Tyndis ( grc, Τύνδις) was an ancient Indian seaport/harbor-town mentioned in the

Graeco-Roman The Greco-Roman civilization (; also Greco-Roman culture; spelled Graeco-Roman in the Commonwealth), as understood by modern scholars and writers, includes the geographical regions and countries that culturally—and so historically—were di ...

writings. According to the ''

Periplus of the Erythraean Sea The ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'' ( grc, Περίπλους τῆς Ἐρυθρᾶς Θαλάσσης, ', modern Greek '), also known by its Latin name as the , is a Greco-Roman periplus written in Koine Greek that describes navigation and ...

,'' Tyndis was located north of port

Muziris Muziris ( grc, Μουζιρίς, Old Malayalam: ''Muciri'' or ''Muciripattanam'' possibly identical with the medieval ''Muyirikode'') was an ancient harbour and an urban centre on the Malabar Coast. Muziris found mention in the ''Periplus of ...

in the country of the Cerobothra (present-day

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

).Gurukkal, R., & Whittaker, D. (2001). In search of Muziris. ''Journal of Roman Archaeology,'' ''14'', 334-350. Previously, Tyndis was attributed to

Thondi Thondi or Tondi is a Panchayat town in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its c ...

, a region ruled by the Pandya country in present day

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

. Alternatively, the Cheras of the early historical period (c. second century BCE - c. third century CE) are known to have had their original centre at

Karur Karur () is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Karur is the administrative headquarters of Karur district. It is located on the banks of River Amaravathi, Kaveri and Noyyal. Karur is well known for the export of Home Textile products to ...

in interior Tamil Nadu and harbours at

and Tyndis on the

Malabar coast The Malabar Coast is the southwestern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Geographically, it comprises the wettest regions of southern India, as the Western Ghats intercept the moisture-laden monsoon rains, especially on their westward-facing m ...

(

). Tyndis was a satellite feeding port to Muziris, according to the Periplus. It was a major center of trade, next only to Muziris, between the Cheras and the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

.Coastal Histories: Society and Ecology in Pre-modern India, Yogesh Sharma, Primus Books 2010

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...

(1st century CE) states that the port of Tyndis was located at the northwestern border of ''Keprobotos'' (Chera dynasty).Gurukkal, R., & Whittaker, D. (2001). In search of Muziris. ''Journal of Roman Archaeology,'' ''14'', 334-350. The

North Malabar North Malabar refers to the geographic area of southwest India covering the state of Kerala's present day Kasaragod, Kannur, and Wayanad District, Wayanad districts, and the taluks of Vatakara, Koyilandy, and Thamarassery in the Kozhikode Distri ...

region, which lies north of the port at Tyndis, was ruled by the kingdom of

Ezhimala Ezhimala, a hill reaching a height of , is located near Payyanur, in Kannur district of Kerala, south India. It is a part of a conspicuous and isolated cluster of hills, forming a promontory, north of Kannur (Cannanore). The Indian Naval Acad ...

during

Sangam period The Sangam period or age (, ), particularly referring to the third Sangam period, is the period of the history of ancient Tamil Nadu, Kerala and parts of Sri Lanka (then known as Tamilakam) spanning from c. 6th century BCE to c. 3rd century CE. ...

.A. Shreedhara Menon, A Survey of Kerala History According to the Periplus, a region known as ''

Limyrike Limyrikê is a historical region of present-day India, mentioned in the ancient Greco-Roman texts. It generally corresponds to the present-day Malabar Coast of Kerala. Extent According to the ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'' (53:17:15-27), ...

'' began at '' Naura'' and Tyndis. However the

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

mentions only Tyndis as the Limyrike's starting point. The region probably ended at

Kanyakumari Kanniyakumari (; , referring to Devi Kanya Kumari), also known as Cape Comorin, is a city in Kanniyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent and the southernmost city in mainland Ind ...

; it thus roughly corresponds to the present-day Malabar Coast. Periplous of the Erythraean Sea

There are references to a port with the name Tondi, on the Kerala coast, in the early

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

texts. It was under the control of the Chera rulers (probably via/under a collateral branch). No archaeological evidence has been found for Tyndis.

Different variations of the name

* ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'' - Tyndis * Pliny the Elder (''Natural History'') - Tyndis * Peutinger Table - Tondis * Claudius Ptolemy (''Geography'') - Tyndis

Sources

Graeco-Roman descriptions

(c. 1st century), 54-56, mentions Tyndis as "a well known village on the coast". ** "Naura and Tyndis, the first ports of trade of Limyrike" ** "Tyndis, a well known village on the coast, is in the kingdom of Keprobotos..." ** Tyndis is situated 500 stades (92 km) north to Muziris by river and sea. *

(1st century) - "the Caelobothras ruled a kingdom extending to Tyndis (on the north-west)". * By the time

Claudius Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importance ...

