Arikamedu is connected with a series of beautiful ports that are not functional today but are proud representatives of the beautiful past that India has passed through. Arikamedu is located at a distance of seven kilometres from Pondicherry (Unesco, 2017). From its first mention in the year 1734 which was on a communication from the then-contemporary consul that the local villagers were taking away bricks from this site, also known as Virampattinam, the heritage of Arikamedu has come a long way and so has its excavation histories. Today it is a very popular tourist destination with tons of Mango and Beetel trees guarding the 2000-year-old port but it was not like this forever. The site has been excavated multiple times and the findings from here indicate a prosperous and healthy trade relationship with the Roman empire in an advanced level and not a beginner.
The whisperers of history
Arikamedu is guarded by the Ariyakuppam river and it looks splendid. The beauty is enhanced when one gets to know the reason for this port to be situated in that breathtaking location. This particular river guards the location so cunningly that during the seasons of the high tides and extreme weather, this port remains reachable and not vulnerable to getting easily destroyed. This might be the reason that so many historical artefacts and elements have been found intact in these areas. The location has been a popular trading post as multiple beads, Yavana figurines and even a figure of a 5 cm Ganesha has been excavated (Begley, 1983). All of these undoubtedly point towards a past that was prosperous, integrated and smooth in terms of trading and business.
(The Ariyappam river, source: personal archives)
By looking at the location of this port it can be said after passing the violent Bay of Bengal the water vessel would casually stride in the Ariyakuyppam River and with that smooth water ride it will reach Arikamedu, which is called the ‘meeting spot’ even etymologically. Let us look at how is that.
In Tamil Language ‘Arikamedu’ literally means ‘Mound of Arakan’ (Begley, 1993). The location has been previously attributed to the nearby village then called Viraipattinam, which translates to ‘Port of Virai’. Now, this Virai has references in the Sangam literature. This is the literature that popularized the Tamil society and kind of made the world bow before this rich ancient Tamil society. Virai was popular at the time of the Velir dynasty as a popular salt importing site. In famous texts from the Roman civilization like ‘Periplus of the Erythraean Sea’ and ‘Ptolemy’s Geographia’ a signification place as a port is found called ‘Poduke’. Now, this one could still be a word derived from the Tamil word Potikai (Francis, 1991). Nevertheless, both of these words mean ‘meeting place’, and both of these places indicate Arikamedu.
(The surviving pillar, source: personal archives)
What are the peculiarities of the place?
When a visitor is first told about this place he is instantly warned that they should not dare to visit this place after the sun is set. The main reason behind this is the remote location of the place which has resulted in many off-record parties being held here by the locals. The Pondichurry government is now trying even more to get these types of mobs out of the area and preserve the place with its full dignity. Originally the place is a very beautiful garden-like place which almost gives a vibe to have grown in itself. The green flora and fauna surrounding the 2000-year-old structure would emit a feeling of nostalgia. The whispers of the leaves peeking through the sunlight almost remind one of a long-forgotten chatter from the busy merchant port. In today’s world, there is nothing in the location that could pull one to that busy business atmosphere, rather it binds the visitor with a sense of connectivity from the past. It is funny that the things that we today are putting in the museum so carefully with chemicals and all used to be natural trading materials.
What has been recovered?
Among various interesting finds the most enchanting one is that of the idol of Brahma. Anyone familiar with the Indian heritage and ritualistic practices is aware that Brahma as a God is not someone popularly worshipped, at least today. However, this particular find suggests that there has been at least a requirement to create this, even if just to trade the same with the Romans. Even more interestingly, this idol is structured in a way that it could easily come out from the navel of another popular idol Vishnu, exactly as the legend has to be (Begley, 1988). Brahma originated from the navel of Vishnu and Arikamedu provided us with a Vishnu idol too that has a hole near the navel. However, these two are found separately but signs convey that probably these were connected in the past! One can imagine the height of artistry and technological advancements that South Indians reached 2000 years ago. No wonder the Romans travelled across the whole world to get these beautiful creations home.
(The remaining plaster and bricks, source: personal archive)
Arikamedu has also been a site that was probably a site for beads trading. From gold to semi-precious stones the beads and their production have been a monopoly of South India for the Western world to draw attention. Slowly these gifted artisans moved towards Sri Lanka and so did their trade. Arikamedu is indicating a history when these were a common thing happening in the lower regions of Tamil Nadu (Shoebridge, 2017). Other significant exports of Arikamedu would be textiles, and bangles that were created from shells and spices.
