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Poompuhar is a town in the
Mayiladuthurai district Mayiladuthurai District is one of the youngest districts of Tamil Nadu, having been carved out from Nagapattinam district, Nagapattinam District in 2020. Tamil Nadu has 38 districts in total, and Mayiladuthurai is among them, located in the sout ...
in the southern Indian state of
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. 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 Indi ...
. The town, also known as Puhar, is referred to as Kaveri Poompattinam in ancient
Tamil literature Tamil literature includes a collection of literary works that have come from a tradition spanning more than two thousand years. The oldest extant works show signs of maturity indicating an even longer period of evolution. Contributors to the T ...
. It was once a flourishing ancient port city known as Kaveri poompattinam and Kaveripattanam (not to be confused with modern Kaveripattinam), which for a while served as the capital of the
early Chola The Early Cholas were a Tamil kingdom of the Chola dynasty - pre and post Sangam period (600 BCE–300 CE). It was one of the three main kingdoms of Tamilakam. Their early capitals were Urayur or Tiruchirapalli and Kaveripattinam. Along wit ...
kings in
Tamilakam Tamilakam () also known as ancient Tamil country as was the geographical region inhabited by the ancient Tamil people, covering the southernmost region of the Indian subcontinent. Tamilakam covered today's Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, La ...
, connecting South India with regions like Southeast Asia, the Roman Empire, and Greece. Poompuhar is located near the end point of the
Kaveri The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery) is a Rivers of India, major river flowing across Southern India. It is the third largest river in the region after Godavari River, Godavari and Krishna River, Krishna. The catchment area of the Kaveri basin i ...
river, aside the sea coast. It is mentioned in the
Periplus of the Erythraean Sea The ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'' (), also known by its Latin name as the , is a Greco-Roman world, Greco-Roman periplus written in Koine Greek that describes navigation and Roman commerce, trading opportunities from Roman Egyptian ports lik ...
. It is now established by marine archeological research conducted by the National institute of marine archeology, Goa that much of the town was washed away by progressive erosion and floods. Submerged wharves and several meter lengths of pier walls have excavated in recent times have corroborated the literary references to Poompugar. It was rebuilt several times after that. Ancient Pottery dating back to the 4th century BCE have been discovered off shore by marine archeologists east of this town.


History

Poompuhar is extensively mentioned in
Sangam literature The Sangam literature (Tamil language, Tamil: சங்க இலக்கியம், ''caṅka ilakkiyam''), historically known as 'the poetry of the noble ones' (Tamil language, Tamil: சான்றோர் செய்யுள், ''Cā ...
(circa 300 BCE to 300 CE), a collection of Tamil poetic works. Texts like Silappathikaram and
Manimekalai ''Maṇimēkalai'' (, ), also spelled ''Manimekhalai'' or ''Manimekalai'', is a Tamil Buddhist epic composed by Kulavāṇikaṉ Seethalai Sataṉar probably somewhere between the 2nd century to the 6th century. It is an "anti-love story", a ...
provide vivid descriptions of the city's grandeur, its bustling markets, and its cultural life. The Silappathikaram, written by
Ilango Adigal Ilango Adigal (a title, literally "prince ascetic", fl. c. 4th-6th century CE) was a Jain monk, belonging to the Chera royal family, from the city of Vanchi. He is traditionally credited as the author of the epic poem Cilappatikaram (the So ...
, describes Poompuhar as a city of immense wealth and beauty, with well-planned streets, temples, and a thriving harbor. A ''
Purananuru The ''Purananuru'' (, literally "four hundred oemsin the genre puram"), sometimes called ''Puram'' or ''Purappattu'', is a classical Tamil literature, Tamil poetic work and traditionally the last of the Eight Anthologies (''Ettuthokai'') i ...
'' poem (poem 30) says that big ships entered the port of Puhar without slacking sail, and poured out onto the beach precious merchandise brought from overseas. In the extensive markets of Puhar there were many tall mansions surrounded by platforms reached by high ladders. These mansions had many apartments and were provided with doorways, great and small, and with wide hallways and corridors ('' Pattinappaalai'' – II –142-158). In all parts of the town there were flags flying of various kinds and shapes. '' Pattinappaalai'', a poem that describes the ancient Puhar very vividly, was written by the poet Kadiyalur Uruthirangannanaar is part of the ''
Ten Idylls The Ten Idylls, known as Pattuppāṭṭu () or Ten Lays, is an anthology of ten longer poems in the Sangam literature – the earliest known Tamil literature. They range between about 100 and 800 lines, and the collection includes the celebrat ...
'' anthology and was sung in praise of
Karikala Chola Karikala (), often referred to as Karikala the Great, was a Tamil Emperor of the Early Cholas of the Chola dynasty who ruled ancient Tamilakam (Modern day Tamil Nadu in Southern India) from Uraiyur. He is credited with the construction of ...
, a second-century
Chola The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas, was a medieval thalassocratic empire based in southern India that was ruled by the Chola dynasty, and comprised overseas dominions, protectorates and spheres of influence ...
king. Located at the mouth of the
Kaveri River The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery) is a major river flowing across Southern India. It is the third largest river in the region after Godavari and Krishna. The catchment area of the Kaveri basin is estimated to be and encompasses the states o ...
, Poompuhar served as a major port city at the
Chola The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas, was a medieval thalassocratic empire based in southern India that was ruled by the Chola dynasty, and comprised overseas dominions, protectorates and spheres of influence ...
era, with archaeological excavations revealing submerged wharves and pier walls that confirm its historical significance. Poompuhar was a thriving center of trade, with merchandise arriving from overseas, supported by tall mansions and warehouses that underscored its commercial prosperity.


