Orissa Review * September - 2004 Maritime Trade of Ancient Orissa Er. Nirakar Mahalik Province of Orissa, known as Kalinga in the these places can be identified with Arakan early time was commanding a very high coast and lower Burma.2 Tamali has been position in the maritime activities of India in identified by Sylvain Levi with Tamralinga in the past. Its territory extended from the Ganges the Malaya peninsula. Apadana state that in the North to Godavari in the South at different traders from Malaya and China visited India.3 epochs of history. The present coastal lines of The Jatakas mention the eastern sea ports Orissa being 482 km shows the signs of bulging Champa and Tamralipti, whence traders sailed landscapes by the development lagoons and spits. It comprises of the districts of Balasore, to Ceylon and Suvannabhumi (lower Berma Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Puri and and Malacca). Buddhist chronicles speak of Ganjam. It was also studded with excellent the invasion of ceylon in the 6th century B.C. ports and harbours during ancient period. Ports by Vijaya Simha who gave his name to island. plays an important role in the maritime He is said to have sailed in a ship which could 4 activities of a country. hold over seven hundred people. The Buddhist literature named 'Siuki' speaks number of ports There are some reference in the Buddhist in the coast of Utkal (Orissa).5 literature to show that people of ancient India, especially of eastern region were interested in Orissa has a network of large and maritime activities, sailing on the occean navigable rivers, free from the freezing effects continuously for six-months with the direction- of a severely cold climate. She has also a weath showing-birds (crow) during the time of of forests abounding in strong timber which Buddha. Theragatha speaks of merchants might be readily utilised for the construction sailing on the sea with the hope of earing wealth of ship and boats. These natural advantages Sea-farers from Varanasi, Videha and Champa coupled with steadiness within the direction (Bhagalpur) were sailing to foreign lands like of the monsoon, over the Bay of Bengal, Indian Suvannadipa and Tamba panni1 perhaps via the ocean and China sea - aided the Oriyas to ancient Orissan ports. acquire that nautical skill and enterprise for The Mahaniddesa tells us that India's which they were justly famous in the ancient trade to the east existed with Kalamukha, world. Suvannabhumi, Vessunga, Verapatha, Takkola, The history of Orissa shipping and Tamali, Tambapanni and Java. First two of maritime activities goes back to the early times 39 Orissa Review * September - 2004 of the Rgveda (1,48,3) and (1,116,5), the have a picture of the preparations made by a Jatakas, the Greek and Roman authors, the early Nisad chief for an impending naval encounter literatures as well as a host of archaeological with Bharata. discoveries in India and abroad, all go to prove (ii) Buddhist Records that long before the birth of christ, the Oriyas had acquired a fair knowledge of the art of The Dighanikaya refers Dantapura of navigation and that they plied their boats not Kalingadesa as one of the seven famous cities only on the inland rivers, but also on the high of India and was ruled by a king called seas. There were ports and harbours all along Sattabhu. The chulla Jataka states that the coastal line such as Tamralipti (Tamluk), Dantapura was well connected by road-ways Adamus (Suvarnarekha), Kosambia (Balasore), to many other places. Mahavasthu, a Buddhist Dosarene (Dhamarra), Manada (Mahanadi), text of Ceylon mentions that Dantapur was one of the seven cities of Jambudvipa.8 Pakura (Palur-Risikulya), Konnagar (Konark),6 Nanigain (Puri), Kakadaram (Cuttack) (iii) Other Records Kalinganagar (Vamsadhara), Dantapuram. It is known from the Madalapanji that These are some of the important points king Bhoja had built many ships with local to be carefully examined to get the reliable wood.9 Rules and regulations regarding information of the maritime activities in the construction of ships were recorded in a book early past. called Juktikalpataru in sanskrit. Radhamukunda Baboo of Orissa, a research (i) Early Literature scolar had wrote a book called 'Bharatiya The art of employing boats and ships for Arnaba Pota' in English. This book describes the military purpose was known during Vedic two types of ship (i) Samanya (ii) Bisesh or and Puranic days. The Rgveda retains the echo Arnaba Pota (means ship used for journey in of a naval expedition, on which Tugra the Rsi sea). About twenty types of ship with details king, commissioned his son Bhujyu. Bhujyu of their sizes has been furnished in this book.10 however was shipwrecked on the ocean but (iv) Arthasastra of Kautilya was rescued by the twin Aswins (Rv-1- 112-6).7 The Mahabharat relates how the From the Chief adviser of