“The Cail of Marco Polo, commonly called in the neighbourhood Old Kayal, and erroneously named Koil in the Ordnance Map of India, is situated on the Tamraparni River, about a mile and a half from its mouth.  The Tamil word kayal means ‘a backwater, a lagoon,’ and the map shows the existence of a large number of these kayals or backwaters near the mouth of the river.  Many of these kayals have now dried up more or less completely, and in several of them salt-pans have been established.  The name of Kayal was naturally given to a town erected on the margin of a kayal; and this circumstance occasioned also the adoption of the name of Punnei Kayal, and served to give currency to the name of Kayalpattanam assumed by Sonagarpattanam, both those places being in the vicinity of kayals.

“KAYAL stood originally on or near the sea-beach, but it is now about a mile and a half inland, the sand carried down by the river having silted up the ancient harbour, and formed a waste sandy tract between the sea and the town.  It has now shrunk into a petty village, inhabited partly by Mahommedans and partly by Roman Catholic fishermen of the Parava caste, with a still smaller hamlet adjoining inhabited by Brahmans and Vellalars; but unlikely as the place may now seem to have been identical with ’the great and noble city’ described by Marco Polo, its identity is established by the relics of its ancient greatness which it still retains.  Ruins of old fortifications, temples, storehouses, wells and tanks, are found everywhere along the coast for two or three miles north of the village of Kayal, and a mile and a half inland; the whole plain is covered with broken tiles and remnants of pottery, chiefly of China manufacture, and several mounds are apparent, in which, besides the shells of the pearl-oyster and broken pottery, mineral drugs (cinnabar, brimstone, etc.), such as are sold in the bazaars of sea-port towns, and a few ancient coins have been found.  I send you herewith an interesting coin discovered in one of those mounds by Mr. R. Puckle, collector of Tinnevelly.[2]

“The people of the place have forgotten the existence of any trade between Kayal and China, though the China pottery that lies all about testifies to its existence at some former period; but they retain a distinct tradition of its trade with the Arabian and Persian coasts, as vouched for by Marco Polo, that trade having in some degree survived to comparatively recent times....  Captain Phipps, the Master Attendant at Tuticorin, says:  ’The roadstead of Old Cael (Kayal) is still used by native craft when upon the coast and meeting with south winds, from which it is sheltered.  The depth of water is 16 to 14 feet; I fancy years ago it was deeper....  There is a surf on the bar at the entrance (of the river), but boats go through it at all times.’

* * * * *