Kalinga Ancient Trade Routes

Palur to Sonapur

Probable Scholars say

Palur and Sonapur were both old ports on the south Odisha coast, a short sail apart. Ships likely worked their way down the coast from one to the next.

Palur and Sonapur sit on the same short stretch of coast, close enough for a boat to hop between them in a day.

Palur and Sonapur were both old ports on the south Odisha coast. Historians think ships probably hopped down the coast from one small port to the next, since these ports sit only about 55 km apart. [Patra, 2014, pp. 118, 121-122]

For scholars

No voyage or record between these two named ports was found. The route is inferred, from how close they sit and from a general model of coastal hopping between neighbouring ports. Sonapur’s own date rests only on this source’s general framing of “ports of ancient Odisha.” No dig or inscription dates it directly. The line shown is schematic, drawn along the modern coast. [Patra, 2014, pp. 118, 121-122]

Facts

Mode
Coastal
From
Palur
To
Sonapur

Ports on this route

  • Palur

    Palur is an old port village near the mouth of the Rushikulya river in south Odisha. People found bits of Chinese and Mediterranean pots there, which shows traders came from far away.

    [Patra, n.d., p. 109]; [Patra, 2014, p. 121]; [Dayalan, 2019, offprint pp. 20-21, section 'Palur']; [Sahu, 2026, Times of India, 1 August 2026]
    1. Sushanta Kumar Patra, Benudhar Patra. *Archaeology and the Maritime History of Ancient Orissa*. in Orissa Historical Research Journal XLVII. n.d. , p. 109 (Prints 'Palur (Lat 19 deg 27' E. and Long 85 deg 11' N.)' with the labels reversed. Exploration by A. Nath (ASI) and K. S. Behera at Palur (Kantigarh) found Chinese celadon, rouletted ware and amphora pieces; K. K. Basa's survey found a possible lighthouse pillar and a stamped boat motif nearby.)
    2. Benudhar Patra. *Ports in Ancient Odisha: Historical Perspective*. in Odisha Review. 2014 , p. 121 (Gerini: Ptolemy's Paloura = modern Palur, 'at Lat. 19 deg 27' N and Long. 85 deg 11' E, just above the mouth of Rushikulya'. Same page: 'On linguistic grounds, S. Levi identifies Dantapura ... and Dandagula of Pliny with Paloura of Ptolemy', citing Indian Antiquary LV (1926), pp. 98-99.)
    3. Duraiswamy Dayalan. *Ancient Seaports on the Eastern Coast of India: The Hub of the Maritime Silk Route Network*. in Acta Via Serica 4. 2019 , offprint pp. 20-21, section 'Palur' ('Palur (19 deg 27' N; 85 deg 11' E), situated in the Ganjam district of Odisha, was mentioned as an important port on the eastern coast of India.' Kantigarh explorations yielded Chinese celadon, rouletted ware and Mediterranean amphora. Journal pagination not verified.)
    4. Diana Sahu. *Digging at Palur reveals thriving maritime hub from pre-Mauryan era*. in The Times of India. 2026 , Times of India, 1 August 2026 ('Nine cultural layers ... nearly three metres ... from the pre-Mauryan period through the Early Historic and Early Medieval phases.' NBPW, knobbed and red polished ware; 363 graffiti sherds; beads. A conference report on the 2023-25 dig, not yet published; 'lends strong support' to Palur=Paloura.)

  • Sonapur

    Sonapur was an old port where the Bahuda river meets the sea in south Odisha. Ships loaded up on oysters here until sand banks blocked the way in.

    [Patra, 2014, pp. 121-122]
    1. Benudhar Patra. *Ports in Ancient Odisha: Historical Perspective*. in Odisha Review. 2014 , pp. 121-122 ('Sonapur ... lies in Lat. 19 deg 6' N and Long. 84 deg 47' E ... where river Bahuda enters into the Bay of Bengal 20 km away from Berhampur.' Sand bars later 'offered obstruction to shipping and the port lost its importance.' Cites Maltby, Ganjam District Manual (1918), p. 34.)
Scholar notes

No voyage or record between these two named ports was found; the route is inferred from their proximity (about 55 km apart) and from Patra's general model of coastal hopping. Sonapur's own dating rests only on the paper's general framing of 'ports of ancient Odisha', not an excavation or inscription. Line schematic, drawn along the modern coast.

  1. Benudhar Patra. *Ports in Ancient Odisha: Historical Perspective*. in Odisha Review. 2014 , pp. 118, 121-122 (p. 118 sets out the general model of short coastal hops between neighbouring ports. Palur (p. 121) and Sonapur (pp. 121-122, 'where river Bahuda enters into the Bay of Bengal ... 20 km away from Berhampur') are treated in sequence as ports of ancient Odisha along the same stretch of coast.)