Archaeology of India-China Maritime Trade and Cultural Transmission

Pradeep Kumar* and WEI Guofeng

This study examines the archaeological and historical evidence of maritime networks that connected major Indian ports such as Tamralipti, Arikamedu, Muziris, and Kaveripattanam with important Chinese coastal centres, including Quanzhou, Guangzhou, Panyu, and Hepu. By drawing on literary sources, inscriptions, numismatic data, and architectural remains, this paper explores the development and significance of Indo–Chinese maritime trade from the early centuries BCE to the medieval period.  Chinese historical texts provide valuable evidence of these contacts. Records attributed to Sima Qian mention the arrival of envoys from Indian rulers at the Chinese imperial court during the reigns of Emperor He and Emperor Huan, indicating early diplomatic and commercial exchanges. Accounts of Chinese Buddhist pilgrims also reveal the importance of Indian ports in maritime travel. Fa-Hien, who visited India between 399 and 414 CE, described maritime Buddhist settlements and departed for China on a merchant vessel from Tamralipti. Similarly, I-Tsing recorded that Tamralipti was a prosperous port with several monasteries and served as a departure point for voyages to China. Particular attention is given to Quanzhou, which flourished as a major harbour along the Maritime Silk Road from the late Tang dynasty through the Five Dynasties period and later centuries. Texts such as Zhu Fan Zhi by Zhao Rukuo and Dao Yi Zhi Lue by Wang Dayuan document commercial links between Quanzhou and southern Indian ports. The presence of Indian merchants in Quanzhou and the movement of goods such as ceramics, coins, beads, silk, spices, and ivory demonstrate sustained economic exchange. These maritime networks also facilitated the transmission of culture and religion, particularly the spread of Buddhism between India and China.