This Chennai art show explores trade narratives of the Coromandel Coast

Explore Echoes of the Coromandel at DakshinaChitra Museum, Chennai, showcasing the maritime history and cultural exchange of Southeast Asia.

Echoes of the Coromandel, an art show currently exhibited at DakshinaChitra Museum, Chennai, takes viewers on a voyage along the south-eastern coast of India, previously a thriving maritime connection to Southeast Asia. Developed by a team of ten interns working through the museum’s year-long Dak Chola Internship, the show interweaves research and design to bring a lesser-known aspect of maritime history to the fore.

“Trade narratives often focus on the West coming to India,” says Mugdha Chavan, one of the interns, adding, “but for Southeast Asia, we were the West. There was an entire cultural and commercial exchange happening in that direction, and we wanted to highlight this lesser-told story.”

The group was divided into two teams — research and design. While the researchers traced routes, cultures, and commodities, the design team brought them to life in visual form. Most of the pieces on display, from replica coins and pottery to navigational charts, were crafted by hand. Inscriptions were carved with the help of the museum’s in-house artisan.

Divided into three segments: The Beginning, The Peak, and The Echoes, the exhibition thematically maps this trans-oceanic connection. The first section presents archaeological and literary evidence, including Sangam verses that mention ports, and commodities that were traded.

The next section explores traditional navigation techniques that used finger-measurement techniques and the alignment of stars to navigate. A documentary shot by the interns at Kasimedu Harbour features present-day fishermen explaining traditional ship-building and sailing methods that echo those of the past.

The final section, The Echoes, illustrates the cultural footprints left behind, like temple architecture, language, and mythology that resonate across borders. The towering statue of Lord Murugan in Malaysia, leather puppets depicting The Ramayana, and similarities in temple design across Southeast Asia, all point to the cultural infusion enabled by trade.

Echoes of the Coromandel, on view until May 18, invites visitors to discover a shared history shaped by journeys across the sea. While at DakshinaChitra, one can also check out Four Aesthetics, an art exhibition on view until May 11. This exhibition showcases diversity in art forms and various interpretations of styles, themes, and emotions.