The horse merchants are the real partners of the Kadamba king.
Each October and November ships from the Gulf and Aden bring horses to the Zuari and Mandovi mouths, and the dealers walk them up the ghats to the Deccan; the dues they pay make the Kadamba rich. They are Muslim for the most part, with their own mosques and quarter; their influence reaches the Silahara coast too. Their season is shut in the south-west monsoon (June to September).
Who he is
- Name
- not known by name
- Title
- The shipmasters and horse-dealers (nakhudas and merchants) of the Gulf trade
- Family
- Arab, Persian and Hormuz shipowners, with resident factors at Gopakapattana, Thana, Kalyan, Chaul and Dabhol; the Navayat families of the north Kanara coast (Bhatkal) are not attested for this date in the sources we read.
- Confidence
- low
The horse trade of the Kadamba port is the one fact all the sources agree on. Who headed the merchants in 1200 is not recoverable; they were not a single body.
Overlord
the Kadamba king for Gopakapattana; the Silahara king at Thana
What it holds
- the horse trade
- a quarter of the port with a mosque
How it was acquired
By trade.
Allies and rivals
Allied with the Kadamba; courted by the Hoysala and Yadava buyers.
How things stand that morning
Present from October to May; the harbour is shut in the monsoon.
Wealth
The horse trade; no figure.
Military
Armed ships' crews; no numbers.
Threats
- A Yadava or Hoysala seizure of the port
- Corsairs on the creeks
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Known as a category from the trade; no firm names or figures for 1200.
Primary sources for Kadambas of Goa
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Epigraphia Carnatica: inscriptions of the Mysore country, Various (Hoysala chancery and temple scribes), edited by B. Lewis Rice and R. Narasimhachar (inscriptions of the 4th to 19th centuries; the series ran from 1886 to 1905, revised from 1972). The Hoysala kingdom of Veera Ballala II (reigning 1173 to 1220) is documented almost wholly by the inscriptions in this series, arranged by district and taluk with full English translations. Read online
- Inscriptions of the Silaharas, Various (Silahara chanceries), edited by V. V. Mirashi (inscriptions of the 9th to 13th centuries; edited 1977). Collects the records of the three Silahara houses: North Konkan (Thana), South Konkan, and Kolhapur.
Sources and studies
- Gopakapattana, Wikipedia (read for this sheet)
- Kadambas of Goa, Wikipedia (read for this sheet)
- OMNIA board notes for the place (a lead, checked against the other sources)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.