Merchants of Puhar

''Pattinappaalai'' also gives an idealised description of the merchants plying their trade in Puhar ('' Pattinappaalai'' – II –199-212): :They shunned murder, and put aside theft, pleased the gods by fire offerings,…they regarded others rights as scrupulously as their own, they took nothing more than was due to them and never gave less than was due from them. Trading thus in many articles of merchandise, they enjoyed an ancient heritage of prosperity and lived in close proximity to one another.


In Buddhist literature

Buddhadatta Buddhadatta Thera was a 5th-century Theravada Buddhist writer from the town of Uragapura in the Chola kingdom of South India.Potter, Karl H; Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies: Buddhist philosophy from 350 to 600 A.D. pg 216 He wrote many of his ...
, the 5th century writer who lived during the reign of Accutavikkante vividly describes the capital Kaveripattinam in his manuals (
Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...
language) as follows: In the lovely Kaveripattana crowded with hordes of men and women from pure families endowed with all the requisites of a town with crystal clear water flowing in the river, filled with all kinds of precious stones, possessed of many kinds of bazaars, beautified by many gardens, in a beautiful and pleasant vihara built by Kanhadasa, adorned with a mansion as high as the Kailasa, and having different kinds of beautiful entrance-towers on the outer wall, I lived in an old mansion there and wrote this work.. In the ''Nigamanagātha'' of Vinayavinicchaya, Buddhatta describes how he wrote the work while staying at the monastery built by one ''Venhudassa'' (Vishnudasa) on the banks of the Kaveri in a town called Bhootamangalam near Kaveripattinam.


City's destruction

The ancient city of Puhar was destroyed by the sea around 300 BC. Marine archeologists from the National Institute of Oceanography have established that this could have been the effects of sediment erosion and periodic tsunamis. Such a tsunami is mentioned in the Tamil poem Manimekhalai (see below), which relates that the town Kāveripattinam or Puhār was swallowed up by the sea. This event is supported by archeological finds of submerged ruins off the coast of modern Poompuhar. The town of Kāveripattinam is believed to have disappeared around 300 BC due to this tsunami Today, Poompuhar falls within the
Mayiladuthurai district Mayiladuthurai District is one of the youngest districts of Tamil Nadu, having been carved out from Nagapattinam district, Nagapattinam District in 2020. Tamil Nadu has 38 districts in total, and Mayiladuthurai is among them, located in the sout ...
and is part of the Sirkazhi assembly constituency in
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. 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 Indi ...
.


City layout

The general plan of the city of Puhar is described in considerable detail in the fifth book of '' Silapathikaram'' (c. ). The town was built on the north banks of the river
Kaveri The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery) is a Rivers of India, major river flowing across Southern India. It is the third largest river in the region after Godavari River, Godavari and Krishna River, Krishna. The catchment area of the Kaveri basin i ...
. The river Karari finally reaches the Bay of Bengal at Poompuhar. The town had two distinct districts, Maruvurpakkam near the sea and Pattinappakkam to its west. These two villages were separated by a stretch of gardens and orchards where daily markets were held under the shades of the trees. The market place was known as ''Naalangadi'' during the day and as ''allangadi'' by night.


