COMMERCE OF INDIA. 



193 



trees skirted the King's road, wells were found at every 

 mile's distance, and resting places were provided not only for 

 men but even for beasts, as Asoka, according to his Buddhis- 

 tic tenets, took care also of the dumb animals. 



Along the coast of India were situated port towns, into 

 which flowed the export products of India, as well as the 

 import articles of foreign countries. The most important 

 were, Sindhu, the Naustathmos of the Grreek, our Karaci, 

 Barbarikon, Barake, Minnagara (Ahmedpur) in Ghizerat, 

 Barygaza (Barok), Suppara (Surparaka, Sibor) on the Tapty 

 near Surat, Kalliana (Kalyani), Naura (Honavera), Manga- 

 ruth (Mangalore), Muziris (Muyiri Kotta or Kranganore), 

 Tyndis (Tundi), Nilkylda (Kallada) recognized as such by 

 my learned friend Dr. Burnell, whose researches on the 

 ancient topography of India have led to so successful results, 

 Balita (Kalikut), Kollum (Quilon) and Kumar! (Komorin) on 

 the Western Coast. The Eastern shore not being so favorably 

 situated for commerce, as it was the off- coast for the Western 

 nations and not enjoying the advantages which Ceylon 

 afforded to the East, was less known and frequented, and 

 consequently contained a smaller number of large sea towns. 

 It possessed, moreover, very few good natural harbours, only 

 Korkhi (Kolchi), Kayal, the Cael of Marco Polo in the Grulf 

 of Manaar : Kabir on the mouth of the Kavery, Poduke 

 (Pulikat) and Palura (Naupura) can be identified with toler- 

 able certainty, while the position of Kamara and Sopatma 

 mentioned by Ptolemy, and of Maralla found in the Christian 

 Topography of Kosmas Indikopleustes is not yet fixed. The 

 island of Ceylon (Lanka, Taprobane) formed the centre of 

 the Western and Eastern commerce. 



We glean from the old lawbooks of Manu and Yajnavalkya 

 that the home or inland trade in India was very considerable. 

 Merchants travelled over the length and breadth of the land, 

 and became by an arduous application to their business well 

 acquainted with the manners, customs and dialects of the 



