Khalkatapatna was a sea port in what is now the state of Odisha on the eastern seaboard of India. The site is on the north bank of the Kushabhadra River. It was a port town during the Eastern Ganga dynasty during 12th and 15th centuries CE. [1] [2] Khalkatapatna was a link in the riverine and maritime navigation of Odisha and was important port in trade with Arabian countries in the west and Indonesia and China in the east. [3]
Excavations have been carried out at the site between 1984–85 and 1994–95. [4] The excavations found a brick jelly floor that may have been used as a loading and unloading platform. Artifacts include two circular Chinese copper coins with square holes in the center from the 14th century AD, Chinese celadon ware and porcelain and glazed chocolate ware of Arabian origin. [5]
The site also held wheel-turned bowls, basins, vases and miniature pots, and jewelry made of terracotta, glass and copper. [2] The archaeological excavations shed light that the Kushabhadra river was navigable at the time, and may have been used for transportation of blocks of stone for use in the construction of the Konark Sun Temple built by King Narasimhadeva I (1236–1264 AD). [6]
Satellite images of the region and the river course have shown that the river Kushabhadra had migrated heavily to and fro with respect to the oceanographic processes and in response to the intensity of the natural disasters which led to coastal erosion and shoreline changes whose effects were seen on the archaeological remains. The changing trend of the course of the river and river mouth spatially also gives a clue that the rapid shift of the river mouth and the associated shoaling and erosion on the other side were also responsible for the decline of the port. [1]
Funan was the name given by Chinese cartographers, geographers and writers to an ancient Indianised state—or, rather a loose network of states (Mandala)—located in mainland Southeast Asia centered on the Mekong Delta that existed from the first to sixth century CE. The name is found in Chinese historical texts describing the kingdom, and the most extensive descriptions are largely based on the report of two Chinese diplomats, Kang Tai and Zhu Ying, representing the Eastern Wu dynasty who sojourned in Funan in the mid-3rd century CE.
Chilika Lake is a brackish water lagoon, spread over the Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts of Odisha state on the east coast of India, at the mouth of the Daya River, flowing into the Bay of Bengal, covering an area of over 1,100 km2. It is the biggest lake of India. This lake is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the largest brackish water lagoon in the world after The New Caledonian barrier reef. It has been listed as a tentative UNESCO World Heritage site.It is the largest salt water lake in India.
Gopalpur is a coastal town and a Notified Area Council on the Bay of Bengal coast in Ganjam district in the southern part of Odisha, India. Today it is a commercial port, a famous sea beach and a tourist destination. Gopalpur is around 15 km from Berhampur. The reconstruction of an all weather port including new berths is under development.
Konark is a medium town in the Puri district in the state of Odisha, India. It lies on the coast by the Bay of Bengal, 60 kilometres from the capital of the state, Bhubaneswar. It is the site of the 13th-century Sun Temple, also known as the Black Pagoda, built in black granite during the reign of Narasimhadeva-I. The temple is a World Heritage Site. The temple is now mostly in ruins, and a collection of its sculptures is housed in the Sun Temple Museum, which is run by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Indian maritime history begins during the 3rd millennium BCE when inhabitants of the Indus Valley initiated maritime trading contact with Mesopotamia. As per Vedic records, Indian traders and merchants traded with the far east and Arabia. During the Maurya period, there was a definite "naval department" to supervise the ships and trade. Indian products reached the Romans during the rule of Augustus, and the Roman historian Strabo mentions an increase in Roman trade with India following the Roman annexation of Egypt. As trade between India and the Greco-Roman world increased, spices became the main import from India to the Western world, bypassing silk and other commodities. Indians were present in Alexandria while Christian and Jewish settlers from Rome continued to live in India long after the fall of the Roman Empire, which resulted in Rome's loss of the Red Sea ports, previously used to secure trade with India by the Greco-Roman world since the Ptolemaic dynasty. The Indian commercial connection with Southeast Asia proved vital to the merchants of Arabia and Persia during the 7th–8th century. A study published in 2013 found that some 11 percent of Australian Aboriginal DNA is of Indian origin and suggests these immigrants arrived about 4,000 years ago, possibly at the same time dingoes first arrived in Australia.
Arikamedu is an archaeological site in Southern India, in Kakkayanthope, Ariyankuppam Commune, Puducherry. It is 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the capital, Pondicherry of the Indian territory of Puducherry.
Muziris was an ancient harbour and urban centre on the Malabar Coast that dates from at least the 1st century BC. Situated around present day Kodungallur, the exact location of Muziris is unknown to historians and archaeologists. Muziris found mention in the bardic Tamil poems and a number of classical sources.
