describe the pattern of trade seen in south india between 100BC and AD200
Answers
The Cholas, Pandyas and Cheras
South of the Deccan plateau and south of the Satavahana kingdom, three kingdoms arose. These were the Cholas (whose centre was in the area of Tanjore, south of Madras), the Pandyas (whose centre was at Madurai), and the Keralas or Cheras (along the Malabar coast, now part of Kerala). The south-east region came to be the land of the Tamils, because Tamil was the language spoken there. Our knowledge of these three South Indian kingdoms, the Cheras, the Cholas and the Pandyas, is based on literature called the 'Sangam literature'.
Sangam Literature
It was said that many, many centuries ago, three assemblies were held; the third at the town of Madurai. All the poets and bards and wandering minstrels of the south gathered together and composed poems. At the later gatherings, two thousand poems were collected into eight books. These are the poems we can read today and which form the Sangam literature. They are written in Tamil. The poets moved from place to place composing poems for the chiefs of the tribes. These poems describe the life of the chiefs and of the common people in South India. Some of these descriptions agree with the material remains of the megalithic culture.
The Cholas, the Pandyas and the Cheras seem to have been at war with one another very often, and there are many poems describing these wars.
Not content with land battles, the Cholas built a fleet of ships and with these, attacked Sri Lanka. They occupied northern Sri Lanka for a few years, but were later pushed out by the king of Sri Lanka. Megasthenes, in his descriptions of India, mentions that the Pandya kingdom was founded by a woman ruler who maintained a very large army.
Among the kings of Kerala, one was regarded as a great hero. This was Nedunjeral Adan, who is said to have conquered many kingdoms and also captured a Roman fleet off the coast of Malabar.
The Roman Trade
The Malabar coast and the east coast of Tamilnadu were visited by Roman ships in search of trade. The empire of Rome controlled all the lands of the Mediterranean at this time and there was a great demand for Indian luxury goods in the markets of Rome. Spices, textiles, precious stones, birds such as the peacock and animals like the monkey were what Romans wanted most from India. Roman ships used to come from the Red Sea across the Arabian Sea to the Malabar coast or up the straits of Mannar to the east coast. The Romans would fill their ships with the goods they wanted and pay for them in gold return to Rome. The Roman gold made the South Indian kingdoms very rich.
The Romans also lived in towns on the South Indian coasts. Here they collected the goods and made them ready to be shipped to Rome. One of these towns, Arikamedu (which is close to Pondicherry), has been excavated. Many Roman objects were found here. Ships from these ports also went to South-east Asia and some Indian merchants were trading with China as well. Inspite of the difficulties of travelling by ship, there were enough adventurous people who were willing to take the risk. Within India, goods from South India were now being sent to the north. The export of precious stones from the South brought in much wealth for the southern kingdoms.
Life of the People
Most of the people in South India lived in villages. In the hills where it was difficult to till fields, they kept animals. Many of the merchants and craftsmen lived in the towns and some of these were on the coast, from where trade was easy. The kingdom was ruled by a king who was assisted by his brahman advisers. There was also a general assembly of all the chiefs, known as the sabha. Here various matters, such as whether to go to war and whether to punish a person for some crime, were discussed. The king collected taxes from the peasants, the herdsmen, the craftsmen and the merchants. The merchants were taxed when they took goods from one place to another.
Whether in the towns or in the villages, life was on the whole simple. After the day's work, amusements consisted of gambling and playing games. Music, dancing and poetry recitations were popular. Musical instruments of various kinds were used, as, for example, pipes, flutes, string instruments and drums. There was special music for the different hours of day and night.
South of the Deccan plateau and south of the Satavahana kingdom, three kingdoms arose. These were the Cholas (whose centre was in the area of Tanjore, south of Madras), the Pandyas (whose centre was at Madurai), and the Keralas or Cheras (along the Malabar coast, now part of Kerala). The south-east region came to be the land of the Tamils, because Tamil was the language spoken there. Our knowledge of these three South Indian kingdoms, the Cheras, the Cholas and the Pandyas, is based on literature called the 'Sangam literature'.