Spice Route - Trade Routes - The Week

"Published in THE WEEK, the article speaks about the Spice Route, an ancient Muziris trade route that showcases India’s interaction with the West in the past. The excavations in Muziris indicated trade dating back to 15 centuries before Vasco da Gama’s arrival in Kozhikode. A major set of clues emerged from excavations in a village called Pattanam outside Kochi. Pattanam yielded amphorae, Roman coins, and gold jewelry.

The spice route is now marketed as a collection of places to visit. Benny Kuriakose, the conservation consultant for Muziris Heritage Project, believes in a different idea. It is about the discovery of our past, about figuring out the ideas of the past that have shaped us, and not just about bringing busloads of tourists to see these places, says Benny Kuriakose. The Chendamagalam Synagogue is one example of how the heritage project is aimed at stringing together the disparate buildings of the past.