Puri district is a coastal district of the Odisha state of India. It has one sub-division, 11 tahasils and 11 blocks and comprises 1722 revenue villages. Puri is the only municipality of the district. Konark, Pipili and Nimapara are the three NACs in this district. Satyabadi, Gop, Kakatpur and Brahmagiri are major semi-urban areas.
Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century CE Sun temple at Konark about 35 kilometres (22 mi) northeast from Puri on the coastline of Odisha, India. The temple is attributed to king Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty about 1250 CE.
Pushpagiri was an ancient Buddhist mahavihara or monastic complex located atop Langudi Hill in Jajpur district of Odisha, India. Pushpagiri was mentioned in the writings of the Chinese traveller Xuanzang and some other ancient sources. Until the 1990s, it was hypothesised to be one or all of the Lalitgiri-Ratnagiri-Udayagiri group of monastic sites, also located in Jajpur district. These sites contain ruins of many buildings, stupas of various sizes, sculptures, and other artifacts.
Boitas were larger boats and ships that were built in the ancient Kalinga region during its maritime history. Kalinga's sea facing regions consisting of coastal Odisha had major trading ports for which boitas were used. Ancient Sadhabas sailed from Kalinga to distant lands such of Sri Lanka and South-East Asia including both mainland and insular Southeast Asian regions for trade.
Sadhabas were ancient mariners from the Kalinga region, which roughly corresponds to modern Odisha, India. They used ships called Boitas to travel to distant lands such as South-East Asia to carry out trade.
Golabai Sasan is a village in Khurda District, Odisha, India at 20°1′21″N85°33′0″E.
Dhamra is a small community on the banks of the Dhamra River in the Bhadrak district of Odisha state, India. They were Shoodars before independence, as it's in history, they were forced to accept Islam. Others believe they're descendants of Clan Loot. It developed as a port around the 15th century AD. The port was used for the coastal trade between northern Odisha and Kolkata to the northeast, and continued to be used to a small extent after independence in 1947. During April, 1998, an agreement was signed to develop the Port of Dhamara, about seven kilometers away on the coast of the Bay of Bengal, as a deep water port.
The Maritime history of Odisha, known as Kalinga in ancient times, started much before 800 BC according to early sources. The people of this region of eastern India along the coast of the Bay of Bengal sailed up and down the Indian coast, and travelled to Indo China and throughout Maritime Southeast Asia, introducing elements of their culture to the people with whom they traded. The 6th century Manjusrimulakalpa mentions the Bay of Bengal as Kalingodra and in ancient Classical India, the Bay of Bengal was known as Kalinga Sagar, indicating the importance of Kalinga in the maritime trade. The old traditions are still celebrated in the annual Boita Bandana festival including its major celebration at Cuttack on the banks of Mahanadi river called Bali Jatra, and are held for seven days in October-November at various coastal districts, most famous at Cuttack though.
Chelitalo was an important port in Ancient Odisha, in northeast India, lying on the Chandrabhaga river in Konark. In ancient times, the Chandrabhaga and Kushabhadra rivers were navigable, and may have been used for the shipping of huge blocks of stone for the construction of the Konark Sun Temple.
Manikpatna or Manikapatna is an archeological site in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It has been identified with the medieval port of Chelitalo described by the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang. The site is located on the sea coast near Brahmagiri which is situated near the left bank of the Bhargavi river, at the northeastern end of the Chilika Lake.
Gop is a town and a NAC under jurisdiction of Puri district in the Indian state of Odisha. It is one of the main block covered under Puri district. It is famous for the Sun temple, Kathiawar comprises square sanctum circumscribed by double courtyards. The important villages like Biratunga(Swami Nigamananda's Ashram of Nilachala Saraswata Sangha, Puri is located here), Begunia, Nimapara, Nagapur, Kakatpur, Bhaimapur, Ganeswarpur, Kusabhadra surround Gop.
Kaundinya I, also known as Hùntián (混塡) and Preah Thong was the second monarch of the Funan Kingdom which comprises much of Cambodia located in mainland Southeast Asia centered on the Mekong Delta. He was the consort of the first monarch Queen Soma, also known as Liǔyè (Chinese) and Neang Neak (Khmer) and together both were the co-founders of the Funan Kingdom with the capital located at Vyadhapura.
The Murunda dynasty ruled in the Utkal region of modern Odisha in eastern India during 2nd and 3rd centuries CE. Their territory included parts of the area around the northern districts of coastal Odisha. They appear to have succeeded the Mahameghavahana dynasty and then conquered by the Gupta Empire.