No kind of sanctity attaches to tobacco and, as has been seen, certain
classes of Brahmans are forbidden to smoke though they may chew the
leaves. Tobacco is prohibited by the Sikhs, the Satnamis and some other
Vaishnava sects. The explanation of this attitude is simple if, as is
supposed, tobacco was first introduced into India by the Portuguese in
the fifteenth century. [296] In this case as a new and foreign product
it could have no sacred character, only those things being held sacred
and the gifts of the gods whose origin is lost in antiquity. In a note
on the subject [297] Mr. Ganpat Rai shows that several references to
smoking and also to the huqqa are found in ancient Sanskrit literature;
but it does not seem clear that the plant smoked was tobacco and, on
the other hand, the similarity of the vernacular to the English name
[298] is strong evidence in favour of its foreign origin.