The first Indians arrived in Martinique on May 6th, 1853. They were mostly taken from southern India from the French-speaking cities of Pondicherry and Chandnagore (now the Tamil Nadu state), these regions being targeted because Martinique was a French colony at the time.

Indian indentureship in Martinique was gruelling with plantation work beginning at 4:30 am and ending at 6:30 pm. Many died from mosquito-borne diseases due to living in inhumane conditions. Revolts were commonplace due to contracts and agreements regarding land being breached by plantation overseers, leaving Indian workers homeless and destitute. By the time indentureship had been abolished, the Indians had largely integrated into the population by marriage, especially with the Afro-Martinique population. The Indian cultural influences on Martinique are still evident today, in the cuisine and Hindu temples found in rural parts of the island.