MEDIEVAL INDIA (PART -2)

TRADING COMMUNITIES ORGANISATION(A.D 700 to A.D  1300)

Nagaram / Nakhara:

A sort of merchant assembly located in market towns with wide ranging commercial interests.

Skandhavar:  Military camps-functioning as mobile capitals.

Tirtha: sacred/ pilgrimage centre.

Ghanaka: oil mills.

hundika:

the bill of exchange which might have been used by merchants for commercial transactions.

Jiala-patha-karana:

The Chalukya kings of Gujarat had a separate department called the Jiala-patha-karana to look after Highways.

Velakula karana:

Chalukyas of Gujarat (10th-ljth centuries) set up a separate department of harbours (Velakula karana) under royal control.

Tellika: Oilman.

Nikshepa-vanika:

A separate group of merchants, called nikshepa-vanika  in western India, who specialised in banking or moneylending.

Sarthavaha:

The sarthavaha was the caravan leader under whose guidance the merchants went to distant places to sell and purchase their goods.

ORGANISATION OF TRADERS:

Guilds:

Ø  The guilds were voluntary associations of merchants dealing in the same type of commodity such as grains, textiles, betel leaves, horses, perfumes, etc.

Ø  The guilds framed their own rules and regulations regarding the membership and the code of conduct.

Ø  They fixed the prices of their goods and could even decide that specific commodity was not to be sold on a particular day by its members.

Ø  They could refuse to trade on a particular day by its members.

Ø  They could refuse to trade in a particular area if they found the local authorities hostile or uncooperative.

Ø  The guild normally worked under the leadership of a chief who was elected by its members.

Ø  He performed the functions of a magistrate in deciding the economic affairs of the guild.

Ø  He could punish, condemn or even expel those members who violated the guild rules.

Ø  One of his main duties was to deal directly with the King, and settle the market tolls and taxes on behalf of his fellow merchants.

Ø  The growth of corporate activity enabled guild chiefs to consolidate their power and position in society, and many of them acted as the representative of their members on the local administrative councils.

Naigama:

Naigama is described as an association of caravan merchants of different castes who travel together for the purpose of carrying on trade with other countries.

Shreni:

According to Medhatithi, it was a group of people following the same profession such as that of traders, moneylenders, artisans, etc. though some authors considered it to be a group of artisans alone.

Shreni-karana:

The Shreni-karana was constituted by the kings of western India to look after the activities of the guilds of merchants and artisans in their region.

Shrenibala:

Many merchant guilds maintained their own troops (shrenibala ) for personal safety.

Vanika-mandala:  which was probably a guild of local merchants.

Ayyavole and the Manigraman:

The two most important merchant guilds of South India were known as the Ayyavole and the Manigraman.

Anjuvanam:

Anjuvanam was another body of merchants in South India, which probably represented an association of foreign merchants.

SOCIAL ORGANISATION:

Varnadhikarin: officer responsible for the maitenance of varna.

Kayastha:

kayastha is mentioned in Gupta inscriptions from Bengal, the post-Gupta inscriptions are full of references to a greater variety of people involved in record keeping activities.

Padukakrit, Charmakara:  makers of shoes, leather workers.

Mansara: a text on architecture.

Brihad Naradiya Purana:

The Brihad Naradiya Purana reveals the beginnings of the exclusion of the shudras from places of worship.

Rajatarangini:

The Rajatarangini comprising chronicle of Kashmir also refers to the performance of sati in royal families.

vidhi-chaitya:

The movement of a particular sect of the Jainas emerged in the eleventh century in Gujarat and Rajasthan, which was called vidhi-chaitya.

It was a sort of protestant movement aiming at denunciation of greedy and acquisitive Jaina ascetics who were trying to grab land.

Anashrita: Independent shudras.

Ashrita: Dependent shudras.

Bhojyannna:

Those shudras, whose food preparations could be taken by brahmanas.

Samskara-varjita: those who were deprived of the rights to perform rituals.

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