Silk from China
Explanation
The Sangam poem Pattinappalai, written by Kadiyalur Uruttirangannanar, provides a vivid and detailed inventory of the goods arriving at the port city of Puhar (Kaveripattinam) during the Chola rule. It describes the prosperity of the port by listing the merchandise brought in through various routes.
Analysis of the Options based on Pattinappalai:
- Horses: Correctly Listed. The poem explicitly mentions "horses of noble gait that came by sea" (neerin vandha nimir pari). The import of horses from the West (Arabia) was a significant component of trade.
- Black Pepper Black Pepper: Correctly Listed. The text describes "sacks of black pepper brought by carts/land" (kaalil vandha karunkari). While pepper was a major export of the Tamil region to the West, in the context of Puhar (an East Coast port), it arrived via land routes from the Western Ghats to be traded or exported.
- Foodstuffs from Sri Lanka Foodstuffs from Sri Lanka: Correctly Listed. The poem lists "foodstuffs from Eelam" (Eelathu unavum), indicating the import of food items from Sri Lanka.
- Silk from China Silk from China: NOT Explicitly Listed. The specific inventory in Pattinappalai mentions "goods from Kalagam" (Kalagathu aakkamum). Kalagam is historically identified with Kadaram (in present-day Malaysia/Southeast Asia). While Chinese silk may have reached India via these routes, the text does not explicitly list "Silk from China" in this specific passage, unlike the other options which are verbatim descriptions.
Key Takeaway:
The port of Puhar was a cosmopolitan trade hub where goods converged from the sea (horses), land (pepper, sandalwood), and foreign regions (Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia). The specific literary evidence in Pattinappalai lists goods from Kalagam rather than explicitly naming Chinese silk.