Sailing Ships and Seafaring Networks: The Indian Ocean and the Maritime Silk Road

Based on architectural and archeological evidence and inscriptions, this chapter challenges this long-held notion of Indians being ‘inward-looking’ and given to agricultural pursuits. Instead, it presents an overview of maritime activity in the period from second century BCE to fourteenth century CE from two perspectives: one, the conceptualization of the seas as evident in literary writings and portrayed in temple sculptures. The second relates to the ritual use of sea spaces by analyzing bronze ritual objects recovered from shipwreck sites and discussing these with reference to coastal shrines. It highlights partnerships and networks established across the Indian Ocean as a result of travels by merchants and trading guilds, Buddhist monks and nuns, musicians, scribes, and a host of others. Thus, this chapter stresses the participation of diverse communities of the Indian subcontinent in vibrant trans-oceanic networks and helps contribute to the understanding of maritime history of India.