MAHABALIPURAM WAS A PORT CITY

MAHABALIPURAM WAS A PORT CITY

                                                                     SHORE TEMPLE

Mallapuri is the name of a well-known place called Mahabalipuram situated south of Chennai. The place has various historical sites that are well known. Mahabalipuram was under the kingdom of Pallava during the 7th & 9th centuries CE and most historical architectural sites are built by them. In recent years, Mahabalipuram, has become a recreational site for Chennaites but at the same time, very few know that Mahabalipuram was a port city.

PERUMBANATRUPADAI:

Mahabalipuram was also famous before Pallavas' rule. Mahabalipuram is mentioned in perumpanatrupadai, a Tamil literature in pathupattu, originating around the 1st Century (பெரும்பாணாற்றுப்படை). The literature was written by uruttiran kannanar. The literature mentions the existence of a port near the city of Kanchipuram. The port name mentioned in the literature was Nirpeyaru. a king name mentioned tondaiman illandirayan who ruled Kanchipuram at the time of this literature. 

THIRUMANGAI AZHWAR:

Some of the scholars have said Nirpeyaru could be Kadalmallai because it was the site nearest to Kanchipuram which served as a port in later centuries. Kadalmallai is the name given to mahabalipuram by Thirumangai Azhwar in his poem.

• The word Kadal refers to the sea,
• Mallai refers to wealth,

 

Also in his poem he denotes, in the port of Kadalmallai (Mahabalipuram), there are ships carrying heaps of gold & nine types of gems refers” Navamani kuvaiyum” which are nine types of gems, and in the next line, he salutes to the Lord Sthalasayana.  as "Kadalmallai Thalasayanathe". 

THIRUMANGAI AZHWAR

THIRUMANGAI AZHWAR: 

“Kanangal iyangum Mallai Kadalmallai Thalasayanathe”. Kanangal refers to the Ships, the word iyangum means running so the poem says the port is busy with ships arriving & departing & it’s the place of trading various valuable and precious products at the time of Thirumangai azhwar. So during the age of Pallava’s rule, Mahabalipuram was a busy port city. The age of Thirumangai azhwar is approximately known as 7th CE so during that time Kadalmallai was a busy port city.  

PERIPLUS OF THE ERYTHRAEN SEA:

On the other hand, Perumpanatrupadai says a port near Kanchipuram so it might be related to a Greek writer Alexandria written periplus of erythraen sea. In that, manual he says a port called sopatma which is located north of Arikkamedu. Arikkamedu is an archeological site in the south of Pondicherry. The port must be north of the Arikkamedu according to some scholars. with that, some of the scholars marked as Marakkanam.

VAYALUR:

 Another scholar says the Sopatma port might be in Vayalur which is 22km south of Mahabalipuram and it served as a port for south Asian travelers. 

In Vayalur Pallava king Rajasimha wrote an inscription that says he ruled the Lakshadweep islands and in another inscription, more than 50 of his ancestors' names(Pallava king names) were written. The reason for this inscription that he wrote in Vayalur maybe it served as a port for southern travel. 

PARTHIBAN KANAVU:

Tamil writer named Kalki has written "Parthibankanavu" a novel,  a Chola king's son named Vikrama Cholan has been deported because of his movement started against Narasimhvarman's rule in Tiruchirappalli. Vikraman tried to keep Chola's flag on the hill of Tiruchirappalli in his attempt he fails to the Narasimhavarman's army so they arrested him and deported him to Shenbaga theevu.

 The current geographical location of shenbaga theevu is not known. for deporting Vikrama they came to (Kadalmallai)Mahabalipuram Port. Through ship, he sends to Shenbaga theevu.

You may think that Parthiban kanavu is just a novel, but Kalki was formed on a fifty-fifty basis. after very long research he made this novel. There are more creative things in this novel but at the same time, some are evidence-based. However, these must be not taken as evidence. 

These are the pieces of evidence that Mahabalipuram and/or its surrounding places served as a port during the past centuries and became untraceable at present. These are three different references that coincidently make the nearest Geographical location. 

CONCLUSION:

1. The evidence of Thirumangai azhwar indicates Mahabalipuram as a Port.

2. The second perumpanatrupadai says somewhere near Kanchipuram so it might be Mahabalipuram. 

3. And the last Greek writer says sopatma, it might be a little confusing that it may be Mahabalipuram or Sadras or Vayalur or Marakkanam. 

4. Kalki’s novel cannot be taken as main evidence but some of them may relate to these three. 

  so what do you think about it? Is there the possibility of a port in Mahabalipuram? The port in Mahabalipuram is built by Pallava’s? Or the location of the port differs like the south of Kadalmallai Sadras or Vayalur

Comment your views below......