Ancient settlements of Kalliena/Kalyana/Kalyan

[Full title: Indian Subcontinent; 1: Lower Indus and Western India; (3): Harbours and Coastal Settlements; (3) Konkan Coast (Maharashtra); (3) Kalliena/Kalyana/Kalyan]

The port of Kalliena is placed after Sopara in the list of the Periplus (sec. 52) The Geographia does not mention this port Kalliena is most certainly ancient Kalyana referred to in the Early Historic Buddhist caves at Kanheri in Mumbai. In fact, references to inhabitants of Kalyana predominate among the donative inscriptions at Kanheri (Luders' List nos 986, 1000, 1001, 1013, 1024, 1032 ). It has been suggested that the settlement of Elymaine plotted in the Peutinger Table is a Hellenised corruption of Kalyana (Gole 1983:28-29). The traveller Cosmas Indicopleustus records a visit to the port of Kalliena in the 6 th century A.D. (Christian Topography XI. 15). Schoff (1912/74:197) locates the old territory of Kalliena Kalyana 'on the eastern shore of the harbour of Bombay' and quotes Lassen to say that the 'name (Kalliena) also applied to the strip of coast on either side of the harbour. Huntingford (1980:114) places Kalliena 'on a river which enters the Gulf of Bombay' The geographical specifications provided by Schoff and Huntingford for the ancient harbour site in modern Kalyan are borne out by the existence of an Early Historic site

192 on the banks of the River Ulhas very near to its confluence with Thane Creek (Fig. 32) M.N. Deshpande (Indian Archaeology - A Review Luders 1957-58:67, personal communication) who first explored the site found it to be located at one of the busy anchorages near the creek Deshpande collected Early Historic Red Polished Ware sherds and stone beads from the mound which is enclosed by a later (colonial-period ?) fortification Subsequently. limited diggings at this site by the Maharashtra Archaeological Deptt revealed a 1 st- 2 nd century A.D. deposit yielding profuse amount of RPW (M.N.Deshpande personal communication) The site discovered by Deshpande may have served as one of the berthing stations on the Ulhas-Thane Creek waterway which made up the harbour of Kalliena Kalyana This anchorage can be approached by sea craft from the mouth of the Thane Creek near Vasai as well as from the sea-channel to the south and east of Mumbai where the island of Elephanta is situated (Fig. 32). The scatter of Early Historic habitation centres on the approaches to the sheltered River Ulhas-Thane Creek suggests that the port of Kalliena extended to include a number of trading stations in proximity Situated near the mouth of the Thane Creek is the Early Historic site at Vasai and the concentration of early Buddhist rock-cut caves on Salsette Island, the most important of them being the cave-group of Kanheri. On the southern side, the approach to Kalyana from the sea must have been dominated by Elephanta island where, as we shall discuss, material evidence of overseas trade contact occurs in profusion Coming back to Kanheri. The rock-cut monastic complex has been described by Mitra (1980:164) as 'the largest number of rock-cut caves straggling on a single hill' (PI. IV.a). We have reason to assume that the Buddhist retreat was also a base for maritime and commercial activity in the early centuries A.D. Excavations at Kanheri have brought to light evidence of iron manufacture in the form of furnaces, crucibles, slag and iron ore remains in early centuries A.D. levels (Indian Archaeology - A Review Luders 1969-70:21- 22). According to the excavator, S.R. Rao, the iron-making complex suggests that 'the large number of Buddhist monks living in the Kanheri caves did not confine themselves only to religious preachings but were also engaged in commercial activity' (Indian Archaeology - A Review Luders 1969-70:22). However Lohuizen De Leeuw (1973:258) is of the opinion that the Kanheri furnaces only served to produce iron for the monastery. A donative inscription at Kanheri containing the word Sagaravalokana has led Burgess (reprint 1970:83-84) to interpret the term as meaning of the people who protect the Ocean' or 'of the community of traders by sea.' Rao (1987:67) postulates that the word Sagaravalokana indicates the existence of a pilot-boat service in the Kanheri area. He further suggests that the caves may have also been

Vasai Kanheri Mumbai Kaliena Kalyana * Occupational Deposit +Rock Cut Caves Melisigara Ancient Placename Position of Mandagora : *P Elephanta Is. Arabian Sca 32 km or Distance between Semylla and Melizigara given 20 miles approx. by Ptolemy in the Geographia Chaul + Semila km Rajapuri Janjira IsLassen's position Melizigara Burgess and Dhavalikar's position. Kuda Mandad Mandagora -TransSavitri 50 Patel's position Schoff's and Casson's position Bankot Mandangarb Huntingford's position River Savitri Fig. 32. Important Ports on the Konkan Coast in Early Historic times.

194 a lighthouse. The Cape of Perimula mentioned by Pliny as the place where 'the greatest emporium of trade with India' as been associated by McCrindle (1926 145) with Salsette island on which Kanheri is situated. The fact that the maximum number of donors who have inscribed their names at Kanheri belong to Kalyana points to the integrity of ancient Kanheri-Kalyana Kalliena. The island of Elephanta, located south of Mumbai, seems to have been an Early Historic trading station engaged in overseas commerce. Prospections on the island have brought to light structures which may be remains of Early Historic berthing points. The discoveries have mainly centred about two locations at Elephanta, the village of Rajbandar on the south side and Morabandar village on the north-east shore of the island. At Rajbandar a brick wall uncovered by the Maharashtra Public Health Dept. was further excavated by ASI archaeologists who interpreted the structure as a jetty or wharf. Three habitational levels were found corresponding to phases of raising of the jetty/wharf The finding of Mediterranean amphorae sherds in the excavations indicates that the site was a trading station (Rao 1987:65-66). At Morabandar also Rao (1987:65-66) reports submerged structures and finds of Roman, Kshatrapa and Gupta coins. Recently, Tripathi (1993-68) found the whole slopy area between the high steep hill and the shore (at Morabandar) strewn with remains of brick-made houses, stone walls and other remains and a large number of potsherds' From this area he recovered, among other Early Historic ceramics such as the Red Polished Ware and Black and Red Ware, substantial quantities of amphora sherds Also, the variety of amphorae collected by him suggest that Morabandar may have been a transhipment point for Mediterranean wine. As we have discussed above, Elephanta has yielded some fragments of pottery (Black Ware and Green-glazed ware) which were importations from the Persian Gulf region. To recapitulate, we can say, on the basis of the correlation of textual, epigraphic, archaeological and geograhical data that ancient Kalliena Kalyana was a port-complex extending from the 'core' Ulhas-Thane Creek area towards Kanheri on its northern approach and Elephanta island to the south