Ports, politics and peace: The engineering of stability

Infrastructure shapes global leverage, forging interdependence in ways both subtle and stark.

- Guru Madhavan

Civilisations don't rise and fall by the sword alone. They are shaped — or shattered — by the infrastructure that anchors their networks. Infrastructure can foster peace and stability, but history shows it has also been a medium for influence. India's ancient ports made this clear: the sea wasn't just a barrier but a conduit for empires to expand, where mutual exchange and leverage coexisted.

On Tamil Nadu's Coromandel Coast, Poompuhar (Kaveripoompattinam) flourished as a major port during the Sangam era (300 BCE to 300 CE). More than a trading hub, it was an engineered enclave of commerce, culture and command, part of a maritime meshwork that linked South India to distant shores, weaving coastal economies into vast trade routes.

Under early Tamil dynasties and later the Cholas, Poompuhar thrived. Its layout reflected a hierarchy — fisherfolk and artisans worked by the shore, while merchants and rulers governed from inland quarters. Warehouses lined the waterfront, their goods marked with official seals, signalling a sophisticated regulatory system. A towering lighthouse beamed both welcome and watchfulness, ensuring commerce flourished — but on Chola terms. Tamil epics recount bustling ports where foreign merchants conducted business under local oversight, illustrating how infrastructure served as an economic enabler and an instrument of political control.