Multiple choice

India maintained its early cultural contacts and trade links with Southeast Asia across the Bay of Bengal. for this pre-eminence of early maritime history of Bay of Bengal, which of the following could be the most convincing explanation/ explanations?

  1. As compared to other countries, India had a better ship-building technology in ancient and medieval times.

  2. The rules of southern India always patronized traders, brahmin priests and buddish monks in this context.

  3. Monsoon winds across the Bay of Bengal facilitated sea voyages.

  4. Both a and b are convincing explanations in this context.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Though India's ship-building technology was quite advanced, it is not that other countries lagged behind. Before the discovery of the monsoon winds by Hippalus in AD 45-47, the mariners of the east coast of India were aware of the monsoon wind and currents and used them for maritime trade. The maritime trade from India to Southeast Asia was a seasonal phenomenon. This shows how the monsoon wind and currents favoured mariners during their onward and return voyages to Southeast Asia. Even the Roman historian Strabo mentions that monsoon was known and manipulated for trade in his time.

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