Along the 7516 km long coastline of India, several ports and trade centres have existed from ancient times. Among them, the ports and trade centres of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh played a significant role in diffusing Indian culture to overseas countries from the mid first millennium B.C. The coastal geomorphology of Orissa and Andhra favoured the establishment of a number of ports and trade centres, as evidenced by archaeological, literary and other sources. The ports of this region had hinterland connections by riverine and caravan trade routes. Several types of minerals and metals, raw materials and finished artefacts were exported and imported from these ports. This paper details the ports, trade routes and maritime contacts of Orissa and Andhra with other parts of the world in relation to the maritime history of India, findings of investigations, tentative dates and the management of ports