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Tyndis
Ancient Indian seaport/harbor-town mentioned in the Graeco-Roman writings From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Tyndis (Ancient Greek: Τύνδις[1], Tamil: Thondi[2]) was an ancient south Indian seaport/harbor-town mentioned in Graeco-Roman writings. It was located about 500 stadia north of the port Muziris (Muchiri), in the country of the Chera rulers.[3][2] No archaeological evidence of Tyndis has been found.[2]
The Chera rulers of early historic south India (c. second century BCE - c. third century CE[4]) had their headquarters at Karur (Karuvur) in the interior Tamil Nadu and headquarters/harbors at Muziris (Muchiri) and Tyndis (Thondi) on the Malabar Coast (present-day Kerala).[4] Early Tamil texts contain several references to a port named "Thondi" on the Kerala coast in Chera territory.[2][4]
Another town named Thondi, located in the Pandya country on the eastern coast of the peninsula, is also mentioned in early Tamil literature.[5][2] This town continues to exist under the same name.[2]
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Different variations of the name
In Tamil, the term "Thondi" refers to either "a small bay-like landscape" or to the "navel".[3][2]
Like Virai or Arikamedu-Virampattinam, Thondi is sometimes referred to as "Munthurai", meaning "the port in front [of the town]".[2] It is also called "Kanalam Thondi", meaning "the coastal town with backwater lakes or backwaters with flowers".[2] Tamil poems describe it as "valam kezhu", signifying its prosperity, much like Muziris.[2]
The port of Thondi also had a goddess ("Ananku").[2]
- Periplus of the Erythraean Sea - Tyndis[3]
- Pliny the Elder (Natural History) - Tyndis[3]
- Peutinger Table - Tondis[3]
- Claudius Ptolemy (Geography) - Tyndis[3]
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Graeco-Roman descriptions
- Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (c. 1st century CE[3]), 54-56, mentions Tyndis as a "village by plain sight from the sea":[2]
- Pliny the Elder (1st century CE) - "the Caelobothras ruled a kingdom extending to Tyndis (on the north-west)".[3]
- By the time Claudius Ptolemy (2nd century) wrote, Tyndis had grown large enough for him to describe it (Geography 7.1.8) as a "town" or "polis".[7]
- The Tabula Peutingeriana locates "Tondis" north of Muziris (north of "Templ Augusti" and "Lacus Muziris").[3]
Early Tamil texts
There are several references to a port named Thondi on the Kerala coast in the early Tamil texts. It was under the control of the Chera rulers, probably under the Irumporai collateral branch.[2] The port may have been associated with hinterland trade from the Malabar Coast to the interior Tamil country via the Palghat Gap.[2]
The Chera ruler of Thondi was usually called "Poraiyan".[2] One ruler, notably styled "Thin Ther Poraiyan" or "the Poraiyan with the Strong Chariot", is repeatedly mentioned in early Tamil literature.[2] On some occasions, Chera ruler of Thondi is directly named as "Chenkol Kuttuvan" or Cheraman Ko Kothai Marpan.[2]
Early Tamil poems also refer to a palace of the Chera ruler at Thondi.[2] According to these poems, the Chera fixed the tooth of his enemy chieftain "Muvan" on the palace gate.[2] The ruler of Thondi appears to have commanded a contingent of Marava warriors and owned several elephants.[2] He distributed coins to bards and poets and, on one occasion, gifted varudai (mountain) goats from the Deccan region (?) to Brahmin priests.[2]
There is mention of extensive rice or paddy cultivation in the fields in and around Thondi, described as "the coastal town with backwater lakes" or "backwaters filled with flowers". Early poems also hint at coconut groves and nearby hills.[2]
Thondi was also noted for its fishing and its "neythal" flowers.[2] It had a fishing community of Paratavar people.[2]
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Location
The location of Muziris provides clues for identifying Tyndis, which was 500 stadia (~92 km) north of it ("by river and sea").[3] The exact location of the port remains uncertain. Possible candidates include the following modern sites:
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