With reference to ancient South India, Korkai, Poompuhar and Muchiri were well known as. [2023]

With reference to ancient South India, Korkai, Poompuhar and Muchiri were well known as

Capital cities
Ports
Centres of iron-and-steel making
Shrines of Jain Tirthankaras

Explanation

Option (b) is correct

The Tamils of the Sangam age had trading contacts with the Mediterranean world (Greece and Rome), Egypt, China, Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka. The literary works such as Silappadikaram, Manimekalai, and Pattinappalai frequently refer to contact with Greek and Roman traders. The Sangam texts mention the ports of Musiri (Muchiri, an important port in the Chera kingdom), Puhar (Kaveripattinam, ancient port of the Cholas) and Korkai (major Pandya port), the three great ports of the three great rulers of the times, prominently. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea also provides valuable accounts of trade, mentioning ports like Tondi, Musiri, Comari (Cape Comorin/Kanyakumari), Colchi (Korkai), Poduke (Arikamedu), and Sopatma. It further notes the use of large vessels called Colandia, which sailed from the Tamil coast to the Ganges, indicating the scale and connectivity of maritime commerce during this period.

Map showing major ancient ports along the coastline of the Indian subcontinent, marked with red dots and labeled with port names. Coastal regions are shaded in blue, with inland areas in beige, highlighting key maritime trade locations from northwest to southeast.