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Poompuhar Mystery: Chola-Era Trade Links Found 12 Meters Deep Off Tamil Nadu Coast
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News18•03-10-2026, 19:56
Poompuhar Mystery: Chola-Era Trade Links Found 12 Meters Deep Off Tamil Nadu Coast
- •Remains of the ancient Kaveripoompattinam port city discovered 2 km off the Poompuhar coast in Tamil Nadu, 10-12 meters deep in the sea.
- •Archaeologists found pottery likely linked to West Asia, including fragments of a special torpedo jar and other foreign pottery.
- •This discovery provides new evidence of the submerged Chola-era port city's far-reaching maritime trade connections.
- •Torpedo jars are a unique vessel type associated with long-distance trade in the Indian Ocean, used for transporting wine and other goods.
- •The State Department of Archaeology, in collaboration with the Indian Maritime University, is conducting this exploration, with only 10 percent of the work completed so far.
Key Questions Answered
Archaeologists exploring the seabed near Poompuhar found pottery linked to West Asia, including cylindrical torpedo jar remains, along with local and foreign pottery fragments, ring wells measuring 60 to 65 centimeters in diameter, and underwater structures.
Archaeologists and geologists believe that the ancient Chola-era port city gradually submerged due to tsunamis and continuous coastal erosion over a long period of time.
The Chola dynasty, which ruled South India from the 9th to the 13th century, maintained a powerful navy and established far-reaching maritime trade connections extending from India to Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean world.
