Previous Year Question

Ghantasala, Kadura and Chaul were ports associated with foreign trade. The attached book itself explains Gupta-period maritime commerce through two broad coastal groups—the eastern ports of Tamralipti, Ghantasala and Kadura, and western ports such as Broach, Chaul, Kalyan and Cambay.

Ghantasala and Kadura belonged to the eastern-coast trading network. Through such ports, maritime trade from northern and eastern India was connected towards Southeast Asia. Tamralipti in Bengal was another important eastern maritime centre during this broad period. Ghantasala, Kadura and Chaul collectively as ports handling foreign trade.

Chaul was an important centre of western maritime commerce. The Government of Maharashtra Gazetteer describes Chaul/Cheul as a centre of trade from early historical times and records its close connection with trade routes leading to the western coast.

An important point is that the question says “during the period of the Gupta dynasty”, not that every one of these towns necessarily lay directly within Gupta imperial administration. The question is therefore testing their economic role during the period.

Thus:

Ghantasala → Port
Kadura → Port
Chaul → Port

Their common identity was that they were ports handling foreign trade.