What is "tamralipta"

Tamralipta or Tamralipti was the name of an ancient city on the Bay of Bengal believed by scholars to be on the site of Tamluk in Midnapore district of modern-day India. It is believed that Tamralipti was the exit point of the Mauryan trade route for the south and south-east. Excavations at Moghalmari confirmed the presence of Buddhist vihars in the area which was mentioned by Chinese travelers Fa Hien and Xuanzang. It was located near Rupnarayana river. This place has been mentioned in Mahabharata as a place which Bhima acquired. It was linked by roads with the major towns of that time, i.e. Rajagriha, Shravasti, Pataliputra, Varanasi, Champa, Kaushambi and Taxila.