|
Trade
by river and sea |
|
|
 |
The two great South Asian rivers,
with their
fertile plains and vital transportation opportunities, were created
almost
entirely by the Himalayas: *a
geographical look* |
 |
The mouths of these two great
rivers, the
Indus and the Ganges, provided a series of conveniently sheltered
ports,
with inland shipping possibilities as well |
 |
In addition, both the *Malabar*
(southwest) and *Coromandel*
(southeast) coasts offered a network of small trading ports where
merchant
communities of various nationalities had long been established |
 |
Knowledge of the seasonal winds
and currents
was vital to the dhow traffic between the Middle East, North Africa,
and
the Malabar Coast: the trading world of *"The
Periplus,"*, 1st c. CE |
 |
Long before British times, India
was, as
has been said, "on the way to absolutely everywhere" by sea. The *Northern
sea route* was not a viable choice. |
 |
Large hoards of Roman and other
early coins
have been found in India; these coins were also imitated locally,
apparently
sometimes as decorative pendants |
 |
A tribute to the trim, versatile,
and indispensable
dhow, with its maneuverable "lateen" (triangular) sails |
 |
Piracy in the Indian Ocean has
been a perpetual
problem, and still is; and right up to the present (2006), pirates
apparently
still sometimes use "traditional dhows" |
 |
"Vessels used on the Coast of
Malabar":
a wide variety of local boats, as seen by early European traders |
 |
As the Portuguese and other
European powers
built trading ships and moved eastward, Indian harbors increasingly
held
ships of all kinds and sizes |
|
|
|
HARDWAR,
where the Ganges enters the plains, has always been a pilgrimage place
|
 |
Along the Ganges... |
 |
The Yamuna too was an important
channel
for travel and trade |
|
Some views along the Indus
|
 |
Riverbanks were full of activity,
despite
flooding and other hazards |
 |
All those rivers-- how do you
cross them? |
 |
A modern attempt at a tourist
attraction:
"Jute Boats Along the Brahmaputra" |
|
|