Coromandel Coast

13°22′00″N80°20′00″E/ 13.3667°N 80.3333°E/13.3667; 80.3333

TheCoromandel Coastis the southeastern coastal region of theIndian subcontinent,bounded by theUtkal Plainsto the north, the Bay of Bengal to the east, theKaveridelta to the south, and theEastern Ghatsto the west, extending over an area of about 22,800 square kilometres.^[1]The coast has an average elevation of 80 metres and is backed by theEastern Ghats,a chain of low lying and flat-topped hills.

The land of theChola dynastywas called Cholamandalam inTamil,literally translated as "the realmof the Cholas ", from which Coromandel is derived.

In historical Muslim sources from the 12th century onward, the Coromandel Coast was called Maʿbar.^[2]

Etymology

The land of theChola dynastywas calledCholamandalam(சோழ மண்டலம்) inTamil,translated asThe realm of the Cholas,from which the Portuguese derived the nameCoromandel.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]The name could also be derived fromKarai mandalam,meaningThe realm of the Shores.^[8]

Another theory is that the first Dutch ship to India stopped at Karimanal, an island village to the north ofPulicat.The sailors aboard the ship mispronounced the village's name as 'Corimondal' and the name stuck thereafter.^[9]

An Italian explorer,Ludovico di Varthema,perhaps first gave the name Coromandel in 1510, which was then used on maps by the Portuguese, but it was the Dutch who took up serious trading there.^[10]

Flora

The Coromandel Coast is home to theEast Deccan dry evergreen forests ecoregion,which runs in a narrow strip along the coast. Unlike most of the othertropical dry forest Biomeregions of India, where the trees lose their leaves during the dry season, the East Deccan dry evergreen forests retain their leathery leaves year round.^{[citation needed]}

The Coromandel Coast is also home to extensivemangroveforests along the low-lying coast andriver deltas,and several importantwetlands,notablyKaliveli LakeandPulicat Lake,that provide habitat to thousands of migrating and resident birds.^{[citation needed]}

History

By late 1530 the Coromandel Coast was home to three Portuguese settlements atNagapattinam,São Tomé de Meliapore,andPulicat.In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Coromandel Coast was the scene of rivalries among European powers for control of the India trade. The British established themselves atFort St George(Madras) andMasulipatnam,theDutchat Pulicat,SadrasandCovelong,the French atPondicherry,KaraikalandNizampatnam,theDanishinDansborgat Tharangambadi.^{[citation needed]}

The Coromandel Coast suppliedIndian Muslim eunuchsto the Thai palace and court ofSiam(modern Thailand).^[11]^[12]The Thai at times asked eunuchs from China to visit the court in Thailand and advise them on court ritual since they held them in high regard.^[13]^[14]

Eventually the British won out, although France retained the tiny enclaves ofPondichéryandKaraikaluntil 1954.Chinese lacquer goods,including boxes, screens, and chests, became known as "Coromandel" goods in the 18th century, because many Chinese exports were consolidated at the Coromandel ports.^{[citation needed]}

Two of the famous books on the economic history of the Coromandel Coast areMerchants, companies, and commerce on the Coromandel Coast, 1650–1740(Arasaratnam, Oxford University Press, 1986) andThe World of the Weaver in Northern Coromandel,c. 1750– c. 1850(P. Swarnalatha, Orient Longman, 2005).

On 26 December 2004, one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern history, theIndian Ocean earthquake,struck off the western coast ofSumatra(Indonesia). Theearthquakeand subsequent tsunami reportedly killed over 220,000 people around the rim of theIndian Ocean.The tsunami devastated the Coromandel Coast, killing many and sweeping away many coastal communities.^{[citation needed]}

Applications of the name

Four ships of theRoyal Navyhave borne the nameHMSCoromandelafter the Indian coast. TheCoromandel Peninsulain New Zealand was named afterone of these ships,and the town ofCoromandel, New Zealandwas named after the peninsula. Coromandel Valley, South Australia,and its neighbouring suburb, Coromandel East, gained their names from the shipCoromandel,which arrived in Holdfast Bay from London in 1837 with 156 English settlers. After the ship reached the shore, some of its sailors deserted, intending to remain behind in South Australia, and took refuge in the hills in the Coromandel Valley region.^{[citation needed]}

InSlovene,theidiomIndija Koromandija(India Coromandel) means a land of plenty,^[15]a promised land, a utopia where "Houses are bleached with cheese and covered with cake".^[16]

Edward Learsituates his nonsense poemThe Yonghy Bonghy Boby citing Coromandel on the first line:On the Coast of Coromandel.^[17]

TheCoromandel Expressis a train of the Indian Railways. The daily train runs down the east coast of India betweenShalimar railway station,West Bengal, andChennai Central railway station,Tamil Nadu.

