On April 20, 2026, as part of the Lecture Series in Indology, Tibetology, and Buddhist Studies at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), Prof. Suchandra Ghosh, Head, Department of History, University of Hyderabad delivered a compelling presentation on the historical commercial landscape of Gujarat. Her lecture focused on the symbiotic relationship between coastal and inland hubs, specifically through the case studies of Bharukaccha (modern-day Broach) and Anahilapura (modern-day Patan).
In front of the Akademie with Dr Stefan Baums
The lecture demonstrated that the prosperity of early Gujarat was not solely dependent on its ports, but rather on the “interlocking circuits of commerce” between maritime gateways like Bharukaccha and inland political capitals like Anahilapura. This synergy allowed Gujarat to maintain a dominant presence in the broader Indian Ocean network for over a millennium.
The lecture was chaired by Professor Vincent Tournier, Chair of the Institute/Classical Indology. She also visited The Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BAdW) in Munich with Dr Stefan Baums, which is one of Germany’s oldest and most research-intensive academies, founded in 1759. It was a fruitful interaction between colleagues pursuing Indian studies in Munich.