Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet China’s President Xi Jinping on October 11 & 12 informally in Mahabalipuram.
India had ancient links with Buddhism and China through the maritime outreach of the Pallava dynasty.
What happened in the Pallava’s rule?
Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram is on the Tamil Nadu coast, 56 km south of Chennai.
Narasimhavarman I - The name Mamallapuram derives from Mamallan (great warrior), a title by which the Pallava King Narasimhavarman I (630-668 AD) was known.
It was during his reign that Hiuen Tsang, the Chinese Buddhist monk-traveller, visited the Pallava capital at Kanchipuram.
The Descent of the Ganga/Arjuna’s Penance, a rock carving with its depiction of the Bhagirathi flowing from the Himalayas was commissioned by him.
This may serve as a reminder of the geography of India-China relations and their shared resources.
Narasimhavarman II (700-728 AD) - He built on the work of earlier Pallava kings to consolidate maritime trade links with South-East Asia.
He sent a mission to the Tang court in 720 with a request that would seem unusual in the context of India-China relations today.
The emissaries sought the permission of Emperor Xuangzong to fight back Arab and Tibetan intrusions in South Asia.
The Chinese emperor was pleased with the Indian king’s offer to form a coalition against the Arabs and Tibetans.
He also bestowed the title of ‘huaide jun’ (the Army that Cherishes Virtue) to Narayansimha II’s troops.
The offer of help by the Pallava ruler had furthered the trade and brought the prestige of association with the Chinese emperor.
What happened in the Chola’s rule?
Tamil-Chinese links flourished under the Cholas as the Coromandel Coast became the entrepot between China and the Middle East.
The links extended to a wider area beyond Mahabalipuram, through a layered history that has left a rich tapestry of society, culture, art and architecture and reaches up to modern times.
India’s secularism and diversity wouldn’t be on the agenda of the two leaders.
However, their meeting ground is in a part of the country where this ethos is a lived reality.
Hindu- and Muslim-majority villages alternate along that coast, each community having lived next to the other for centuries.
By the time Islam arrived on south India’s east coast in the 9th century, Muslims had already started trading with China by maritime routes.
The trading missions that the Cholas sent to the Song court included Muslims.
It is possible that these Muslims were members of the Tamil-speaking Muslim community, Ilappai on the Coromandel Coast.
Today, the ancient port of Marakanam is a fishing village, known for its Muslim boat makers.
What are the Continuing connections?
In later centuries, the Coromandel Coast retained its importance for trade between China and the west.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was a staging post for the Europeans for control of the seas between South Asia and Southeast Asia.
This is because they fought to protect their trade routes with China and other countries in the region.
French - The ancient port city of Pondicherry (80 km south of Mahabalipuram), a former French colony is famous for its Chinese exports known as Coromandel goods.
Today the Union Territory, with its French legacy, Tamil residents, Bengali and international devotees of Sri Aurobindo, is among the most diverse and cosmopolitan of cities in South India.
British - After establishing their writ on the Coromandel Coast, they expanded eastward and established control over the Straits of Malacca.
This was done essentially to protect their trade routes to China and the rest of the region.
Dutch - Among the colonial outposts on this coast is Sadras (Sathurangapattinam), where the Dutch East India Company built a fort.
Sadras became a huge centre for the Dutch-controlled manufacture of cotton and muslin.
The Dutch presence in the region grew rapidly after they established themselves in Java in 1603.
They traded within Asia, importing and exporting between India, China and Japan, to keep the spice trade going.
