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xxi, 347 p. : ill., maps ; 29 cm. USD 91.70 ISBN 9788173054617 DK-231536 http://www.dkagencies.com/doc/from/1063/to/1123/bkId/DKC47716276321731107624716825590801371/details.html India’s overseas activities have an incredibly long past. Going by authoritative records, its maritime adventurism can be traced back to the days of Harappan civilization -- sometime in the 3rd millennium BCE. Ever since, India has kept up its commercial and cultural contacts with different parts of the world. Surrounded, as it is, by the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, and the Bay of Bengal, India has been naturally gifted with a conducive environment for the growth of its maritime activities. In ancient times, its long coastline had a number of natural ports and port towns. Accordingly, India was strategically positioned to play a crucial role as a ‘first-class maritime power’. This book tells the fascinating story of early India’s maritime trade and overseas activities, with its primary focus on Odisha, earlier Orissa. Anciently called Kalinga and located on India’s eastern coast: of the Bay of Bengal, Odisha is well-known for its remarkable role in the transoceanic commerce and maritime activities of early India. Being a kind of bridge between India’s north and south, Kalinga not just had trade-and-commerce links with Java, Sumatra, Bali, Borneo, Cambodia, and many other countries, but also carried Indian culture and religious beliefs to these foreign lands. For the first time, this book offers an exhaustive study of this region’s early maritime activities – covering, notably, ancient Odisha’s maritime structure, ancient ports, ancient towns, trade opportunities, trade routes, articles of import and export, navigation, shipbuilding technology, role of monsoon winds and sea currents; besides the phases of boom and regression in maritime activities. Dr Benudhar Patra is presently Assistant Professor in the P.G. Department of History, Post Graduate Government College, Chandigarh.
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