IMPORTANT CENTERS IN BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF THE PORTUGUESE

ARUL S. EVANJALINE ARPUTHA PRIYA

Research Scholar, Department of Maritime History and Marine Archaeology, The Tamil University, E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract - This study is based on Malabar Coast and its important Ports. The trade in South were dominated by Malabar Coast on the and on the region. The Coromandel coast exported pearls, , arcanut, cardamom, and textile. Malabar Coast reached its zenith by the coming of the and the Chinese.

Keywords - Malabar, Maritime, Trade, .

INTRODUCTION C. Chirakkal Chirakkal the weakest of all four kingdoms of The Malabar coast is basically a dominated by the Malabar, was once popular for pepper,cardamom and speaking people. Alexander observers trade.After the decline of that term ‘Malabar’ is not often mentioned in Swaroopam Chirakkal ended to important power in indigenous literature and it is not a indigenous term Malabar. whereas it is referred in Foreign writings. Al Beruni was the first person to use this term. Some sources Cannanore also gives other names for this region like Minibar, The beginning of seventeenth century Cannanore was Manibar, Melibar, Mulaibar etc. Some of the divided into two economic zones. The Europeans in important ports were Onore, Barcelor, Cannanore, Fort Angelo and the in Cannanore Calicut, Cochin were important ports. Popular trading bazaar. The European traded pepper. The Cannanore commodities include , pepper, , bazaar provided anchorage to and boats. cardamoms, bettle, arecanut, , copra, coconut Important commodities for export were spices oil, fine timber for building, furniture, however to keep up the local demands they traded in butter, sugar, palm sugar and cotton cloth were products,rice, areca nut in bulk as these exported. Important Trade centres Calicut: Calicut were important local demand. was the most wealthiest kingdom in Malabar under They sent their local products to different parts of . He was the most powerful prince’s of in their vessels. The Red Sea ports, the Malabar. It had rich and extensive pepper cultivation. Persian Gulf, Surat, Canara, the , He invaded Cochin regularly and Cochin had to send , Ceylon, Coromandal, Bengal,and Pepper to Calicut muslim merchants with whom Aheh are important trading region. The Cannanore Zamorin had trade relations. Muslim traders were in traders actively participated in Persian gulf control of maritime activities. Ginger was an trade. important export goods . Raja of Calicut and the Portuguese had mutual enemity.Cochin raja gave D. Laccadive Island or Lakshadweep Island: patronage to system of piracy. The Mohammaden chief in Malabar of Cannanore also enjoyed sovereign status in Malabar A. Cochin: region. He obtained Laccadive Island and called The native kingdom of Cochin was Porakkad in the himself Sultan of Laccadive Island. south to Chettwaye in the North. Cochin was the chief port of Malabar coast. Cochin a popular E. Tirchoor destination of .Cochin became a centre It is large and populated town in Cochin region. It which distributed rice to Maldives. had a bazaar. In most of the house in this bazaar was something or other was displayed for sale of rice, B. : coconut, copra, cotton cloth, grass and bamboo Travancore was a small kingdom in south. North of mats,earthen-pots, lanterns,areca nut, betal leaves, Travancore had areas of minor principalities like plantain, chillies, pumpkin and vegetables and spices , Peritally, Desinganadu, Maruthu Kulangara, of various kinds common to the country. , Porakkad,Punjar, Tekkumkur, , and Idapally. was good in spice trade Foreign travellers account about Malabar Coast and it supplied pepper to near by kingdoms since Ibn BattutaIbn Battuta of the greatest Arab early times. traveller. He visited Calicut and describes the availability of , coconut, palms, areca-nut

Proceedings of 35th IRF International Conference, 07th May, 2017, Bengaluru, India 92 Important Trade Centers in Malabar Coast before the Arrival of the Portuguese palms, . Abulfeda of Damascus, Arabian Abd-ur-Razzak mentions ships laden with pepper geographer also gave a vivid description of Malabar from Calicut continously sail to . He further pepper . says the Calicut produced adventourous sailors.

Asian products were always in demand especially CONCLUSION malabar’s spices, drugs and timber. William De Rubruquis mentions that ,spices and drugs Malabar The discovery of New continents America and Coast reached Australia created sense of maritime spirit as well as strife between two powers on the Iberian peninsula. through Constantinople in the twelveth Fall of constantinople in 1493 forced the European century. powers to look out for alternatives.

Marcopolo’s account describes Malabar as a great Thus, the situation in Europe and writings of foreign place of trade where traders of Kis, Hormus,Dofar, travellers about India’s fabulous wealth and Malabars soer (suhar) and Aden bring destriers horses. He spice trade kindled the spirit of enquiry and facinated gives information about Kayal a port city which gets them to find a new Sea route to India. And it led to ships laden with horses and other products from the discovery of India by when Hormos,Kis,Aden and Arabia. reached near Calicut on 20th May 1498.

Quilon is had good contacts with Brazil and it was a REFERENCE popular trade destination for Ginger, pepper and Indigo. It had good contact with merchants of [1] Collins Richard, enterprise in the East,with Arabia,Persia and manzi. special reference to the Syrian Christians of Malabar,Henry S.King & Co.,London,1873. [2] Bal, Commercial relations between India and Marino Sanuto, venetian traveller’s who visited east England(1601-1757), George Routledge & Sons,Ltd, about 1300-1306 narrates venetian and Indian trade in London,1924. his book Liber secretorum fidelium crucis,super [3] Mailaparambil, Binu John , The Lords of the Sea, The Ali Rajas of Cannanore and Political Economy of Malabar,1663- terrae sanctae recuparatione. Odorico de Pordenone 1723,Brill Academic Pub,Leiden,2011. beatus of Roman Catholic Church, travelled to India [4] Pant D., The Commercial Policy of the between 1316 and 1330. He noticed the bulk pepper Moguls,D.B.Taraporevala Sons & Co., Bombay, 1930. cultivation in Malabar coast and he also mentioned [5] Report on old records of the India Office. [6] Stephen, Jeyaseela S.,The Coromandel Coast and its about the active coastal towns of Cranganore, Cochin. Hinterland, Economy, Society and Political System (AD1500-1600), Manohar,1997

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