Aroma of History in God’s Own Country
In Kerala, history has a rich aroma. Travelling from Kochi to Kodungallur, one can feel the fragrance from the trees and herbs blending with the aroma of spices, the sea breeze, and time. Perhaps, it was this blend of aromas that brought the Dutch, the French, the Portuguese and the English to India in search of the most exotic spices and trade, making the Coromondal coast of Southern India a cradle of cultures. Retracing the Ancient Spice Route used by traders and explorers 2000 years ago, is Kerala Government’s ambitious Spice Route Project aimed at sharing the heritage among the 31 countries along the route. The centre-piece of the project is the Kochi-Kodungallur belt where the ancient spice port Muziris was located and where merchants from West Asia and Mediterranean region came by sea and land.
Archaeological evidence from excavations in Muziris has supported this theory. The evidence points to the spice trade between Muziris—a port that flourished two millennia ago—and the West, before it mysteriously disappeared. The Spice Route interlinked the world’s earliest civilisation including India and Egypt in a complex web of relationship with Europe. Since the ancient times, fishermen, sailors and merchants travelled the waters of the Indian Ocean linking the world’s earliest civilisation from Africa to East Asia. They came in search of the valued spices essential for preservation, flavouring of food and ritual practices. The commodities exchanged included gems, metals, medicines and most importantly, spices. The coast line became known as the Spice Coast. It was the most attractive. It demonstrated why Kerala is unique and known internationally as “God’s own country”.
The World Heritage Convention is gradually shifting its focus from cultural monuments to cultural landscapes, cultural routes and creative industries. Kerala, with support of Ministry of Culture and the Archaeological Survey of India is developing the Spice Route Project for presentation by Government of India to the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO for international recognition as a World Heritage Site.
As Ambassador of India to Netherlands from 2010-13 and earlier as Ambassador of India to UNESCO, I was sensitised to the Dutch footprints in Kerala which go back 400 years. In 1663, the Dutch captured the Port of Cochin and in 1664, they acquired monopoly of the pepper trade in Cannanore. By 1713, the Dutch brought the State of Cochin under political control. The entry of the British proved to be the beginning of the decline of Dutch power in Kerala. During their stay in Kerala, Kochi was the main trading centre for the Dutch, especially because of its contribution to the development of the Spice Route. The Dutch also published ‘Hortus Malabaricus’, a celebrated botanical work on the medicinal value of plants of Kerala. It’s the first authentic treatise on medicinal plants in Kerala complied by Hendrik Van Rheede who died in Kochi.
The Project seeks to rekindle interest among modern travellers to this ancient maritime route which was responsible for bringing travellers across the world in ancient and medieval times to India. It would result in the revival of cultural, historical and archaeological exchanges and would also boost tourism across Southern India, particularly in Kerala.
—Mukherjee is a retired senior diplomat