The Geography of the Puranas c12.39

c12.39

It is to be noted that the importance of the coastal towns waxed and waned during the course of Indian history. The western coastal towns (of Gujarat) played an important part in the earliest period, when the trade and commerce by the Persians, Phoenicians and contemporary Indians was at its zenith. The eastern coast settlements developed trade and commerce during a later period when communication with the Malaya peninsula, the East Indies and China was established and Greater India included the eastern seaboard of the Bay of Bengal. In the next period, i.e., in the pre-medieval and medieval period the western coastal settlements, particularly those of Kerala, developed into big ports.