friends, please see this temple in the central vietnam coast. it has a fantastic similarity to the tanjore temples. if cholan engineers where there in vietnam in 13th century, then why not a " aayirathil oruvan" like community "not there" somewhere nearby?
Why Aayirathil Oruvan of the 60s ? You can find in Chandilyan books to know how the maritime capabilities
of Tamil kings in trade and wars were : Historical Fiction * Kadal Pura (கடல் புறா)- III parts (1967) * Yavana Rani (யவன ராணி)- II parts (Vanathi Pathippagam) * Raja Perigai(ராஜ பேரிகை)(Vanathi Pathippagam) * Mannan Magal (மன்னன் மகள்)(Vanathi Pathippagam) * Kannimadam (கன்னி மாடம்) * Rajamuthirai (ராஜமுத்திரை) * Alai Arasi (அலை அரசி) * Avani Sundari (அவனி சுந்தரி) * chandarmathi (சந்திரமதி) * chithranjanai (சித்ரஞ்சனை) * ilaya rani (இளைய ராணி) * indira kumari (இந்திர குமரி) * jala deepam (ஜல தீபம்)- III parts (1973) * jala mohini (ஜல மோகினி) * jeeva boomi (ஜீவ பூமி) * kadal rani (கடல் ராணி) * kadal vendhan (கடல் வேந்தன்) * madhahaviyin manam (மதஹவியின் மனம்) * malai arasi (மலை அரசி) * malai vasal (மலை வாசல்) * mangaladevi (மங்களதேவி) * manjal aaru (மஞ்சள் ஆறு) * manmalar (மன்மலர்) * mohana chilai (மோகன சிலை) * mohini vanam (மோகினி வனம்) * moongil kottai (மூங்கில் கோட்டை) * naaga deepam (நாக தீபம்) * naaga devi (நாக தேவி) * neel vizhi (நீள்விழி) * neela mangai (நீலமங்கை) * neela rathi (நீலரதி) * neelavalli (நீலவல்லி) * pallava peedam (பல்லவ பீடம்) * pallava thilagam (பல்லவ திலகம்) * pandiyan bhavani (பாண்டியன் பவனி) * raaniyin kanavu (ராணியின் கனவு) * raja thilagam (ராஜதிலகம்) * raja yogam (ராஜயோகம்) * rajyasree (ராஜ்யஸ்ரீ) * rana hammer (ராணா ஹமீர்) * seran chelvi (சேரன் செல்வி) * udhayabanu (உதயபானு) * vasantha kaalam (வசந்தகாலம்) * vijaya mahadevi (விஜய மகாதேவி)- III parts * vilai raani (விலை ராணி) AND THE WIKIPEDIA WRITE-UP : Indo-Roman trade and relations Roman trade with India according to thePeriplus Maris Erythraei1st century CE. Roman gold coins excavated inPudukottai,India. One coin of Caligula(31-41 CE), and two coins ofNero(54-68).British Museum. Roman trade with Indiathrough the overland caravan routes viaAnatoliaandPersia, though at a relative trickle compared to later times, antedated the southern trade route via theRed Seaand monsoons which started around the beginning of theCommon Era(CE) following the reign ofAugustusandhis conquestofEgyptin 30 BCE.[1] The route so helped enhance trade between ancient states ofIndia (present day) andRome, that Roman politicians are on record decrying the loss of specie to pamper Roman wives, and the southern route grew to eclipse and then totally supplant the overland trade route.[2] Roman trade diaspora frequented theancient Tamil country(present daySouthern India) andSri Lanka, securing trade with the seafaringTamilstates of theChola,PandyanandCheradynasties andestablishing trading settlementswhich remained long after the fall of theWestern Roman Empire.[3]They also outlastedByzantium's loss of theEgyptand theRed Seaports[4](ca. 639-645 CE) under the pressure ofJihadandIslam, which had been used to secure trade with India by theGreco-Roman worldsince the time of thePtolemaic dynasty[5]a few decades before the start of theCommon Era. Sometime after the sundering of communications between the Axum andEastern Roman Empirein the 7th century, the Christian kingdom of Axum fell into a slow decline and faded into obscurity in western culture, though it survived despite pressure from Islamic forces until the 11th century, when it was reconfigured in a dynastic squabble.