Roman and Greek traders frequented the ancient Tamil country and forged trade relationship with ancient Kings of Pandiya, Chola and Chera dynasties. Cholas had a strong trading relationship with Chinese Song Dynasty. The Cholas conquered the Sri Vijaya Empire of Indonesia and Malaysia to secure a sea trading route to China. During the 16 and 18 centuries, India’s overseas trade expanded due to trading with European companies. The discovery of new all sea routes from Europe to India via Cape of Good Hope by Vasco da Gama had far-reaching impact on the civilized world. The arrival of Portuguese in India was followed by the advent of other European communities. They gained a strong foothold in India’s maritime trade by virtue’ of their strong naval power.
