History never ceases to surprise and that’s a fact open to no arguments. Looking back at the past you marvel at all the things that were once present for their greatness, tragedy, or mere existence and what they stood for.
Have you ever wondered how cities in ancient India functioned, what activities took place, how did the people live, the geography, the weather, and the list go on, there is no number of questions that would be enough when a person starts to dive deeper and deeper inside a topic?
About Puhar
Puhar, Kaveripattinam, or Poombuharpattinam, the port city of the Chola kingdom finds an important place in many Sangam literature. The Cholas were one of the most successful dynasties of the subcontinent and extended their territory as far as Maldives and Srilanka. Puhar is considered the most important city of this entire empire.
“Pattinapalai" of Ettuthokai gives a very detailed description of this city. It is in this city that Kannagi, Kovalan, and Madhavi of Silapathikaram (one of the most prominent epics of the Sangam literature) were born and where Manimegalai grows up and meets the Chola prince Uday Kumaran. The author of Silapathikaram Elongovadigal gives a detailed description of the festivals and rituals of the city through his writings.
Historical Accounts
The geographical accounts of Ptolemy, Jataka tales, Prakrit Texts, Periplus of Erythraean Sea, etc also give us an elaborate picture of the port city of the Cholas. Kaveripattinam flourished under the Chola reign C. 3000 years ago, it was a rich port city built on the banks of river Kaveri clustered with merchants, fishermen, warriors, etc.
Uruttiran Kannanar in his poem Pattinapalai describes the heritage and richness of Puhar saying that the city of Puhar was filled with so many people doing various activities, that there happened to be no space for the rays of the sun to enter the city.
Division of City
According to Silapathikaram, the city was divided into two parts namely Pattinapakkam, filled with nobles, palaces, soldiers, ministers, etc and Maruvurpakkam scattered with warehouses, merchants, weavers, and craftsmen.
People from all parts and walks of life, speaking different languages and worshipping different gods, lived in Poombuhar. The city had many Buddhists and Jaina mandapas on the one side and was filled with temples and sages doing yagnas on the other side. This indicates that religious tolerance was widespread in Puhar.
Trade in the city
The city of Puhar was highly organized and segregated with separate flags, each flag denoting the occupations being carried out in each street. The most important task of the city was to maintain and monitor the imports and exports happening at the port. We find evidence of both internal and international sea trade that was being carried out in Puhar.
Black pepper, beads, sandalwood, pearls, crystals, and many other materials were exported to Rome and other parts of the world, while war horses and finished goods were imported from Arabia, Rome, and Srilanka.
The disappearance of the city
However, by the end of the 3rd century B.C., the city vanished from all records and is believed to have been destroyed by Tsunami. By the mid-20th century, several teams of archaeologists carried out underwater excavations and found many roman potteries, punch-marked coins, etc from the present-day location of Puhar and confirmed the existence of the city.
Kaveripattinam is located in the mouth of present-day Kaveri in Mayiladurai, Tamilnadu, and unfortunately is found in ruins. The city known for its glory and wealth thousands of years ago continues to exist, though not as flourishing as it used to be.
Though we don't have much physical evidence of the city, there is no doubt that Kaveripattinam was indeed an important and integral part of the Sangam period. The discovery of physical evidence would be instrumental in unearthing the lost stories about the place.
In addition to this, we might even recover some unique information that hasn't yet been found about these places. History is so vivid that there is no end to a search for places, people, stories, and cultures. As life progresses so do chances and instances of finding more about the past.
Written By - Ananya Verma
Edited By - Riya Dabas
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