Amitav Ghosh’s Sea of Poppies is a profound historical novel that explores the multifaceted dimensions of the 19th-century opium trade within the colonial framework of British India. This research critically examines the novel’s portrayal of opium as a symbol of both immense economic profit and profound human suffering, revealing the complex intersections of imperial capitalism, exploitation, and cultural disruption. Employing a multidisciplinary methodology that combines literary analysis with historical contextualization, the study unravels the layered experiences of pain endured by marginalized individuals caught within the global opium economy. The novel’s narrative intricately details the coercive cultivation of opium poppies in agrarian Bengal and Bihar, highlighting the displacement and exploitation of peasant communities. Through the diverse perspectives of characters aboard the ship Ibis and on land, the narrative dramatizes the transnational scope of the opium trade and its role in sustaining British imperial dominance. This article also discusses Ghosh’s narrative strategy of giving voice to the oppressed, emphasizing personal stories amid the broader socio-economic forces at play. Symbolically, opium is explored not just as a narcotic commodity but as a metaphor for colonial addiction and moral decay, reinforcing the duality of profit and pain. The research further contextualizes the novel’s critique within ongoing discourses on colonial violence, economic dependency, and cultural erasure, underscoring its contemporary relevance in understanding historical and neo-colonial drug economies. By humanizing historical trauma and exposing the ambivalence of imperial profit, Sea of Poppies offers a significant contribution to postcolonial literature and historiography. The study ultimately highlights how Ghosh’s portrayal challenges dominant historical narratives by centering subaltern experiences, revealing the enduring legacies of opium trade as a conduit of exploitation, resilience, and resistance. This interdisciplinary analysis affirms the novel’s role in bridging literary art and historical critique, fostering a deeper awareness of the ethical and cultural implications of colonial commerce.