three-hand-long stem, its ends painted and adorned with enamel. Accompanying the stem was a silver tube wrapped in purple velvet.
Along with these items was something resembling spices and a beautifully crafted burner for igniting it.
Seeing this unique and captivating assortment, Akbar asked Asad Beg, “What is all this?”
Asad Beg replied, “Your Majesty, this is tobacco. I have brought it as a medicinal offering for the emperor’s service.”
Emphasizing its significance, he added, “Your Majesty, everyone in Mecca and Medina is familiar with tobacco.”
Hearing this, Akbar ordered it to be prepared and the pipe brought forward. The tobacco was lit, presented to the emperor, and he took two or three puffs.
Afterward, Akbar inquired about tobacco from his royal physician. The physician noted that while there wasn’t much information in India at the time, Europeans were well-acquainted with it.
The Introduction of Tobacco in Mughal India
Following this event, Akbar never consumed tobacco again, but its use had begun in Mughal India. In the preceding decades, tobacco consumption grew so significantly that Mughal emperor Jahangir issued a decree banning it.
May 31 and Tobacco
Today is May 31, a date associated with tobacco. There was a time when the world was unaware of tobacco’s harmful effects.
People were seen consuming tobacco on airplanes and even in hospitals.
As research on tobacco increased, its harmful effects became evident.
In 1987, to raise awareness, the World Health Organization decided to observe May 31 as ‘No Tobacco Day’ annually.
Tobacco from America to Europe
Archaeological research suggests tobacco use began 12,300 years ago in North and Central America. When Christopher Columbus reached America in 1492, he received tobacco from the natives. Ships then carried tobacco to Europe, where it was used to treat toothaches and injuries. Europeans believed tobacco could cure everything.
It is believed that tobacco arrived in India with the Portuguese. Historically, the first mention of tobacco cultivation is found in South India. Around 1604-05, William Methwold, an agent of the East India Company, was a guest of the Bijapur Sultanate.
According to Methwold, tobacco cultivation began along the Coromandel Coast in the early 17th century. Within a few years, it expanded significantly. By 1622, Coromandel tobacco not only met local demand but was also exported to Burma.
Additionally, tobacco cultivation is mentioned in Surat during the early 17th century, indicating that it began simultaneously but independently in two regions of India: Andhra and Surat.
A British merchant named Thomas Bowrey reported tobacco use in India between 1669 and 1679. He wrote, “In North India, tobacco is donated to fakirs along with other items. In the Coromandel region, it is customary to offer tobacco with betel leaf and areca nut at weddings.”
Tobacco Tax
By the time of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, tobacco had become a major source of tax revenue. Venetian traveler Nicolao Manucci mentioned this in his writings. According to Manucci, the Mughal treasury in Delhi alone collected 5,000 rupees daily from tobacco taxes. He added that one could imagine how much revenue the emperor received from across India.
Documents from the British East India Company also mention tobacco trade in India. Between 1619 and 1669, the British consistently traded tobacco. Surat had a port, so tobacco was purchased there and sent to the Middle East. In the south, Dutch ships traded tobacco, exporting it to Sumatra and Java. In terms of price, tobacco cost around 920 rupees per kilogram.
According to British records, the tobacco trade in the Middle East yielded four times the profit relative to costs. The British earned money from this trade, which they used to buy spices from India and send to Britain. A single tobacco ship’s export was worth around 500 pounds.
British and Dutch trade was only a small part of India’s tobacco commerce. As mentioned earlier, tobacco consumption surged during Jahangir’s reign. By 1630, consumption reached such levels that the Mughal governor of Surat banned tobacco exports from the port.
By 1665, tobacco trade restrictions were imposed in Bombay, initially under Portuguese control. The Portuguese earned 420 pounds annually from tobacco trade. After the British took over, by 1668, this amount rose to 12,000 pounds per year—a 30-fold increase in five years.
By the end of the 17th century, tobacco emerged as a new crop in traditional Indian agriculture. As a profitable business, it replaced other crops. Tobacco was cultivated in Bihar, Orissa, and most of North India.
The Origin of Beedi
By 1800, tobacco consumption spread across India in the form of hookah and paan. Tobacco’s introduction benefited two other industries. Initially, tobacco was smoked in hookahs. As demand for hookahs and chilams grew, so did the trade in metal and pottery. The upper class used intricately carved hookahs, while common people used chilams and beedis.
The origin of beedi in India likely began in Gujarat’s Kheda and Panchmahal districts, where workers started wrapping leftover tobacco in kachnar leaves to smoke. Pranay Lal, in a research paper with the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, states that the beedi trade was started by Mohanlal Patel and Hargovind Das of Gomtipur.
During the 1899 famine in Gujarat, both moved to Jabalpur for work, where they began the beedi business. They found tendu leaves more suitable for making beedis, which were abundant around Jabalpur. When the railway was inaugurated in 1899, the beedi trade expanded further.
Haribhai Desai of Bombay obtained the first beedi trademark in 1901. Mohanlal and Hargovind followed in 1903. Between 1912 and 1918, the beedi trade grew in Vidarbha, Telangana, and Hyderabad. During the 1920 Swadeshi movement, the beedi industry gained further momentum.
Beedis were favored over cigarettes, which were considered foreign. During World War II, beedis were part of Indian soldiers’ rations.
When powerlooms arrived in India in 1960, many handloom artisans became unemployed, particularly those in the textile industry. As modern science revealed tobacco’s harmful effects, awareness gradually spread in India.
The first cigarette law was passed in 1975, mandating statutory warnings on cigarettes. This law has been amended over time, and the government has imposed stricter restrictions to reduce tobacco use.
According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey India 2016-17, 29% of people over 15 in India use tobacco. The World Health Organization reports that 1.3 million people in India die annually from tobacco use. To learn more about tobacco’s history, you can read *Tobacco: A Cultural History of How an Exotic Plant Seduced Civilization* by Iain Gately.
Update as of July 31, 2025: The date mentioned in the original text, May 31, aligns with World No Tobacco Day, established by the WHO in 1987. Recent data from the WHO indicates that tobacco use in India remains a significant public health challenge, with ongoing campaigns to reduce consumption through higher taxes and stricter advertising regulations.