Textile and Pottery were created on the spot
The sheer versatility of the ancient Indian port could be traced when the structure of the port was noticed. Today, there is one single structure of immensely strong bricks standing like a guardian of the memories but with the help of scientific research, it can be alluded that the port was not only a meeting spot but a workshop for the skilled artists as well. The wall structure has been found to have guarded a small pottery baking site that must have been used to bake the Mediterranean and local potteries together. These potteries would generally belong from the Terra Sigillata which denotes the ‘stamped pottery’ particular to the 1st century BCE. Simultaneously, a particular Roman delicacy to store the wine was pink amphorae and these were also found in the site (Ravitchandirane, 2017). These jars are identified with two handles.
Among the remaining walls that stand today, two enclosures guard a pond-like vessel which was also connected with one well-constructed drainage system. This indicates the dyeing procedure that was there in the port for the locally produced muslin textiles.
(The pillars of entrance, source: Personal archives)
Burial urns:
Now, this is an interesting found and most of these are now securely kept at the Pondicherry museums. These are huge urns in which human remains like skeletons have been found. Popular belief has it that these were the skeletons of the Poduka tribe or at least those of Indian origin but recent chemical experimentations suggest that that might not exactly be the case. People from Rome who either came across some sickness or some other cause facing death have been cremated in these urns for good. This tradition connects Arikamedu with the findings from the Konkai city where similar urns have been discovered and they too were found to be of a mixed race. Here, it is worth mentioning that the cement that is constructed on the walls are remains of Pozzolana cement (Bopearachchi, 2004). Now, this is not prevalent in the Asian subcontinent hence, it could be easily deduced that the Romans had a fair share while the making of the construction, thus Arikamedu is definitely not a port that was prevalent and later got the attention of the Roman empire rather it was built at a time when trade relations with India was already strong and both the countries were looking to make it further strengthened. At the time of constructing Arikamedu, there was already a well-sighted future for both the Roman Empire and the Indian subcontinent.
(The ruin, source: Personal archive)
Indo-Roman trade routes
Thus it is needless to allude that Arikamedu is part of a strong series of Indo-Roman ports which has strengthened the economy of the historical Roman empire and India. Talking about a single spot becomes pointless if correct measurements and connectivity with other ports have not been identified. The construction time of Arikamedu is thought to be about 200 BCE, which means around this time ports like Nasik, Konkai and Suttukeni. The site has evidence from the Stone Age trading till the medieval trading when a well-constructed society was formed. Roman Empire king Augustus had visited this place many times his intaglio bronze coins have been excavated from here. These are currently all stored in the Pondicherry Museum and with the archaeological survey of India. The ancient Indo-Roman trade routes have been developed across the Pacific Ocean from the day people found that in the Asian part of the world good amount of trading possibilities are there. Arikamedu neither promises to be anywhere different than historical flow which is a part of heritage wise nor is it accidental. Arikamedu is just there where it needs to be and stands still and strong for the coming generations, holding the mirror where a prosperous past is reflected.
(The crab village on the Ariyappan river bank, source: personal account)
Bibliography
Unesco, 2017 Did You Know? The Port Trade Centre of Arikamedu and Roman Exchange with the Indian Subcontinent Did You Know? The Port Trade Centre of Arikamedu and Roman Exchange with the Indian Subcontinent | Silk Roads Programme. Available at: https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/content/did-you-know-port-trade-centre-arikamedu-and-roman-exchange-indian-subcontinent (Accessed: 16 June 2024).
Begley, V., 1983. Arikamedu reconsidered. American Journal of Archaeology, 87(4), pp.461-481.
Begley, V., 1993. New investigations at the port of Arikamedu. Journal of Roman Archaeology, 6, pp.93-108.
Francis Jr, P., 1991. Beadmaking at Arikamedu and beyond. World Archaeology, 23(1), pp.28-43.
Begley, V., 1988. Rouletted ware at Arikamedu: a new approach. American Journal of Archaeology, 92(3), pp.427-440.
Boussac, M.F. and Salles, J.F., 1995. Athens, Aden, Arikamedu. Essays on the interrelations.
SHOEBRIDGE, J., 2017. Revisiting Rouletted Ware and Arikamedu Type 10: Towards a spatial and temporal reconstruction of Indian Ocean networks in the Early Historic (Doctoral dissertation, Durham University).
Ravitchandirane, P., 2017. Puducherry before the age of Indo-Roman (Pre-Periplus) trade phase. HuSS: International Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences, pp.78-85.
Bopearachchi, O., 2004. Ancient Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu: Maritime Trade. South Asian horizons. Felicitation volume for François Gros, pp.539-551
