From China on a coin trail

There is no hint on the progress the Department of Archaeology has made in studying the huge cache of ancient Chinese coins that emerged from the sea bed of Tangasseri in February 2014, but the Chinese sure are taking it seriously.

A team of seven archaeologists from China arrived in Kollam on Saturday for further studies on the China-Kollam link during the medieval ages after studying the comprehensively studying the coins found during the dredging operations to increase the draft of the Kollam port.

Members of the team from the Institute of Archaeology attached to Palace Museum, Beijing, said the coins had generated much interest in China.

Director of the institute Li Ji, who heads the team, told

The Hindu that 1,740 coins with the Kerala Council of Historical Research (KCHR) that were studied dates from the 7th century to the 14 century. “All the coins were minted in China and the studies reveal that the Kollam port was continuously used by Chinese traders for about seven centuries during the medieval period. The coins from Tangasseri were the largest collection of ancient Chinese artefacts from India.”

Kollam during those days was a major transit point for sea faring Chinese traders. “The Palace Museum has records to show that Mongol emperor Genghis Khan (1162-1227) had camped in Kollam during his voyage to Arabia,” said Dr. Ji.

He said his team was studying the Chinese ceramics too that came up from the sea bed. Kerala Council For Historical Research (KCHR) Director P.J. Cherian, who accompanied the team, said the details on the history of the India-China link during the medieval period were lost to the colonial impact. “The Chinese never intervened into our cultural aspects; they took our best and gave us their best.”