In this episode of The Chola Empire, Lucas and Luna explore a lesser-known facet of Chola power: the sprawling Tamil merchant diaspora that stretched from the Coromandel Coast to the shores of Southeast Asia. They follow the journeys of the Ayyavole and Manigramam guilds, whose members traded in precious stones, spices, and textiles, and who left behind inscriptions in Thailand, Sumatra, and the Malay Peninsula that testify to their reach. The episode also looks at the Chola court's diplomatic gifts to the Song dynasty, including a bronze Buddha statue sent to a Buddhist temple in China, and the famous 1077 mission that brought a Chola embassy to the Chinese court. Along the way, they untangle the difference between Chola military conquest and the quieter, more pervasive influence of Tamil merchants, who carried their language, religion, and social customs across the Bay of Bengal.
#Chola #TamilDiaspora #Ayyavole #Manigramam #BayOfBengal #SongDynasty #Srivijaya #Kadaram #Thanjavur #Tanjore #IndianOcean #MaritimeTrade #Guilds #Buddhism #Hinduism #Tamil #History #FexingoHistory
Keep every episode free:
buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
