The Britishers came to India in 1608 as traders, in the form of the East India Company, which had the exclusive right of trading in India under a charter granted by Queen Elizabeth 1 in 1600. In 1765, the Company, which till then had purely trading functions, obtained the 'diwani' ( i.e., rights over revenue and civil justice) of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. This started its career as a territorial power.
