THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 12 May 2007 — The Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) has begun surveys to trace the Malabar coast’s maritime history. The council will be assisted by the Indian Navy in the waters of the Kodungallur region since excavations there have produced evidence of Roman and West Asian maritime contacts.
Historians believe Muziris, the lost port city of south India, which was a major center of trade with the Roman Empire 2,000 years ago, existed in the town of Pattanam.
The navy undertook sea bottom profiling and the KCHR hopes to identify submerged archaeological remains such as shipwrecks, ancient structures in the waters of the area, said KCHR director Dr. P.J. Cherian. According to him, some positive indications have been obtained but closer examination, including underwater diving and photography, are necessary to confirm the initial assumptions.
Proof of the area’s rich maritime heritage, including a wharf with dugout canoes, Roman pottery, West Asian ceramics, beads of semi-precious stones and brick structures, was found by the KCHR’s initial excavations at Pattanam.
There were indications that the site was first occupied by megalithic peoples followed by Roman contact in the early historic phase; the area was continuously inhabited from the first century BC to the 10th century AD.
Evidence of megalithic peoples is being reported for the first time in Kerala, although there are innumerable megalithic burial sites in the state. Early inhabitants appear to have been native iron-using megalithic people who led simple lives, the director said.
The evidence indicates that the mythical Muziris seaport, a bustling Indo-Roman trading center, could have been located at Pattanam, 260 kilometers north of the state capital. In the past its residents regularly found broken pottery shards and ancient fired bricks while tilling the soil. Fragments of imported Roman amphorae, mainly used for transporting wine and olive oil, Yemeni and West Asian pottery, in addition to Indian roulette ware common on the East Coast of India and also found in Berenike in Egypt, have been discovered.
Researchers say the site seems to have remained unoccupied or deserted between the 10th and 18th centuries and if the theories are confirmed, it may provide a greater insight into the geological and regional history of the area. They say, based on remote sensing data, a river close to Pattanam changed its course and the ancient port may have been buried due to earthquakes or floods. Muziris was a port city mentioned in several ancient documents and scholarly texts as a major center of trade between India and Rome, especially in pepper and other spices as late as the sixth century AD.
Historians believe that Christianity may have been introduced to the subcontinent through Muziris though it mysteriously dropped off the map.
Kochi to Be Stopover for Volvo Ocean Race
The port of Kochi has been chosen as a stopover for the new race route of the prestigious sailing race, the eight-month, around-the-world Volvo Ocean Race through the Middle East and Asia.
Race organizers signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with officials in Kochi last week as a first major step toward a full port agreement to host the world’s premier offshore ocean marathon which begins in Alicante, Spain, in mid-October next year.
The Kochi Port Trust, which will be responsible for organizing the stopover with the full backing of the Kerala Tourism Department, welcomed the move that would give the port great exposure.
“India has never hosted such a prestigious sailing event and we are very excited that the Volvo Ocean Race is considering Kochi as a serious candidate for the competition,” Kochi Port Trust Chairman N. Ramachandran said.
The booming shipping port on the Malabar Coast is now one of India’s foremost tourist destinations and the race stopover is sure to bring thousands of additional visitors to both Kochi and Kerala.
The Kerala State Tourism Department, a principal stakeholder in the exercise, envisages the event will bring significant visibility as well as economic benefit to the region. “Kerala Tourism sees this as an opportunity to project Kochi as an exciting destination, and we will be happy to extend all support to the Kochi Port Trust to bring the event to the state,” Kerala Tourism Secretary Dr. V. Venu said.
The race, established in 1973 as the Whitbread Round-the-World Race, will last over nine months and cover more than 39,000 nautical miles in up to 12 countries and ports on its new route, a statement said.
After sailing from Spain via Africa, the fleet goes to the Middle East, India and Southeast Asia before a stop in China ahead of its longest leg of 12,000 nautical miles to South America. It then stops on the US East Coast and Europe on the way to a Baltic port finish.
The 10-member crew race aboard the Volvo Open 70, the world’s fastest mono-hull racing yacht, and the new route will provide huge challenges to physical and mental endurance as well as to technology.
