Flourishing of Indian Ocean Trade

Timeline

1. 1001Indian Ocean · Indian OceanAfter 1000 CE, Indian Ocean trade showed new features: shipping shifted from direct voyages to segmented routes, the Persian Gulf port of Siraf declined while Aden in the Red Sea rose, and trade links with the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia (Srivijaya, Angkor, etc.) strengthened. Textiles, spices, aromatics, precious metals, and gems formed the main commodity flows.
2. 1008Balipatana · MaharashtraFortified commercial settlements appeared on the Konkan coast, concentrating market trade in defended towns or around temples. The Avvesvara temple built by the father of Silahara ruler Ratadeva stood within the Balipatana fort; the town housed attendants, oil pressers, gardeners, potters, washermen, and other artisans and merchants, reflecting the social division of labor in the port economy.
3. 1008Karepatan · MaharashtraThe 1008 CE Karepatan copper-plate inscription records Ratadeva's gifts to the Avvesvara temple at Balipatana, listing the various artisan communities and lands within the fort. It is a primary source for studying the institutionalization of maritime trade and port social structure on India's west coast in the early 11th century.