Some of the important ports of ancient India were : Barygaza — Bharuch; Syrastrene — Saurashtra; Suppara — Soppara; Muziris — Pattanam; Colchi — Korkai; Camera – Puhar (Poompuhar); Poduca — Puducherry; Sopatama — Marakkanam; Maisolia — Masulipatnam; and Dasarna — Orissa.
Barygaza — Bharuch
At present Bharuch is a city at the mouth of the river Narmada in Gujarat.
Bharuch was known as Bharukaccha in ancient times.
It was known as Barygaza , Bargosa etc. for the Greek , and later the Romans adopted the Greek name of this port.
It was known as ‘Bharuch’ under Muslim rule, ‘Bhadoch’ under Maratha rule, and as ‘Broach’ under British rule.
Syrastrene — Saurashtra
Saraostus also called Syrastrene and Surastrene was the name given by the Greeks to the area of Saurashtra and parts of south-western Gujarat.
Today known as Soratha District in Gujarat, it was important trading centre for Indo Greek.
Suppara — Soppara
Sopara was an ancient port town and the capital of the ancient Aparanta. The ancient port of Sopara was the most important port in western India after the celebrated port of Cambay.
The site of this ancient town is located near the present day Nala Sopara. Nallasopara or Nala Sopara is a town within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The town lies in the Palghar district of Maharashtra.
In ancient times, it was the largest township on India’s west coast, trading with Mesopotamia, Egypt, Cochin, Arabia and Eastern Africa.
Muziris — Pattanam
The exact location of Muziris is still not known to historians and archaeologists, but it is generally thought to be at Pattanam, an archaeological site north of Cochin in Kerala, on the banks of River Periyar.
It has been referred to in the ancient Tamil text, the Purananuru as a bustling port city under the Chera rulers.
It was ancient Indo-Roman port of Muziris or Musiri on the Malabar Coast, Kerala dating back to 1st century BC.
Colchi — Korkai
Korkai is a small village in the Thoothukudi district in Tamil Nadu.
Korkai was the capital, principal center of trade and important port of the Early Pandyan Kingdom. At that time, it was located on the banks of the Tamiraparani River and at the sea coast, forming a natural harbour.
It was one of the greatest centres of pearl fishing in the ancient world.
Camera – Puhar (Poompuhar)
Puhar (also known as Poompuhar) is a town in the Mayiladuthurai district in Tamil Nadu.
It was once a flourishing ancient port city known as Kaveri Poompattinam, which is described in Sangam literature like Silappadikaram, Manimekalai, Pattinapalai and Akananuru as the capital of the Early Chola kings in Tamilakam.
Puhar is located near the mouth of the Kaveri river, on the sea coast.
It is mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea.
Poduca — Puducherry
Poduke or Poduca (marketplace) was a Roman trading destination from the third century BCE.
Poduca has been identified as possibly being Arikamedu (now part of Ariyankuppam), located about 3.2 km from the modern city of Pondicherry.
The area was part of the Pallava Kingdom of Kanchipuram in the 4th century.
The Cholas of Thanjavur held it from the 10th to the 13th centuries, until it was replaced by the Pandya Kingdom, in the 13th century.
The Vijayanagar Empire took control of almost all of southern India in the 14th century and maintained control until 1638, when they were supplanted by the Sultan of Bijapur.
Sopatama — Marakkanam
At present Marakkanam is a coastal panchayat town & Taluk in Viluppuram district in the Tamil Nadu.
Maisolia — Masulipatnam
The city of Masulipatnam or Machilipatnam is situated in the Krishna River delta. Fish harbor town is the literal sense of Masulipatnam.
The indication of presence regarding this town was first published in the Greek text ‘Periplus of The Eritrean Sea’ in which Masulipatnam is referred to as ‘Maisolia port’.
Sathavahana rulers of 1st century BC to 2nd century AD made the delta into a port while considering international trade.it became one of the major trading points in the southern coastal area connecting Amravathi, Sopara(Mumbai), and Paithan(Aurangabad).
In the 17th century, it was a center of intensive trade activities and battles between the Bahamani empire, The Kings of Odisha, and the Vijayanagara empire.
Tamralipti
This port was located in the present day town of Tamluk, in Midnapur, West Bengal.
The name ‘Tamralipta’ comes from tamra or copper, which was mined nearby at Ghatsila in Singbhum district of Bihar and exported through this port.
Surat
It was the emporium of western trade during the Mughal period.
Kanchi
Today known as Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu), it was here around 600 BC to 300 BC that the Chinese used to come in foreign ships to purchase pearls, glass and rare stones and in return they sold gold and silk.
Madura (Madurai, Tamil Nadu)
It was the capital of the Pandayas who controlled the pearl fisheries of the Gulf of Mannar.
Dasarna
In Orissa.
Tagara
Situated in Maharashtra connecting Kalyana with Vengi.
Must read: Prominent Buddhist centres of ancient India
External link: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/trichy/tamil-nadus-poompuhar-may-be-over-15000-years-old-study/articleshow/97186246.cms
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
QUES . With reference to ancient South India, Korkai, Poompuhar and Muchiri were well known as UPSC 2023
(a) capital cities
(b) ports
(c) centres of iron-and-steel making
(d) shrines of Jain tirthankaras
(b) Kaverippumpattinam also known as Pumpuhar or Puhar was a Chola port in early historical times. Classical accounts refer to it as Khaberis or Camara. Korkai was the major Pandya port, while Tondi and Muchiri were the important ports in the Chera kingdom.
