When Chola ships of war anchored on the east coast
Come April and Thiruvidanthai, a small hamlet on the East Coast Road near Mamallapuram will play host to an international defence exhibition where the Indian Navy will display its domestic design and manufacturing capabilities. As part of the four-day ‘Defexpo18’ starting April 11, the defence forces are expected to showcase warships like frigates and corvettes and the nation’s capabilities in manufacturing Scorpene class submarine.
The exhibition, the first to be held in Tamil Nadu, in a way is also a tribute to the naval skills of the ancient Tamils. Experts say,
Tamil Nadu’s east coast served as a strategic location 1,000 years ago and was used by the Cholas who sailed their battleships across the Bay of Bengal to conquer Southeast Asian countries. From their seats in Thanjavur and Gangaikondacholapuram in central Tamil Nadu, the Cholas controlled these far-east nations, with their navy — considered one of the largest defence forces in Asia during the 11th century.
Archaeologists and linguistic scholars say Tamil literature and inscriptions discovered overseas over the years provide ample evidence about the trade relations of the Cholas with the Southeast Asian countries. While Pallavas had trade links with Southeast Asian countries, the Later Chola dynasty, (850 AD and 1,279 AD), invaded these countries.
V Arasu, former professor, department of Tamil literature at the University of Madras says the Later Cholas waged a war with Southeast Asian countries primarily for business.
"Tamils have had trade links with the rest of the world since the ancient period. Many Tamil business communities had settled abroad. The Later Cholas fought with Southeast Asian countries to protect the interest of our people in foreign land," he said. Unlike other Tamil emperors, the Later Cholas were also curious about expanding their territories beyond South India and their quest led them to Southeast Asian countries. "It started off with Raja Raja Chola capturing Sri Lanka in the 11th century. His successors also continued with the same steam and spirit by bringing several countries including Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand under their control. Such a victory earned them the title of ‘Imperial Cholas’ in history," Arasu added.
Epigraphy evidence shows that Cholas had a navy. According to Arasu, Cholas had the largest navy in Asia during their time. "The east coast was a strategic location during the Chola period and Nagapattinam was an important port, both for trade and warfare. Later Cholas had a structured and mighty navy, that ferried trained elephants and soldiers on their battleships to attack their enemies in the southeastern countries," he said, quoting, references from famous historian K A Nilakanta Sastri’s work ‘The Cholas’ and Japanese Tamil Scholar Noboru Karashima’s ‘A Concise History of South India’.
Even though history offers little evidence about any other port in ancient Tamil Nadu being used as a naval base, scholars point to the probability of Mamallapuram being used as a departure point during the Pallava period.
Ancient Tamils are believed of taking along personal security guards for safety during their travels abroad. Archaeologist and secretary of Madurai-based Pandya Nadu Centre for Historical Research C Santhalingam said that a Tamil-Brahmi inscription discovered in Thailand reveals that a group of merchants had visited that country during the Pallava period in the eighth century. "The inscription states that Nangoor Mani Gramathar (traders) from Poompuhar (near Nagapattinam) were engaged in creating a lake at Thailand. They were accompanied by ‘Senai Mugathar’, who were protecting them," he said.
Archaeological evidence also shows that the Pallavas had sent a delegation of diplomats to China. "It is not clear whether they travelled by land or sea. Had they taken the sea route, the delegation would have probably departed from Mamallapuram, which was a thriving commercial port town till the end of the Pallava era," Santhalingam added.
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