Tyndis
Ancient Indian seaport/harbor-town mentioned in the Graeco-Roman writings
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tyndis (Ancient Greek: Τύνδις[1], Tamil: Thondi[2]) was an ancient south Indian seaport and 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. 2nd century BCE - c. 3rd century CE[4]) had their headquarters at Vanchi-Karur (Karuvur) in the interior Tamil Nadu and headquarters or ports at Muziris (Vanchi or Muchiri) and Tyndis (Thondi) on the Malabar Coast (present-day Kerala).[4] Early Tamil poems (the Sangam Literature) contain several references to a port named "Thondi" on the Kerala coast in Chera country.[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]
Different variations of the name
In Tamil, the term "Thondi" refers to either "a small bay-like landscape" or to the "navel".[3][2]
Thondi, like Virai or Arikamedu-Virampattinam, is occasionally 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 notably describe it as "valam kezhu", signifying its prosperity, similar to that of Muchiri.[2]
The port of Thondi also had an ananku goddess.[2]
- Periplus of the Erythraean Sea - Tyndis[3]
- Pliny the Elder (Natural History) - Tyndis[3]
- Peutinger Table - Tondis[3]
- Claudius Ptolemy (Geography) - Tyndis[3]
Sources
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 poems
There are several references to a port named Thondi on the Kerala coast in the early Tamil texts (the Sangam Literature). 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 Chera 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 Chera 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, which is described as a "coastal town" with "backwater lakes" or "backwaters filled with flowers". Early poems also hint at the presence of nearby coconut groves and hills.[2] Thondi was also noted for its fishing and its "neythal" (water lily) flowers.[2] It had a fishing community of Paratavar people.[2]
Location
The location of Muziris (Muchiri) 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:
