New Book:
Merchants of Tamilakam: Pioneers of International Trade
By Kanakalatha Mukund
Published by Penguin UK - 2012

The tale of the Tamil merchant is a fascinating story of the adventure of commercial intercourse in the ancient and early medieval period. Sangam poetry dating back 2000 years gives us a vivid description of ports and cities bustling with traders and markets which leaves us wondering at the vigorous trade that evidently flourished between the Tamil region and Rome and the Mediterranean world to the west; and South-East Asia to the east. The early medieval period takes us to a more complex polity dominated by the rise of powerful Tamil empires under the Pallava and Chola dynasties. The strengthening of the state apparatus was accompanied by the emergence of many administrative and representative institutions. In this larger landscape; merchants were key agents of growth and change. Towering over the region; both literally and figuratively; the temple emerged as the central; definitive institution dominating social and economic life in the region known as Tamilakam. The interface between the temple; state; society and merchants is the major theme of this study.

Merchants of Tamilakam: Pioneers of International Trade by Kanakalatha Mukund and Gurcharan Das is a book that deals with the subject of trade during the 18th Century in the Tamil provinces in India. This book analyses the relationship between the state, the temple, and society in the region of Tamilakam, and traces the distribution of power among these entities. The book provides an account of the different ports and dominions that existed during that period. It highlights the role played by the different dynasties such as the Cholas and Pallavas in the overall development of international trade. The book paints a picture of the business connections that the Tamil provinces shared with different parts of the world, from Rome to the South East. It further divulges the factors that led to the administrative developments during this period and the pivotal role played by the traders in bolstering the economy in Southern India.

Kanakalatha Mukund is a popular author who has written many books including The Trading World of the Tamil Merchant and The View from Below: Indigenous Society, Temples And The Early Colonial State In Tamil Nadu 1700-1835. She holds a PhD in Economics, and lives in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. Gurcharan Das is a well-known name in the literary world. He has written books such as India Unbound and The Difficulty of Being Good: On The Subtle Art Of Dharma.

Read Book Online:

http://bit.ly/105rZLI

Buy this book at Flipkart:

http://bit.ly/10BiSWL