Friday, May 21, 2021

TOWNS, TRADERS AND CRAFTSPERSONS

 

 

CLASS-VII     HISTORY

CHAPTER: 6   TOWNS, TRADERS AND CRAFTSPERSONS

 

MAJOR ARTISANS TOWNS

·     Thanjavur- Capital of Cholas, at Kaveri, home  toRajarajeswar temple by king RajarajaChola- architect

·     KunjaramallanRajarajaPerunthachchan- temple has palaces with mandapas and barracks for army, water comes from wells, - Saliyar weaves- cloth for flags in temples at Svamimalai:  Sthapatis or sculptors make bronzeidols and ornamental bell metal lamps

 

Bronze

·       Copper+tin

·       Tin>>>Copper =Bell Metal- bell like sound

·       Lost wax Technique- Statue made of wax coated with clay, Then heated and wax removed through a hole. Liquid metal filled in through the same hole and clay removed

 

TRADE AND SMALL TOWNS

·       Villages- Large Villages

·       Mandapika (mandi), Market street (hatta)

·       Trading commodities : horses, salt, camphor, saffron, betel nut and spices like pepper

·       Samanta (Zamindar)- build fortified towns, levied taxes on traders and donated right to collect taxes to temples

·       Traders travelled in caravans and formed guilds (manigramam and Nanadesi) to protect their interests

 

MAJOR TRADERS

·       Chettiars and Marwari Oswal

·       Hindu Baniyas and Muslim Bohras

·       Indian sold textiles and spices and brought gold and ivory from Africa; spices, tin, Chinese bluepottery and silver from SE Asia and China

·       Spices became a delicacy in European cooking

·       Kabul and Qandahar were linked to Silk route- trade by Horses

 

CRAFTS

·       Craft work from Bidar – Bidri on copper and silver

·       Panchalas or Vishwakarma community, consisting of goldsmiths, bronzesmiths, blacksmiths, masons and carpenters, were essential to the building of temples

·       Weavers like Saliyar or Kaikkolars emerged as prosperous communities

·       Murshidabad (West Bengal) on Bhagirathi River was major centre for silks and capital of Bengal in 1704, declined later by  competition from cheap mill- made cloth from England.

 

ARCHITECTURE

Hampi

·       Lies in Krishna – Tungabhadra basin, as nucleus of Vijaynagara Empire, founded in 1336. was fortified city with no mortar or cement but only by interlocking . Had arches, domes and pillared halls, pleasure gardens – moors (Muslim Merchants),

·       Chettis and Portuguese traders were commonly seen

·       Temples had cultural activities, devadasis (temple dancers) in  Virupaksha (Shiva ) temple, Mahanavami or Navaratri is celebrated in south

·       Hampi fell into ruin following the defeat of Vijayanagara in 1565 by the Deccani Sultans – the rulers of Golconda, Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, Berar and Bidar

 

 

Surat

·       Emporium of western trade during Mughal period

·       Gateway of trade with West Asia via Gulf of Omruz

·       Gate to Mecca

·       Portuguese, Dutch and English had factories and warehouses

·       Textile was known

·       Zari work (gold lace) had market in West Asia, Africa and Europe

·       Kathiawadseths or mahajana (money changers) had huge banking house

·       Surat hundies (note recording a deposit made by a person) were honored far and wide in Cairo- Egypt, Basra – Iraq and Antwerp- Belgium

·       Declined in 17th century due to loss of market and productivity due to decline of Mughal empire and East India Company shifted its HQs to Mumbai

 

Masulipatnam (Machlipatnam)

·       Delta of Krishna river on 17th century

·       Both Dutch and English East India Company tried to control it

·       Major port of Golconda, Andhra Pradesh

·       Fort built by Dutch

·       Qutb Shahi rulers of Golconda imposed royal monopolies on the sale of textiles, spices and other items to prevent trade passing completely into East India Companies.

·       Competition occurred amongst Golconda nobles, Persian merchant, Telgu Komati, and European traders

·       Later Aurangzeb annexed Golconda and European started to look for alternatives

·       It declined in 18th century

·        

NEW TOWNS AND TRADERS

·       16-17th century – European leaders looking for spices and textile

·       East India Company – by English, French and Dutch

·       Indian traders Mulla Abdul Ghafur and VirjiVora  with large number of ships competed with European companies

·       English emerged as most successful

·       Weavers had to reproduce designs supplied by English people

·       18th Century- Bombay, Madras and Culcutta became nodal centres – artisans and merchants were moved to black towns established within new cities

·       “White” rulers occupied the superior residencies of Fort St. George in Madras or Fort St. William in Culcutta

 

DISCOVERIES

·       Vasco Da Gama- Portuguese sailor, reached Calicut in 1498 and returned to Lisbon, lost two ships and only 54 of 170 men survived, later English, Dutch and French sailors reached there

·       Columbus – considering earth to be round sailed westwards to Atlantic Ocean to find route to India – in 1492 reached West Indies- later Spain and Portugal sailors reached there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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