The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c15.153

v1.c15.153

From the days of the Greek pilot Hippalus, the monsoons have carried some sea traffic to and fro over the Arabian sea from the direction of Aden. Sind was raided by Muhammadans overseas. But Sind lies outside the desert of Rājputāna. The Malabar coast long had commercial intercourse with the Nearer East, and thus indirectly with Christendom. But the Western Ghāts lie behind the Malabar coast. In the south of India, on that coast, are two curious relics of this traffic, two small ancient communities of Jews and of Christians. But these are exceptional. The one gateway of India which signified, until modern times, was the north-western land-gate. Most of the history which is to be narrated in these volumes bears, directly or indirectly, some relation to that great geographical fact.