Historical settlement and harbour on the Malabar Coast
For the spider genus, see Muziris (spider).
Muziris
Muciri (മുച്ചിറി)
Muziris, as shown in the 4th century Tabula Peutingeriana
Shown within India
Alternative name
Muyirikkode
Location
Pattanam, Kerala, India[1]
Region
Chera Empire
Type
Settlement
Muchiri (Malayalam: മുച്ചിറി, IPA:[mutːʃiɾi]), commonly anglicized as Muziris (Ancient Greek: Μουζιρίς,[2] Old Malayalam: Muciri (മുച്ചിറി) or Muciripattanam (മുച്ചിറിപ്പട്ടണം)[3] possibly identical with the medieval Muyirikode (മുയിരിക്കോട്)[4]) was an ancient harbour[5] and an urban centre on the Malabar Coast.[3] Muziris found mention in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, the bardic Tamil poems and a number of classical sources.[6][7][8][9] It was the major ancient port city of Cheras. Core of the city situated in the present day North Paravoor area. The exact location of Muziris has been a matter of dispute among historians and archaeologists. However, excavations since 2004 at Pattanam, near North Paravur, have led some experts to suggesting the hypothesis that the city was located just there.[1][8][3] It was an important trading port for Christian and Muslim merchants arriving from other countries.
Muziris was a key to the interactions between South India and Persia, the Middle East, North Africa, and the (Greek and Roman) Mediterranean region.[10][11] Pliny the Elder, in his Natural History, hailed Muziris as "the first emporium of India".[3] The important known commodities exported from Muziris were spices (such as black pepper and malabathron), semi-precious stones (such as beryl), pearls, diamonds, sapphires, ivory, Chinese silk, Gangetic spikenard and tortoise shells. The Roman navigators brought gold coins, peridots, thin clothing, figured linens, multicoloured textiles, sulfide of antimony, copper, tin, lead, coral, raw glass, wine, realgar and orpiment.[12][13] The locations of unearthed coin-hoards from Pattanam suggest an inland trade link from Muziris via the Palghat Gap and along the Kaveri Valley to the east coast of India. Though the Roman trade declined from the 5th century AD, the former Muziris attracted the attention of other nationalities, particularly the Persians, the Chinese and the Arabs, presumably until the devastating floods of Periyar in 1341.[7][3]
Earlier Muziris was identified with the region around Mangalore in southwestern Karnataka.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] Later hypothesis was that it was situated around present day Kodungallur, a town in Thrissur district.[24] Kodungallur in central Kerala figures prominently in the ancient history of southern India from the second Chola period as a hub of the Chera rulers.[25] But later, a series of excavations were conducted at the village of Pattanam near North Paravoor by Kerala Council for Historical Research (an autonomous institution outsourced by the Kerala State Department of Archaeology) in 2006-07 and it was announced that the lost "port" of Muziris was found and started the new hypothesis.[8][26][27] This identification of Pattanam as the ancient Muziris also sparked controversy among historians.[28] As per texts, Kerala is known to have traded spices since the Sangam era; it is based on this trade that some historians have implied that only foreign countries needed spices (pepper). Some historians and archaeologists criticized this view starting a debate among historians of South India.[29][30][31]
^ abMuthiah, S. (24 April 2017). "The ancient ports of India". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
^Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, 53 and 54
^ abcde"Lost cities #3 – Muziris: did black pepper cause the demise of India's ancient port? | Cities | The Guardian". theguardian.com. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
^A. Sreedhara Menon (1967). "Muchiri - A Survey of Kerala History". Retrieved 20 April 2016.
^Gurukkal, Rajan (29 June 2013). "A Misnomer in Political Economy: Classical Indo-Roman Trade". Economic & Political Weekly. 48 (26–27). Retrieved 24 April 2020.
^"Artefacts from the lost Port of Muziris." The Hindu. 3 December 2014.
^ ab"Muziris, at last?" R. Krishnakumar, www.frontline.in Frontline, 10–23 April 2010.
^ abc"Pattanam richest Indo-Roman site on Indian Ocean rim." The Hindu. 3 May 2009.
^George Menachery; Werner Chakkalakkal (10 January 2001). "Cranganore: Past and Present". Kodungallur – The Cradle of Christianity in India. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
^Cyclopaedia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia. Ed. by Edward Balfour (1871), Second Edition. Volume 2. p. 584.
^"Search for India's ancient city". bbc.co.uk BBC World News, 11 June 2006. Web [1]
^Steven E. Sidebotham. Berenike and the Ancient Maritime Spice Route, pp 191. University of California Press 2011
^George Gheverghese Joseph (2009). A Passage to Infinity. New Delhi: SAGE Publications Pvt. Ltd. pp. 13. ISBN 978-81-321-0168-0.
^J. Sturrock (1894). Madras District Manuals - South Canara (Volume-I). Madras Government Press.
^Harold A. Stuart (1895). Madras District Manuals - South Canara (Volume-II). Madras Government Press.
