Kerala/Malabar
Coast- Description by Bartolomeu Dias (1451-1500)
“Having kept as close to the land as possible,
the whole coast of Malabar appeared before us in the form of a green
amphitheatre. At one time we discovered a district entirely covered with
cocoa-nut-trees; and immediately after, a river winding through a delightful
vale, at the bottom of which discharged itself into the sea. In one place
appeared a multitude of people employed in fishing; in another, a snow-white church bursting
forth to the view from amidst the thick-leaved trees. While we were enjoying
these delightful scenes with the early morning, a gentle breeze, which blew from the shore, perfumed
the air around us with the agreeable smell wafted from the cardamom, pepper,
beetel and other aromatic herbs and plants”
-Bartolomeo, p.425
Dias
was a Portugese Explorer. The last sentence in the above paragraph is quite
interesting.
The
question I wish to pose is, how could Kerala , say approximately 250 years before our birth could have
supplied a large continent like Europe,(and also Arabia) with a variety of
spices.?? On a commercial scale ? This was at a time when there were NO
commercial plantations (similar to the one introduced by European planters) in
Kerala.
And
the wealth of Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple indicates that we had a TRADE SURPLUS.
It seems, the people of this land had 'good-life' with minimal work and that they could maintain a surplus. Hard-work is a modern canard.
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