Consider the following statements regarding the early historic ports of ancient Kerala mentioned in classical Greco-Roman accounts: 1. Tyndis was identified by the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea as a major shipping terminal north of Muziris, actively exporting pepper and beryl. 2. Nelcynda was situated deep in the northernmost part of Malabar near modern Kasaragod and served exclusively by land caravans. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Statement 1 is correct because the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea explicitly lists Tyndis as a prominent port north of Muziris under the Chera kingdom, handling substantial maritime cargo including malabathrum and beryl. Statement 2 is incorrect because Nelcynda, along with Bakare, was situated further south in the Pandya or southern Chera maritime zone, not near Kasaragod, and functioned as a bustling port accessed via backwaters and river routes. The Periplus remains the primary text documenting Indo-Roman trade along the Malabar coastline during the first century CE.