A riddle for you. It is round and rough and dark. One bite into it, and you feel as if your throat is being warmed, ever so gently. And yes, once upon a time when the Greeks were still Greeks and Romans were still Romans ... it was known as ‘Yavana Priya’ or the ‘Greek's Delight’. What is it?
You got it ... Pepper!
As I bit into this black jewel decorating my ayurvedic pathya - ghee pongal - a whole world opened up for me.
Way back, roughly 300 BCE to 300 CE. About the time when the rest of India was under the Mauryan empire, the peninsular India was under the Cholas, Cheras, Pandyas and their feudatories.
This ancient land is remembered as the #Tamilakam (Tamilaham). A bustling center of trade, filled with lively ports and harbors.
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Quick Fact: Some 68 different types of Roman coins have been unearthed in India, with an impressive 57 varieties found in South India alone. In fact, the Roman historian Pliny famously complained that the Roman Empire spent huge sums of gold annually on imports from Tamilakam!
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One of the most legendary of these ports on the western coast was known as, #Muziris aka Musiri. Now, Musiri was a shallow water port. This meant that massive trading ships couldn’t dock directly at the port. Instead, they anchored mid-sea, where smaller boats ferried goods back and forth.
These ports of Tamilakam, including Puhar (or ‘Kayavoy’) on the eastern coast, were marvels of ancient engineering. Along the banks and beaches, #warehouses stood ready to store a wide variety of merchandise for export.
The docks were filled with goods coming in and going out—an organized chaos of bustling trade. Everything from coral, copper, and glass … to the jewel of jewels - pepper - filled these storied warehouses.
Guiding these trading vessels safely to the shore were the #lighthouses, known as Kalam Karai Vilangu Chudar, which translates to "the bright light that beckons the ships." These ancient beacons lit up the coastline, a reassuring signal to sailors navigating the often treacherous waters.
The ports, both on the sea and riverbanks, were the lifeblood of Tamilakam's international trade network.
Traders from the Yavana world sailed directly to these harbors, bringing treasures of coral, glass, copper, tin, and lead, and leaving with cargoes carrying fine variety of textiles, muslin cloth, gems, diamonds and gold ornaments, sandal wood, pearls and of course pepper—the famed ‘Yavana Priya.’
Musiri’s glory came to a tragic end in 1341 CE, swept away by floods. But these inspiring trade tales of Tamilakam, and the glory of the little black jewel, Pepper stays. Even after thousands of years, warming, not just the throat, but also the heart.
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PS: A Sangam poet named Erukkaddur Thyankannanar gives a picturesque description of the bustling harbor of Muziris in poem 148 in the Ahananuru. The thriving town
Of Muchiri (i. e., Muziris) Where the beautiful large ships
Of the Yavanas [Greco-Roman traders]
Bringing gold
Come splashing
White foam
On the waters
Of the Periyar
Which belongs
To the Chera
And return
Laden with Pepper --
Read More on Muziris Heritage Project - https://www.keralatourism.org/muziris/
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