Maritime heritage of southern peninsular India

Maritime heritage is the inherited and natured acquisition of cultural, social and technological traits reflecting interaction with the sea. Evidences for such maritime heritage of the southern Indian peninsula, south of 14 deg N are drawn from archaeology, epigraphy, numismatics, classical Tamil literature, oversea voyage accounts, regional folklore, ballad and folk traditions, living practices, sculptures and paintings, seamen’s account in their sea dialects, customs, traditions and sea trade. The extreme southern location in the sub continent, surrounded by the seas has ensured for the region a degree of isolation and segregation that permitted the people to evolve a distinctive socio – cultural ethos over millennia. The sea – land interface has evolved into a zone of intense human activity linked with the sea and impacts from beyond the sea on all sides. Many nagarams and pattinams on the coast have ensured for the region strong external impulses for its urban development. The present book examines various aspects of the maritime heritage of the region as reflected in the languages, living practices, tools and traditions. The book is illustrated with maps, line drawings and photographs.