Chandragupta Pandavas, ingeniously escaping from the house (326-296 BC) we learnt that trade both of the lac by a subterranean passage, came up overland and over-seas flourished very much 11 on the Ganges and get on board vessel, which at the end of the 4th century B.C. was provided with machinery and all kinds of (v) Travellers diary weapons and was capable of defying storms From Megasthenes we know that existing and waves (Adiparva-ch-15). Elsewhere in the routes were linked up and made a grand Trunk same work we read how Sahadeva, the yongest road which ran from Puskalavati in Gandhar of the Pandava brothers, continued his march through Takkhasila, Kanyakubja, Hastinapura, of conquest till he reached several islands in Prayaga to Pataliputra and then to Tamralipti the sea (on doubt with the help of ships) and (Tamaluk), a national sea-port. Through this subjugated the mleccha inhabitants there of route Megasthenes travelled in 4th century (Sabha-parva-ch-31). In the Ramayana we B.C.12 40 Orissa Review * September - 2004 Greek traveller Pliny who wrote his fourth century A.D. certain clay medallions natural history in 77 A.D. had placed on record (known as bullae) have a design of animals that the companies of archers had to be carried with human heads. This design is very similar on board merchant ship sailing out of India to one found on Roman Coins.17 This shows because the Indian seas are infested by pirates. that there was some trade contacts with The author of the Periplus of the Romans. Some historian identified Sisupalgarh Erythraean sea, who made a coastal voyage as Tosali, the capital of the provinces of round India, noticed the prevelance of piracy Mauryan empire and some others with along the Malbar sea-board.13 Kalinganagar, the capital of Kharavela, Chedi kings of Orissa. The trade with Roman empire According to early Tamil authors, was carried by boats through Daya-Vargavi- Cenkuttuvan, contemporary to Gajabahu-I of Kaukhia-Prachi river route to some of the old ceylon, led an expedition to the Gangetic Valley sea-ports of Orissa like Konagar (Konark) of and in that expedition "the journey from Cera Ptolemy or Charitrapur (che-li-ta-lo) of Hiuen- 14 kingdom to Orissa was performed by sea. It Tsang. is known from the above that in ancient times there was a regular sea-faring from Tamralipti Another excavation was carried at via Orissa ports to Tamrapanni (Sri Lanka). Manikapatna where some Chinese and Kushan From the sea-port to inner river ports of Orissa coins have been found.18 A large quantity of was connected by regular trade traffic. China celadon pieces also found assigned to the period 13th and 14th century A.D. by the (vi) Achaeology historian Karuna Sagar Behera.19 These From History we know that Augustus findings points out Chilika as a natural sea- conquered Egypt in 30 B.C. He and his port in the old days. successors strove to suppress the Arab traders In the neighbour-hood of Chilika near the and pirates. They also developed a direct sea- mouth of river Rsikulya, there is a place called trade between India and the Roman empire. From Mc crindle's Ancient India, Strabo says palur situated in the Chhatrapur sub-division that he saw in 25 B.C. about 120 ships sailing of Ganjam district. This place had been identified by Garini with a port described by from Hormus to India.15 the Greek sailor Ptolemy (2nd century A.D) From the achaeological excavations of who had named it as paloura. This port Kaveripattinam, we find the history of the site occupied an enviable position on the trade from the third century B.C. to the twelfth century route between India and the South-East-Asia.20 A.D. coins of different kinds were found, some It has been refered to in the Nagarjunikonda of belonging to the chola kings who ruled here Virapurusadatta (regnal year-14) as an and Roman coins brought here by traders. internationally important maritime emporium, Archaeologist found many kinds of ancient the script of which belong to the second half 16 artefacts here. of the third century A.D.21 On the west side of From the excavation of Sisupalgarh (near Chilika, there is a mountain just above the site Bhubaneswar), it is learnt that people lived called 'Palur Pahara' seems to have acted as here from 3rd century B.C. to the middle of the the protector of the palur port. Ptolemy 41 Orissa Review * September - 2004 travelled upto Malaya by a ship from this Jasper and agate, bangle pieces of glass and port.22 shell, iron nails, strips and rings, copper collyrium (antemony) rods, terracotta human In the early centuries of Christian era, and animal figures, stone objects like muller, there existed six ports on the coast of Kalinga querns, and whet stone, bone objects like viz, Tamralipti (Tamulk) Kosambi (Balasore), styllus and comb.25 Charitrapura (ce-li-ta-lo), Kannagar (Konark) Paloura (Palur) and Kalingapatnam.