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{{Use Indian English|date=January 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2019}}
[[File:South Asia historical AD375 EN.svg|thumb|400px|Tamralipti shown in eastern India, c. 375 CE]]
[[File:South Asia historical AD375 EN.svg|thumb|400px|Tamralipti shown in eastern India, c. 375 CE]]
'''Tamralipta''' or '''Tamralipti''' ({{lang-pi|Tāmaliti}}) was a city in ancient [[Bengal]], located on the [[Bay of Bengal]]<ref>{{cite journal|last=Haraniya|first=Krutika|title=Tamralipti, The Copper Port of Ancient Bengal|journal=Live History India|date=26 June 2017|url=https://www.livehistoryindia.com/snapshort-histories/2017/06/26/tamralipti-the-ancient-copper-port|access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref> in Midnapore district of modern-day [[India]] in West Bengal. The [[Tamluk]] town in present-day [[West Bengal]] is identified as the site of Tamralipti.<ref>{{cite book |author=Dilip K. Chakrabarti |title=Archaeological Geography of the Ganga Plain: The Lower and the Middle Ganga |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OEZe-wAIiKIC&pg=PA125 |year=2001 |publisher=Orient Blackswan |isbn=978-81-7824-016-9 |page=125 }}</ref>
'''Tamralipta''' or '''Tamralipti''' ({{lang-pi|Tāmaliti}}) was a city in ancient [[Bengal]], located on the [[Bay of Bengal]]<ref>{{cite journal|last=Haraniya|first=Krutika|title=Tamralipti, The Copper Port of Ancient Bengal|journal=Live History India|date=26 June 2017|url=https://www.livehistoryindia.com/snapshort-histories/2017/06/26/tamralipti-the-ancient-copper-port|access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref> in Midnapore district of modern-day [[India]] in West Bengal. The [[Tamluk]] town in present-day [[West Bengal]] is identified as the site of Tamralipti.<ref name=":2">{{cite book |author=Dilip K. Chakrabarti |title=Archaeological Geography of the Ganga Plain: The Lower and the Middle Ganga |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OEZe-wAIiKIC&pg=PA125 |year=2001 |publisher=Orient Blackswan |isbn=978-81-7824-016-9 |page=125 }}</ref>


It is believed that Tamralipti was the exit point of the [[Mauryan]] [[trade route]] for the south and [[South East Asia|south-east]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://calcuttahighcourt.nic.in/district_courts/purbamedinipur.htm|title=Purba (East) Medinipur|work=[[Calcutta High Court]]|access-date=19 November 2011}}</ref> Excavations at [[Moghalmari]] confirmed the presence of Buddhist vihars in the area which was mentioned by Chinese travelers [[Fa Hien]] and [[Xuanzang]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Shankar Chattopadhay|first=Suhrid|title=Unearthing a culture|journal=Frontline|date=22 February 2013|url=http://www.frontline.in/arts-and-culture/heritage/unearthing-a-culture/article4372313.ece|access-date=2 November 2013}}</ref> It was located near Rupnarayana river. This place has been mentioned in [[Mahabharata]] as a place which [[Bhima]] acquired. It was linked by roads with the major towns of that time, i.e. [[Rajgir|Rajagriha]], [[Shravasti]], [[Pataliputra]], [[Varanasi]], [[Champapuri|Champa]], [[Kosambi|Kaushambi]] and [[Taxila]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Haraniya|first=Krutika|title=Tamralipti, The Copper Port of Ancient Bengal|journal=Live History India|date=26 June 2017|url=https://www.livehistoryindia.com/snapshort-histories/2017/06/26/tamralipti-the-ancient-copper-port|access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref>
It is believed that Tamralipti was the exit point of the [[Mauryan]] [[trade route]] for the south and [[South East Asia|south-east]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://calcuttahighcourt.nic.in/district_courts/purbamedinipur.htm|title=Purba (East) Medinipur|work=[[Calcutta High Court]]|access-date=19 November 2011}}</ref> Excavations at [[Moghalmari]] confirmed the presence of Buddhist vihars in the area which was mentioned by Chinese travelers [[Fa Hien]] and [[Xuanzang]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Shankar Chattopadhay|first=Suhrid|title=Unearthing a culture|journal=Frontline|date=22 February 2013|url=http://www.frontline.in/arts-and-culture/heritage/unearthing-a-culture/article4372313.ece|access-date=2 November 2013}}</ref> It was located near Rupnarayana river. This place has been mentioned in [[Mahabharata]] as a place which [[Bhima]] acquired. It was linked by roads with the major towns of that time, i.e. [[Rajgir|Rajagriha]], [[Shravasti]], [[Pataliputra]], [[Varanasi]], [[Champapuri|Champa]], [[Kosambi|Kaushambi]] and [[Taxila]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Haraniya|first=Krutika|title=Tamralipti, The Copper Port of Ancient Bengal|journal=Live History India|date=26 June 2017|url=https://www.livehistoryindia.com/snapshort-histories/2017/06/26/tamralipti-the-ancient-copper-port|access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
In the early fifth century CE, Chinese Buddhist monk Fa Hien reported seeing twenty Buddhist monasteries in Tamralipta.<ref>{{cite web |title=New twist from excavations |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/538184/twist-excavations.html |website=Deccan Herald |language=en |date=2 April 2016}}</ref> Circa 675 CE, Chinese Buddhist Monk [[Yijing_(monk)|Yi Jing]] reached the east coast of India. In his memoirs, he speaks of the Buddhists of Tamralipta:
Tamralipta with it's other 'dialectical variants' was mentioned in early Indian literary works.It was also mentioned by Greek astronomer-geographer Ptolemy, Chinese monk travellers Fa-hien,Hsuan-tsang,Yi Jing.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Chattopadhyay|first=Rupendra Kumar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5aRmDwAAQBAJ|title=The Archaeology of Coastal Bengal|date=2018-01-19|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-909180-5|pages=40–41|language=en}}</ref> The Mahābhārata distinguishes this ancient city from [[Suhma Kingdom|Suhma]], however a later work, [[Dashakumaracharita]] adds 'Damalipta' (it refers Tamralipta as 'Damalipta') within the Suhma Kingdom.It is said that Tamralipta was the capital of Suhma.In the [[Raghuvamsha]] it is described as located on the bank of river Kapisa.The [[Kathāsaritsāgara]] observes Tamralipta as an important maritime port and trading center.Some Pali literature identifies it as 'Tamalitti' or 'Tamalitthi' and describes it as a port.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Puri|first=Baij Nath|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cz8uAAAAMAAJ|title=Cities of Ancient India|date=1966|publisher=Meenakshi Prakashan|pages=110|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Choudhury|first=Pratap Chandra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EE1uAAAAMAAJ|title=Assam-Bengal Relations from the Earliest Times to the Twelfth Century A.D.|date=1988|publisher=Spectrum Publications|pages=67|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0" /> Ptolemy mentions 'Tamalites' (one of the dialectical variants of Tamralipta) was a significant town and royal residence.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> In the early fifth century CE, Chinese Buddhist monk Fa Hien reported seeing twenty Buddhist monasteries in Tamralipta.<ref>{{cite web |title=New twist from excavations |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/538184/twist-excavations.html |website=Deccan Herald |language=en |date=2 April 2016}}</ref> Fa-Hien traces Tamralipta, as situated on the seaboard.Whereas, Hiuen-Tsang describes that,'Tan-mo-li-ti' (He refers Tamralipti as 'Tan-mo-li-ti') was situated on a creek relatively away from the main Bay of Bengal.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sengupta|first=Nitish|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TI8GQioaoL4C|title=Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib|date=2011-07-19|publisher=Penguin UK|isbn=978-81-8475-530-5|language=en|quote=While Fa-Hien describes Tamralipta as situated on seaboard, by the time Hiuen-Tsang came to Bengal, he noticed that it was situated on a creek somewhat away from the main Bay of Bengal.}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> Circa 675 CE, Chinese Buddhist Monk [[Yijing_(monk)|Yi Jing]] reached the east coast of India. In his memoirs, he speaks of the Buddhists of Tamralipta:


{{quote|When I for the first time visited Tāmralipti, I saw in a square outside the monastery some of its tenants who, having entered there, divided some vegetables into three portions, and having presented one of the three to the priests, retired from thence, taking the other portions with them...{{pb}}The priests in this monastery are mostly observers of the precepts. As cultivation by the priests themselves is prohibited by the great Sage, they offer their taxable lands to be cultivated by others freely, and partake of only a portion of the products. Thus they live their just life, avoiding worldly affairs, and free from the faults of destroying lives by ploughing and watering fields.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schmiedchen |first1=Annette |title=Medieval Endowment Cultures in Western India: Buddhist and Muslim Encounters – Some Preliminary Observations |journal=Mondes de l'Asie du Sud et de l'Asie Centrale |date=2019 |page=7 |url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03012318/document}}</ref>}}
{{quote|When I for the first time visited Tāmralipti, I saw in a square outside the monastery some of its tenants who, having entered there, divided some vegetables into three portions, and having presented one of the three to the priests, retired from thence, taking the other portions with them...{{pb}}The priests in this monastery are mostly observers of the precepts. As cultivation by the priests themselves is prohibited by the great Sage, they offer their taxable lands to be cultivated by others freely, and partake of only a portion of the products. Thus they live their just life, avoiding worldly affairs, and free from the faults of destroying lives by ploughing and watering fields.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schmiedchen |first1=Annette |title=Medieval Endowment Cultures in Western India: Buddhist and Muslim Encounters – Some Preliminary Observations |journal=Mondes de l'Asie du Sud et de l'Asie Centrale |date=2019 |page=7 |url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03012318/document}}</ref>}}

Revision as of 08:46, 3 January 2022

Tamralipti shown in eastern India, c. 375 CE

Tamralipta or Tamralipti (Pali: Tāmaliti) was a city in ancient Bengal, located on the Bay of Bengal[1] in Midnapore district of modern-day India in West Bengal. The Tamluk town in present-day West Bengal is identified as the site of Tamralipti.[2]

It is believed that Tamralipti was the exit point of the Mauryan trade route for the south and south-east.[3] Excavations at Moghalmari confirmed the presence of Buddhist vihars in the area which was mentioned by Chinese travelers Fa Hien and Xuanzang.[4] It was located near Rupnarayana river. This place has been mentioned in Mahabharata as a place which Bhima acquired. It was linked by roads with the major towns of that time, i.e. Rajagriha, Shravasti, Pataliputra, Varanasi, Champa, Kaushambi and Taxila.[5]

History

Tamralipta with it's other 'dialectical variants' was mentioned in early Indian literary works.It was also mentioned by Greek astronomer-geographer Ptolemy, Chinese monk travellers Fa-hien,Hsuan-tsang,Yi Jing.[6] The Mahābhārata distinguishes this ancient city from Suhma, however a later work, Dashakumaracharita adds 'Damalipta' (it refers Tamralipta as 'Damalipta') within the Suhma Kingdom.It is said that Tamralipta was the capital of Suhma.In the Raghuvamsha it is described as located on the bank of river Kapisa.The Kathāsaritsāgara observes Tamralipta as an important maritime port and trading center.Some Pali literature identifies it as 'Tamalitti' or 'Tamalitthi' and describes it as a port.[7][8][2][6] Ptolemy mentions 'Tamalites' (one of the dialectical variants of Tamralipta) was a significant town and royal residence.[6][7] In the early fifth century CE, Chinese Buddhist monk Fa Hien reported seeing twenty Buddhist monasteries in Tamralipta.[9] Fa-Hien traces Tamralipta, as situated on the seaboard.Whereas, Hiuen-Tsang describes that,'Tan-mo-li-ti' (He refers Tamralipti as 'Tan-mo-li-ti') was situated on a creek relatively away from the main Bay of Bengal.[10][7] Circa 675 CE, Chinese Buddhist Monk Yi Jing reached the east coast of India. In his memoirs, he speaks of the Buddhists of Tamralipta:

When I for the first time visited Tāmralipti, I saw in a square outside the monastery some of its tenants who, having entered there, divided some vegetables into three portions, and having presented one of the three to the priests, retired from thence, taking the other portions with them...

The priests in this monastery are mostly observers of the precepts. As cultivation by the priests themselves is prohibited by the great Sage, they offer their taxable lands to be cultivated by others freely, and partake of only a portion of the products. Thus they live their just life, avoiding worldly affairs, and free from the faults of destroying lives by ploughing and watering fields.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Haraniya, Krutika (26 June 2017). "Tamralipti, The Copper Port of Ancient Bengal". Live History India. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dilip K. Chakrabarti (2001). Archaeological Geography of the Ganga Plain: The Lower and the Middle Ganga. Orient Blackswan. p. 125. ISBN 978-81-7824-016-9.
  3. ↑ "Purba (East) Medinipur". Calcutta High Court. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  4. ↑ Shankar Chattopadhay, Suhrid (22 February 2013). "Unearthing a culture". Frontline. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
  5. ↑ Haraniya, Krutika (26 June 2017). "Tamralipti, The Copper Port of Ancient Bengal". Live History India. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Chattopadhyay, Rupendra Kumar (19 January 2018). The Archaeology of Coastal Bengal. Oxford University Press. pp. 40–41. ISBN 978-0-19-909180-5.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Puri, Baij Nath (1966). Cities of Ancient India. Meenakshi Prakashan. p. 110.
  8. ↑ Choudhury, Pratap Chandra (1988). Assam-Bengal Relations from the Earliest Times to the Twelfth Century A.D. Spectrum Publications. p. 67.
  9. ↑ "New twist from excavations". Deccan Herald. 2 April 2016.
  10. ↑ Sengupta, Nitish (19 July 2011). Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-81-8475-530-5. While Fa-Hien describes Tamralipta as situated on seaboard, by the time Hiuen-Tsang came to Bengal, he noticed that it was situated on a creek somewhat away from the main Bay of Bengal.
  11. ↑ Schmiedchen, Annette (2019). "Medieval Endowment Cultures in Western India: Buddhist and Muslim Encounters – Some Preliminary Observations". Mondes de l'Asie du Sud et de l'Asie Centrale: 7.

Sources

  • Manoranjan Bhaumick, History, Culture and Antiquities of Tamralipta, Kolkata, Punthi Pustak (2001) ISBN 81-86791-27-2.
  • T. N. Ramachandran, "Tamralipti (Tamluk)", Artibus Asiae, Vol. 14, No. 3 (1951), pp. 226–239

External links

Template:Non-extant Bengal places

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