Pandya pearls
Topic: Sangam Age and Early South India · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 6 "The Age of Reorganisation"
Meaning
Pearls were the most famous product of the Pandya kingdom. They came from pearl beds in the Gulf of Mannar, the sea between south Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. Kings in north India wanted them. So did traders from Greece and Rome. Pearls helped make the Pandyas rich and helped make them a strong sea power.
Example
Kharavela, the king of Kalinga, says he received hundreds of pearls from the Pandya kingdom. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea is a guide written by a Greek sailor in c. 1st century CE. It lists "fine pearls" among the goods leaving south Indian ports.
Don't confuse with
- Malabar pepper: pepper was the main export of the Chera (Malabar) coast. Pearls were the special product of the Pandya coast.