New Beginnings: Cities and States
Roads, ports and the south
Explore the roads and ports that linked India, and what was happening in the south.
In the 1st millennium BCE, important routes opened up for trade, pilgrimage and armies. Two were especially famous:
| Route | Ran |
|---|---|
| Uttarapatha (uttara = north) | from the north-west across the Ganga plains to eastern India |
| Dakṣhiṇapatha (dakṣhiṇa = south) | from Kauśhāmbī (near Prayagraj) across the Vindhya hills all the way south |
Many side roads joined these to busy ports on the west and east coasts. Two long routes and a web of side roads made a network, and a network turns separate states into one connected land.
In the east, big cities grew, like Śhiśhupalgarh, the capital of Kalinga, with its square plan, strong walls and broad streets.
In the south, cities began to appear from about 400 BCE (new digs hint at trade even earlier). Three kingdoms rose: the Cholas, the Cheras and the Pāṇḍyas. Besides archaeology, the oldest Tamil literature names these kingdoms and some of their kings.
The south was rich in precious stones, gold and spices, so it traded with the rest of India and with kingdoms overseas. At Kodumanal, near Erode in Tamil Nadu, workshops for shells and gemstones have been found.
By 300 or 200 BCE, almost the whole subcontinent, including the Northeast, was one lively, connected land. Goods and culture travelled between regions and on to Central and Southeast Asia. Around then the mahājanapadas came to an end, making way for new changes: empires.
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