(2nd century) wrote, Tyndis had grown large enough for him to call it (''Geography'' 7.1.8) a town (''polis''). *

Tabula Peutingeriana ' (Latin Language, Latin for "The Peutinger Map"), also referred to as Peutinger's Tabula or Peutinger Table, is an illustrated ' (ancient Roman road map) showing the layout of the ''cursus publicus'', the road network of the Roman Empire. The m ...

locates Tondis north of Muziris (north of Templ Augusti and Lacus Muziris).

Early Tamil texts

There are references to a port with the name Tondi, on the Kerala coast, in the early

texts. It was under the control of the Chera rulers (probably via/under a collateral branch). No archaeological evidence has been found for Tyndis.

Location

The location of

provides clues for the location Tyndis, which was 500 stades (92 km) north of it (by river and sea). In ancient times, Tyndis held close connections with Chera kingdom. The historic archives documented the Chera Kingdom as the powerful Tamil Kingdom whose turf extends the entire present-day state of

and expanding up to Kongu Nadu. The perfect array of religions, customs, languages, and traditions over the flow of time reflects in the prosperous heritage of

Malabar Malabar may refer to the following: People * Malabars, people originating from the Malabar region of India * Malbars or Malabars, people of Tamil origin in Réunion Places * Malabar Coast, or Malabar, a region of the southwestern shoreline o ...

. Upon reaching the Tyndis port, they further traveled to the inlands using smaller boats and then by carts to the hill stations of

Wayanad Wayanad () is a district in the north-east of Indian state Kerala with administrative headquarters at the municipality of Kalpetta. It is the only plateau in Kerala. The Wayanad Plateau forms a continuation of the Mysore Plateau, the southern ...

Coorg Kodagu (also known by its former name Coorg) is an administrative district in the Karnataka state of India. Before 1956, it was an administratively separate Coorg State, at which point it was merged into an enlarged Mysore State. It occupies ...

, and then on wards in search of

spices A spice is a seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garni ...

and precious herbs. The exact location of the port is still unknown. Possible candidates include the following modern locations: *

Beypore Beypore or Beypur (formerly Beypoor) is an ancient port town and a locality town in Kozhikode district in the state of Kerala, India. It is located opposite to Chaliyam, the estuary where the river Chaliyar empties into Arabian Sea. Beypore is p ...

Chaliyam Chaliyam is a village situated at the estuary of Chaliyar (River Beypore) in Kozhikode district of Kerala, India. Chaliyam forms an island, bounded by the Chaliyar in the north, and River Kadalundi in south, and the Conolly Canal in the east. ...

Kadalundi Kadalundi is a village in Kozhikode district, Kerala, India. It is a coastal village close to the Arabian Sea. Kadalundi is famous for its bird sanctuary, which is home to various migratory birds during certain seasons and has been recently decla ...

Vallikkunnu Vallikkunnu is a village in Tirurangadi Taluk of Malappuram district in the state of Kerala, India with an area of 25 km2. It is located 5 km north of Parappanangadi town and comes under the jurisdiction of Parappanangadi Police Sta ...

Parappanangadi Parappanangadi, , is a major town and a municipality in Tirurangadi taluk of Malappuram district, Kerala, India. It is a coastal town located close to the Arabian sea. Parappanangadi railway station is one of the oldest railway stations in Ker ...

- TanurGurukkal, R., & Whittaker, D. (2001). In search of Muziris. ''Journal of Roman Archaeology,'' ''14'', 334-350. **About 117 km north of Kodungallur **Mouth of

Chaliyar Chaliyar River is the fourth longest river in Kerala at 169 km in length. The Chaliyar is also known as Chulika River, Nilambur River or Beypore River as it nears the sea. Pothukal, Chungathara, Nilambur, Mampad, Edavanna, Kavanoor, P ...

as well as

Kadalundi River Kadalundi River (Kadalundipuzha) is one of the four major rivers flowing through Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala. The other three are the Chaliyar, the Bharathappuzha and the Tirur River. This rain-fed river is long and i ...

**Kadalundi = Kadal + Tundi (?) **An open harbour entrance through a channel 40 feet deep (that does not need dredging) *

Ponnani Ponnani () is a municipality in Ponnani Taluk, Malappuram District, in the state of Kerala, India. It serves as the administrative center of the Taluk and Block Panchayat of the same name. It is situated at the estuary of Bharatappuzha (Riv ...

**About 74 km north of Kodungallur **Mouth of

Bharathappuzha Bharathappuzha ("River of Bhārata"), also known as the Nila or Ponnani River, is a river in India in the state of Kerala. With a length of 209 km, it is the second longest river that flows through Kerala after the Periyar. It flows throu ...

**Opposite to the

Palakkad Gap Palakkad Gap or Palghat Gap is a low mountain pass in the Western Ghats between Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and Palakkad in Kerala. It has an average elevation of with a width of . The pass is located between the Nilgiri Hills to the north and ...

References

Bibliography

External links

Muziris Heritage
* https://www.tyndisheritage.com/tyndis-the-port/ {{Kerala topics Ancient India Former populated places in India History of Kerala Lost ancient cities and towns