This book explores the connection between Mumbai and the Indian Ocean

Maratha naval tactics against the Europeans

In her book, Empires of the Sea (Pan Macmillan India), maritime historian Radhika Seshan asks: Does water have a history? If it does, how can this be traced? She attempts to answer this by mapping the history of human connections with the sea, drawing a particular focus on the Indian Ocean world, consisting of the sea and the surrounding land. We learn how these connections made trade and the exchange of knowledge possible and how empires used them to assert their supremacy over regions.

Here are five facts from the book that offer fascinating insight about Bombay (present-day Mumbai) and its surrounding areas along the Konkan coast:

Indian ship on lead coin from the Satavahana Dynasty. Pics Courtesy/Wikipedia.com

. During the rule of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the 17th century, the English faced numerous problems in Bombay. First, it was an island so it depended on its neighbours in the mainland for supplies. Second, it was a natural harbour but it had caught the attention of the Siddis, a group of Abyssinians employed by the Mughal rulers to keep a check on the activities of the Marathas, during the Mughal-Maratha conflict. There was fear that the Dutch would offer their help to Shivaji to take control of Danda Rajapur and Bombay, and it resulted in the Siddis' actions causing a shortage of provisions in Bombay.

. The Maratha navy was a stronger force in the 18th century. While this began with Shivaji who had involved the Kolis, a caste of fishermen against whom the English had made several derogatory comments, the navy truly grew after Kanhoji Angré assumed power and became the chief. Until Shivaji and Angré, the English had believed the sea to be their domain. Angré launched attacks on their shipping from Vijaydurg located at the entrance to Bombay harbour and the fort of Kolaba. All British counterattacks failed and he remained a threat to the British in Bombay until his death.

Radhika Seshan

. With certain cities located along the coast, one of the earliest uses of the sea was in the knowledge of the produce, specifically fish. The knowledge-keepers of this were the fishing communities. The Narali Poornima (coconut full moon) festival, celebrated in areas along the Konkan coast, is a great example of how this knowledge would then be preserved in rituals by these communities. Till today, Narali Poornima marks the end of monsoon and announces the time when fishermen can safely hit the seas for their catch.

. The knowledge of navigation was often written about by the European travellers, who reportedly were some of the earliest to use the sea as a means to travel to the Indian subcontinent. One would navigate towards and away from the land. In Marathi, she explains, the word for the one who possessed the knowledge of navigation was ‘tandel'. The methods, before the compass was invented, included using "the stars, the colour of the water, and the kinds of birds and fish in different parts of the coast" to get a sense of where one was headed.

. Inscriptions in Aihole mention the Battle of Gharapuri between the Mauryans and Chalukyas that occurred on the Elephanta island - at the time known as Puri - near Mumbai. It was the capital of the Konkan Mauryas and acted as an important revenue source for inland trade as well as sea trade. Pulakesin II of the Chalukya kingdom who defeated the Mauryas came to be called the king whose "rule [was] bounded by the three oceans." There are some inscriptions about attempts made by the Satavahana rulers from Andhra Pradesh to seize Kalyan from the Kshatrapa rulers to gain maritime control.

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