Summary
Described as a grand port, starting with early 300 BCE history till the 15th century, Pulicat figured prominently as Tamil, Telugu and Muslim rulers fought to garner benefits from rich port revenues. Thereafter, some Arabs and Portuguese, followed by the Dutch and the British dominated the port till 1825. In the early 16th century, it had a multi-cultural population exceeding 50,000 and was the most important Indian port on the Bay of Bengal. Later, it was a fishing village and a health resort under British rule.
In the 17th century, Dutch agents in Pulicat operated a large Slave trade along the Coromandel Coast. Between 1621 and 1665 alone, over 38,000 slaves were shipped from central Coromandel ports, including Pulicat, Madras, Nagapatnam and Devanampatnam.
The history of Pulicat is traced to eight periods of Indian kings and foreign colonialists between the 3rd century BCE and the present post independence period.
| Period | Kingdoms/Rulers |
|---|---|
| 3rd century BCE to 3rd century CE | Ancient Tamil kingdoms |
| 3rd to 10th century | The Pallava Period & first Arab settlement in the 9th century |
| 10th to 12th century | The Chola Period |
| 13th to 17th century | Vijayanagara Empire & Arab migrants |
| 1502 to 1606 | Vijayanagara Empire & Portuguese outpost |
| 1606 to 1825 | Dutch East India Company Trading center & Vijayanagara Empire |
| 1825 to 1947 | British Raj outpost |
| Post independence Period | Republic of India, fishing village |
Read more about this topic: History Of Pulicat
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