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Chola maritime trade network

Type Event Region Asia Time 1038–1040

In the late 1030s the Chola dynasty built an Indian Ocean trade network from Coromandel and Malabar ports, with ships reaching Southeast Asia, Sri La…

Timeline

  1. 1038–1039Nagapattinam · Tamil NaduPorts such as Nagapattinam teemed with merchant ships; Tamil merchants organized long-distance fleets trading regularly with Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka, while the court taxed the ports and issued trade charters.
  2. 1039–1040Western Indian Ocean sea lanes · Arabian SeaChola merchant ships used the monsoons to sail to the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Arabian ports, and even Kilwa in East Africa, forming a trade corridor linking South Asia, West Asia, and East Africa, with gold and copper coins circulating among the ports along the way.

Sources