^Government of Madras (1905). Madras District Gazetteers: Statistical Appendix for South Canara District. Madras Government Press.
^Government of Madras (1915). Madras District Gazetteers South Canara (Volume-II). Madras Government Press.
^William Logan (1887). Malabar Manual (Volume-I). Madras Government Press.
^William Logan (1887). Malabar Manual (Volume-II). Madras Government Press.
^Charles Alexander Innes (1908). Madras District Gazetteers Malabar (Volume-I). Madras Government Press.
^Charles Alexander Innes (1915). Madras District Gazetteers Malabar (Volume-II). Madras Government Press.
^C. Achutha Menon (1911). The Cochin State Manual. Cochin Government Press.
^Sreedhara Menon, A. (January 2007). Kerala Charitram (2007 ed.). Kottayam: DC Books. ISBN 978-81-264-1588-5. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
^Romila Thapar. There is no mention of Trade via Sea-Route or of any ports during Sangam era. It were the Vikings who created first of ships which could cross sea, let alone ocean. The Scanidinavians used their ships to cross the sea and reach nearby countryside in Europe, and all that happened in early 12th century. The Penguin History of Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300. pp 46, Penguin Books India, 2003
^Krishnakumar, P. "Muziris, at last?". www.frontline.in Frontline, 10–23 April 2010. Web. [2]
^Basheer, K. P. M. "Pattanam finds throw more light on trade". The Hindu [Madras]. 12 June 2011. Web. [3]
his Natural History, hailed Muziris as "the first emporium of India". The important known commodities exported from Muziris were spices (such as black...
Kuriakose was selected as conservation consultant for the Muziris Heritage Project in 2007. Muziris is not just a place. It is a concept and the project was...
formerly known as Mahodayapuram, Shingly, Vanchi, Muchiri, Muyirikkode, and Muziris) is a historically significant town situated on the banks of river Periyar...
Muziris Beach (also known as Munambam Beach) is situated at the north end of Vypin Island in Ernakulam. "Kodungallur Coconut Producer Company Ltd". www...
trading center on the west coast of India from antiquity. The port of Muziris traded with the Romans, Persians, Arabs, and Chinese. From 1503 to 1663...
Tamil Nadu and harbours at Muziris and Tyndis on the Malabar coast (Kerala). Tyndis was a satellite feeding port to Muziris, according to the Periplus...
managed an intense trade with Muziris: Then come Naura and Tyndis, the first markets of Damirica (Limyrike), and then Muziris and Nelcynda, which are now...
Roman Empire. Muziris (Cranganore) was destroyed by massive flooding of the river Periyar in 1341, opening a new port called Kochi. Muziris was also known...
"Artefacts from the lost Port of Muziris." Archived 13 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine The Hindu. 3 December 2014. "Muziris, at last?" Archived 23 July...
location of Muziris, N.M. Nampoothiri pointed out that it had not yet been conclusively established that Pattanam was the ancient port of Muziris. In an interview...
(1871). "Muziris". Cyclopaedia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia. Vol. II (Second ed.). P. Gregorios and R. G. Roberson, ed. (2008). "Muziris". The...
change in the course of Periyar and destruction of ancient natural port of Muziris. The accretion following the deluge has brought in tremendous changes to...
as far as Mylapore in South India (modern-day Tamil Nadu) and reached Muziris (modern-day North Paravur and Kodungalloor in Kerala State) in AD 52. In...
another name of Muziris. According to him, it is the clear evidence that Kodungallur is Muziris. The identification of Pattanam as Muziris is a divisive...
Muziris in the Chera Kingdom of Southern India, as shown in the Tabula Peutingeriana, with depiction of a "Temple of Augustus" ("Templum Augusti"): an...
Year Date Event 35 Western Satraps formed. 52 St. Thomas arrives in Muziris (modern-day North Paravur and Kodungalloor in Kerala State, India). 68 Establishment...
Tamil Nadu, India Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India Korkai, Tamil Nadu, India Muziris, Kerala, India Goa, India Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Cochin, Kerala, India...
Ezhimala, Pandalayini, and most of all in Muziris. An ancient synagogue was said to have existed in Muziris, but is now believed to be submerged due to...
several historic port cities. Notable among these were/are Naura, Vizhinjam, Muziris, Nelcynda, Beypore and Thundi (near Ponnani or Kadalundi) during ancient...
Jesuit missionaries and traders who were active around the ancient port of Muziris at the time and, as a result, directly influenced later European developments...
from the Romans and Han China were facilitated via seaports including Muziris and Korkai with spices being the most prized goods along with pearls and...
period Paravur area included Puthenchira, Mala area of Chalakudy taluk. Muziris was the centre of Indian spice trade for many centuries, and was known...
conducted in the village shrine of the south Malabar region in Kerala. Kochi-Muziris Biennale is the largest art exhibition in the country and the biggest contemporary...
ordinary cloth. — Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, §48. Muziris (Kodungallur) The lost port city of Muziris (near present day Kodungallur) in the Chera kingdom...