Motupalli

Motupalli was a port of the Andhra coast, where ships carried horses, gems, metals and other goods across the Bay of Bengal. A pillar before the Virabhadrasvamin temple preserves an edict issued by the Kakatiya king Ganapatideva in 1244–1245. Addressing merchants who traded by sea, he promised that cargo from ships wrecked on his coast would no longer be seized, apart from the prescribed customs duty. The inscription also lists rates for goods including sandalwood, pearls, silk and pepper. The port remained associated with the maritime commerce of the Telugu country under later rulers.