Traders Kings and Pilgrims

This country has experienced constant evolution during the course of several kingdoms. Traders, kings and pilgrims have all passed through this land, leaving their mark on its immortal history.

In the northern region of India, the Second Urbanisation occurred around 1000 B.C. The Deccan Peninsula and Southern Indian region saw the emergence of an eco-habitation that was a hybrid of the Iron Age and Mesolithic eras, leading to the emergence of a powerful civilization in its wake.

Let us study about the traders kings and pilgrims' solutions and their history in detail from this article.

History Traders Kings and Pilgrims

Let us start the history of traders kings and pilgrims with Sangam age and understand about the foreign trades and how the Bhakti movement has taken place.

Sangam Age   

The Sangam Age, which lasted from 300 BC to 300 AD, was a period of golden age in South India. During the Iron Age, the roots for this age were laid. Many wonderful poems were written during this time period, reflecting the beauty of South India, especially Tamil society and traditions.

Tamils had good business relations with countries like Cambodia and Rome as early as 300 BC. It's important to note that each of these countries had incredibly rich cultural traditions at the time. For Tamils, having trade relations with these countries must have been a natural progression, both geographically and culturally.

Literature During the Sangam Age

Every period has its own literature. The Sangam period had a thriving literary legacy as well. Sangam literally translates to "combination" or "meeting." The meeting of poets and thinkers from all over the world in three literary conferences under the patronage of Pandyan Kings about 2200 years ago shows this in Tamil literature.

The Tamil grammar 'Tolkappiyam' is the only surviving literary item from the second assembly, according to historians. The third assembly was convened in Madurai, and during that time, around 2000 poems were written, collectively known as Sangam Literature.

Kingdoms of the South

The Chelas, Cholas, and Pandyas are the three kingdoms described in Sangam Literature. Kerala Putras were another name for Chelas. Spices and cattle are their primary trade.

The Cholas ruled over the Kaveri delta and parts of Sri Lanka. The Pandyas mostly settled in the Madurai region. Madurai was known for the third literary assembly during the Pandya period. Tamilakam was the name given to these three dynasties as a collective.

Foreign Trade

South India, particularly Tamilakam, was involved in commercial links with the far countries. Proofs of these trades have been discovered in Greek books such as Pliny's Periplus History, which discuss international trade.

The majority of historians believe that these commercial routes were the main gateway for Christianity into South India. Sri Lanka, Java, Cambodia, Sumatra, and other countries on India's south-east coast were also involved in trade with the Tamil kingdoms.

Invaders from Foreign Lands

The Indo-Greeks, Parthians, Sungasm, Kushanas, and Shakas were the main invaders in India's northwestern province. After the defeat of the Last Mauryan ruler in 185 BC, Sungas invaded India. They took over Magadha and started their rule. The Indo-Greeks arrived in Punjab from Afghanistan and established an empire.

When the Parthians arrived in India, they established Gandhara as their capital. Kushans were nomads from northwest China. They defeated the other three tribes and founded their kingdom, led by Kanishka, who is considered as their greatest ruler.

Trade in the Period of Foreign Rule

Because the majority of their invasions were carried out under the pretext of developing trade relations, trade naturally flourished during their reigns. The kingdoms promoted trade by producing gold, silver, and copper coins. Sopara, Broach, and Kalyan were the most important port towns at the time.

During this time, the Silk Route, as we know it now, was discovered. It crossed across Central Asia on its way from India to Rome. This route was one of the most important factors in the period's development and progress.

Religious Growth

Hinduism and Buddhism were the two major religions in India at the time. Hinayana and Mahayana were mainly two of the latter. During this time, the Buddha statue in Bamiyan was built, and it was one of the tallest Buddha statues in the world. Because Buddhism has grown in popularity around the world, many pilgrims have gone to India to experience the site of enlightenment.

There was an upsurge of the Bhakti movement in Hinduism, with saints worshipping Shiva and Vishnu. There were devotees who wrote poetry and sang songs in honour of their deities. During this time, the Bhagavad Gita was especially important.

The Beginning of Bhakti

This was also the period when the worship of certain deities, which would later become a central feature of Hinduism, gained in prominence. Shiva, Vishnu, and goddesses like Durga were among these deities.

These deities were worshipped using Bhakti, which was a popular concept at the time. Bhakti is a term that refers to a person's devotion to a certain deity. Anyone, whether rich or poor, from the 'high' or 'low' castes, man or woman, might follow the Bhakti path.

Main Features of Bhakti

• Bhakti became an important aspect of Hinduism.

• Bhakti was used to worship deities.

• Bhakti is a term that refers to a person's devotion to a certain deity.

• Anyone might follow the path of bhakti, whether rich or poor, from the so-called "high" or "low" castes, man or woman.

• Rather than performing elaborate sacrifices, this way emphasised dedication and individual worship of a god or goddess.

• If a devotee worships the selected deity with a pure heart, the deity will come in the form that he or she desires, according to this system. As a result, the deity could take the appearance of a human, a lion, a tree, or any other creature. Artists created beautiful images of these deities as the concept gained traction.

Did you Know?

Bhakti is derived from the Sanskrit term bhaj, which means 'to divide or share.' This implies that the deity and the devotee have a close, two-way relationship. Bhagavat, which is often translated as god but also refers to someone who has and shares bhaga, or good fortune or happiness, is the subject of Bhakti.The devotee, also known as a bhakta or bhagavata, shares the bhaga of the deity with whom he or she has chosen to worship.

Fun Facts of Traders Kings and Pilgrims

"War is the kings' trade," wrote John Dryden. India has seen many battles and as many kings as any other country. India is a nation of many mysteries, and as a result, it has aroused the attention of many travellers, traders, kings and pilgrims from all over the world. Who were these traders, kings and pilgrims, though?

Conclusion

This is the detailed description on the traders kings and pilgrims solutions including the history traders kings and pilgrims. History of India consists of many wars as well as empirical reformations and the major reasons for this were the unique availability of goods like spices as well as traditional arts and the religious importance of India. These were the reasons which attracted the traders, pilgrims and even invaders from outside to visit India.