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4. Role of the Monsoon Winds

  • Writer: Kerry Paul
    Kerry Paul
  • May 3
  • 2 min read

Updated: Nov 7

I recently visited India to explore how this country evolved and what drives it today. A major natural asset facilitating India’s maritime trade is its peninsula position, strategically located between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. The efficiency of maritime routes far exceeds that of overland routes, making sea travel the preferred method for movement between India, the Middle East, and South-East Asia/Eastern Asia. Likewise, traders from these regions relied on the same sea routes to reach India. Did these monsoon winds help in accelerating how India shaped the world?

Dark clouds over a harbour

Monsoon Winds: Pivotal for Trade

The monsoon winds in the Indian Ocean significantly boosted India's maritime trade, providing a reliable and predictable means for Indian sailing ships to reach overseas markets. These winds blow in one direction for six months before reversing to blow in the opposite direction for the next six months. Additionally, sea currents flow in the same direction as the wind, further aiding navigation.


  • Westward Trade (India to the Red Sea):

    Indian sailors typically sailed to the Red Sea between May and September, utilizing the southwest monsoon winds, which carried them westward. For the return journey, they waited for the northeast monsoon winds, which blew from November to March, allowing safe passage back to India.


  • Eastward Trade (India to South-East Asia):

    Indian merchants set sail for South-East Asia between April and August, using the southwest monsoon, and returned in December or January, when the northeast monsoon facilitated their voyage back.


Map showing sea routes in the Indian Ocean with red and blue arrows. Locations include Arabia, Persia, India, and the Bay of Bengal.
Monsoon Wind Direction Facilitating Sailing Times.

How Monsoon Winds Are Created

Monsoon winds are driven by seasonal temperature differences:


  • Summer (Southwest Monsoon): The heating of the Tibetan Plateau creates a low-pressure system, drawing in moist, cool winds from the Bay of Bengal, bringing monsoon rains to India.


  • Winter (Northeast Monsoon): As temperatures drop, cold, dry winds from the Himalayan snowfields blow outward to the warmer seas beyond.

Potential for Migration

Over 2,000 years ago, sailing ships carrying passengers and cargo could efficiently travel long distances using monsoon winds:


  • A ship departing from a Middle Eastern port could reach India’s western coast in about 40 days.

  • From there, a voyage from western India to an Indonesian port would take another 30 days.

  • Depending on ship availability and monsoon timing, a journey from the Middle East to Indonesia could have been completed in as little as 2 to 3 months around 2,000 years ago.


Migration drivers remain largely unchanged throughout history—people seek a better quality of life or flee war and instability. The same motivations applied then, as they do now, influencing the movement of people across regions.


Potential for Exploration

How India shaped the world: The initial driver for eastward expansion from India was the search for gold, with traders targeting the most accessible deposits first. However, as gold supplies dwindled, Indian and South-East Asian explorers were likely motivated to venture further east and possibly south in search of new resources.


Comments

Kerry Paul Business man and blogger
Kerry Paul – Stepping Out of Your Bubble Author
​

Hi, I'm Kerry. I enjoy challenging people by asking questions and presenting different views to encourage critical thinking. My 45-year career has always had a global focus, building successful relationships in over 50 countries. I am empathetic to diverse views, irrespective of gender, ethnicity, religion, culture, or socio-economic status. Join me on a captivating journey as we explore how India shaped the world over two thousand years ago, potentially leading to the first settlement of New Zealand. This blog series aims to expand readers' awareness and knowledge of how people may have come to New Zealand in pre-Polynesian times. Given the time constraints many readers face, I am providing a platform for them to consider these intriguing possibilities in easy-to-read blog posts.

 

Who were the first people to settle in New Zealand? How did India possibly contribute to any development, given its major role over 2000 years ago in some of New Zealand’s closest neighbours? These questions will guide our exploration and open up a rich dialogue about the historical connections and cultural exchanges that may have shaped New Zealand's early settlements.

 

I'd be more than happy to discuss with readers of my blog about India, its history as well as New Zealand and the suggested origins of its first settlers. 

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