Maruvurpakkam

The district of Maruvurpakkam was near the beach and had several terraced mansions and warehoused with windows shaped like the eyes of the
deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...
. Maruvurpakkam being close to the shore and hence to the shipyard was naturally preferred by the many overseas travellers, merchants and ''yavanas'' (foreigner) whose pleasant features arrested the eyes of the spectators living close to each other. Maruvurpakkam was inhabited by the fisher folk. The town had several
warehouses A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities, to ...
. Weavers,
silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...
merchants,
vendors In a supply chain, a vendor, supplier, provider or a seller, is an enterprise that contributes goods or services. Generally, a supply chain vendor manufactures inventory/stock items and sells them to the next link in the chain. Today, these term ...
,
fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...
and
meat Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...
sellers, potters,
grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached husk, hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and ...
merchants, jewellers and
diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...
makers lived in Maruvurppakkam.


Pattinappakkam

The King and
nobles Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...
, rich traders,
physicians A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the study, diagnosis, prognosis ...
,
astrologers Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions of celesti ...
, members of the king's
army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
, court dancers occupied Pattinappakkam. The five Manrams - Vellidai Manram, Elanchi Manram, Nedankal manram, Poothachathukkam and Pavaimanram were located in Pattinappakkam. Gardens like Elavanthikaicholai, Uyyanam, Chanpathivanam, Uvavanam, and Kaveravanam added beauty to the town.


In culture

The city of poompuhar is a very ancient one. Legends relate how great Muchukunda Chola of Chola lineage once led his troops to guard the kingdom of Lord Indra namely Amaravathi in battle against some powerful demons who were in possession of very destructive weapons. The Chola King and his soldiers held guard without sleeping for 3600 years and as a matter of gratitude Lord Indra, King of Devas, ordered his chief engineer Viswakarma to build the city on the same lines of Amaravati. He also presented the Chola King with the Sivalingam that he personally worshipped. The great Tamil work Silappathikaram says that in Puhar ships creaked in with wealth from all 7 continents, that Devas in guise of humans came and worshipped in its temples and that the nights were so bright that even a small grain of white lentil dropped in the beach sand could be spotted by naked eye.


Manimekalai

The ancient Tamil poem
Manimekalai ''Maṇimēkalai'' (, ), also spelled ''Manimekhalai'' or ''Manimekalai'', is a Tamil Buddhist epic composed by Kulavāṇikaṉ Seethalai Sataṉar probably somewhere between the 2nd century to the 6th century. It is an "anti-love story", a ...
by the poet Seethalai Saathanar is set in the town of Kaveripattanam. Ancient ruins of a 4th-5th-century Buddhist monastery, a Buddha statue, and a Buddhapada (footprint of the Buddha) were found in another section of the ancient city, now at Pallavanesvaram.


Geography

Kaveripattanam is located at . It has an average elevation of .


Politics

Poompuhar assembly constituency is part of Mayiladuturai (Lok Sabha constituency).


Education

* Srinivasa Higher Secondary School, Melaiyur


Tourism

The major tourists attractions in Poompuhar:


Silappathikara Art Gallery

A beautiful building of great sculptural value has been built as Sillappathikara Art Gallery. Scenes from Silappathikaram, the Epic of the land have been given lively shapes in stones on the walls of the Gallery. These sculptures carved by the sculptors of Mamallapuram Art College remain the treasure house of Tamil Culture.


Masilamani Nathar Koil

Though heavily eroded by the sea in a number of places, this temple built in 1305 by Maravarma Kulasekara Pandiyan, still manages to impress all the tourists to Poompuhar with its architectural richness.


Gallery

File:Kaverippattanam OR Pumpuhar 022.jpg, Fishermen's vessels File:Puhar-ILango.jpg, Ilango Adigal (poet prince) File:Puhar-KannagiInPandyaCourt.jpg, Kannagi In Pandya Court File:Puhar-Kannagi-Kovalan.jpg, Sculpture of Kovalan and Kannagi at the art gallery entrance File:Kaverippattanam OR Pumpuhar 360.jpg, A Sign Board


Notes


References

* Mudaliar, A.S, Abithana Chintamani (1931), Reprinted 1984 Asian Educational Services, New Delhi. * Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. (1935). The CōĻas, University of Madras, Madras (Reprinted 1984). * http://www.nio.org/index/option/com_projdisp/task/show/tid/2/sid/15/pid/56 * https://web.archive.org/web/20050210100642/http://www.nio.org/projects/vora/project_vora_5.jsp


External links


PoomPuhar
College A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

Poompugar in Memories in Asia
{{Mayiladuthurai Topics Cities and towns in Mayiladuthurai district Ancient Indian cities Former populated places in India Buddhism amongst Tamils Former capital cities in India