Chennai exhibition ‘Echoes of the Coromandel’ shines light on India's forgotten maritime legacy

CHENNAI: Echoes of the Coromandel, the latest exhibition at DakshinaChitra Museum, shines a light on a lesser-known chapter of India’s maritime past — the eastern coast. Curated by the museum’s interns as the culmination of an intensive 11-month training programme, the exhibition explores the Coromandel Coast’s long-standing trade and cultural ties with Southeast Asia, predating European arrival on India’s western shores.

One of the curators, intern Shree Niveditha, tells DT Next, “This year, we chose to focus on maritime history, specifically the eastern coast. Conversations around India’s seafaring past usually centre on the west. We started asking — what about the east? That question became the starting point for this exhibition.”

She adds, “Our research takes us back to the 3rd century BC, when communities from the Coromandel region were already navigating to Southeast Asia. We’ve drawn on archaeological findings and historical records to trace these early connections.”

The exhibition is divided into several thematic sections, including archaeology, literature, navigation, technology, and trade, with a strong emphasis on how seafaring shaped cultural exchange. “It’s less about one region influencing the other and more about a mutual exchange. We looked at how navigation relied on natural elements like stars and wind, long before modern tools. Some fishing communities still follow these traditional methods. We visited Kasimedu Harbour and spoke to local fishermen to learn how these practices are passed down even today,” she adds.

The show features three immersive installations, including replicas of archaeological artefacts, detailed models, and archival photographs, all conceptualised and crafted by the intern team. From poring over historical records to conducting field visits at ports like Nagapattinam, Kaveripattinam, and Mamallapuram, the team followed the lived geography of maritime exchange. Working closely with the museum’s archives and collections, the interns curated every element, from research and content development to layout and visual storytelling. The ongoing exhibition can be viewed at Varija Gallery till May 18.