References

^"Coromandel Coast | Tamil Nadu, Bay of Bengal, & Map | Britannica".britannica.
^Shokoohy, Mehrdad; Shokoohy, Natalie H. (2020). "Maʿbar".Encyclopedia of Islam(third ed.). Brill.ISBN 9789004435933.Retrieved9 March2021.
^The Land of the Tamulians and Its Missions,by Eduard Raimund Baierlein, James Dunning Baker
^South Indian Coins – Page 61 by T. Desikachari – Coins, Indic – 1984
^Indian History – Page 112
^Annals of Oriental Research– Page 1 by University of Madras – 1960
^The Periplus of the Erythræan SeabyWilfred Harvey Schoff
^Edgar Thurston (2011).The Madras Presidency with Mysore, Coorg and the Associated States.Cambridge University Press. p. 11.ISBN 978-1-107-60068-3.
^"A Brief Narrative of The Danish Mission on the Coast of Coromandel par Baron Alanson Stow (1801-1869): Good Hardcover (1837) 1st Edition | The Book Collector, Inc. ABAA, ILAB".abebooks.fr(in French).Retrieved1 April2024.
^Allen, Charles (13 December 2017)."How A Coast Got Its Name".Books.The Hindu.Retrieved24 December2020.
^Peletz (2009), p. 73Gender Pluralism: Southeast Asia Since Early Modern Times,p. 73, atGoogle Books
^Peletz (2009), p. 73Gender Pluralism: Southeast Asia Since Early Modern Times,p. 73, atGoogle Books
^Peletz (2009), p. 75Gender Pluralism: Southeast Asia Since Early Modern Times,p. 75, atGoogle Books
^Peletz (2009), p. 75Gender Pluralism: Southeast Asia Since Early Modern Times,p. 75, atGoogle Books
^"Indija Koromandija".Slovar slovenskega knjižnega jezika [Dictionary of Slovenian Literary Language](in Slovenian).Retrieved24 December2020.According to popular belief, a land where everything is enough, where it is very good: their grandmother told them about India Coromandel / expressing all of her India Coromandel collapsed imaginary, expected happiness
^"Razvezani jezik - Indija koromandija".Free dictionary of living Slovene(in Slovenian).Retrieved24 December2020.A folk song sings: India Koromandija! /They cook the porridge in a spoon, /the house are bleached with cheese,/ cover them with cake,/ and curd them with cottage cheese. It also houses the first Slovene anti-utopia, created by Anton Mahnič in In 1884 he published in Slovene, a political newspaper for the Slovene nation.
^"Edward Lear, The Yonghy--Bonghy--Bò".nonsenselit.org.

External links

Encyclopædia Britannica: Coromandel Coast (region, India)

[britannica-1] "Coromandel Coast | Tamil Nadu, Bay of Bengal, & Map | Britannica".britannica.

[Brill-2] Shokoohy, Mehrdad; Shokoohy, Natalie H. (2020). "Maʿbar".Encyclopedia of Islam(third ed.). Brill.ISBN 9789004435933.Retrieved9 March2021.

[TheLandoftheTamuliansandItsMissions-3] The Land of the Tamulians and Its Missions,by Eduard Raimund Baierlein, James Dunning Baker

[South_Indian_Coins_-_Page_61-4] South Indian Coins – Page 61 by T. Desikachari – Coins, Indic – 1984

[Indian_History_-_Page_112-5] Indian History – Page 112

[Annals_of_Oriental_Research_-_Page_1-6] Annals of Oriental Research– Page 1 by University of Madras – 1960

[The_Periplus_of_the_Erythræan_Sea-7] The Periplus of the Erythræan SeabyWilfred Harvey Schoff

[8] Edgar Thurston (2011).The Madras Presidency with Mysore, Coorg and the Associated States.Cambridge University Press. p. 11.ISBN 978-1-107-60068-3.

[9] "A Brief Narrative of The Danish Mission on the Coast of Coromandel par Baron Alanson Stow (1801-1869): Good Hardcover (1837) 1st Edition | The Book Collector, Inc. ABAA, ILAB".abebooks.fr(in French).Retrieved1 April2024.

[10] Allen, Charles (13 December 2017)."How A Coast Got Its Name".Books.The Hindu.Retrieved24 December2020.

[11] Peletz (2009), p. 73Gender Pluralism: Southeast Asia Since Early Modern Times,p. 73, atGoogle Books

[12] Peletz (2009), p. 73Gender Pluralism: Southeast Asia Since Early Modern Times,p. 73, atGoogle Books

[13] Peletz (2009), p. 75Gender Pluralism: Southeast Asia Since Early Modern Times,p. 75, atGoogle Books

[14] Peletz (2009), p. 75Gender Pluralism: Southeast Asia Since Early Modern Times,p. 75, atGoogle Books

[15] "Indija Koromandija".Slovar slovenskega knjižnega jezika [Dictionary of Slovenian Literary Language](in Slovenian).Retrieved24 December2020.According to popular belief, a land where everything is enough, where it is very good: their grandmother told them about India Coromandel / expressing all of her India Coromandel collapsed imaginary, expected happiness

[16] "Razvezani jezik - Indija koromandija".Free dictionary of living Slovene(in Slovenian).Retrieved24 December2020.A folk song sings: India Koromandija! /They cook the porridge in a spoon, /the house are bleached with cheese,/ cover them with cake,/ and curd them with cottage cheese. It also houses the first Slovene anti-utopia, created by Anton Mahnič in In 1884 he published in Slovene, a political newspaper for the Slovene nation.

[17] "Edward Lear, The Yonghy--Bonghy--Bò".nonsenselit.org.

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v t e Geography ofSouth Asia
Mountains	Himalayas Mount Everest Western Ghats Eastern Ghats Aravalli Range Nilgiris Vindhya Range Satpura Range Garo Hills Shivalik Hills Himachal Range Khasi Hills Anaimalai Hills Cardamom Hills Sulaiman Mountains Toba Kakar Range Karakoram Hindu Kush Chittagong Hill Tracts Naga Hills Gandhamardan Hills Lushai Hills
Plateaus	Deccan Plateau Chota Nagpur Ladakh Plateau Mysore Plateau Malwa
Deserts	Thar Desert
Lowlands	Indo-Gangetic plain Doab Indus Valley Indus River Delta Ganges Basin Ganges Delta Terai Coromandel Coast Konkan Sundarbans Rann of Kutch Protected areas in Tamil Nadu Makran
Coasts	Coastal India East Coast West Coast Makran
Islands	Andaman and Nicobar Islands Lakshadweep Atolls of the Maldives
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