Context
Recent underwater excavations off Poompuhar in Tamil Nadu have uncovered a West Asian torpedo-jar fragment, four terracotta ring wells and over 250 ceramic fragments, strengthening evidence of the ancient port’s long-distance maritime connections.
Explanation
- Poompuhar, also called Kaveripoompattinam / Kaveripattinam, was an important Early Chola port at the mouth of the Cauvery River on the Bay of Bengal.
- It figures prominently in Sangam and post-Sangam literature, including Pattinappalai, Silappadikaram and Manimekalai.
- The city comprised Maruvurppakkam (seaside), Pattinappakkam (western part) and Nalangadi between them.
- The tiger was the Chola emblem; merchandise exported from the port could bear the tiger mark.
- Poompuhar participated in Indian Ocean trade connecting India with Southeast Asia, West Asia and the Mediterranean.
- Torpedo jars, associated with West Asian trade, transported liquids such as wine and oil.
- Submerged ring wells, brick structures and palaeochannels indicate an older shoreline and habitation extending beyond today’s coast.
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