There were many kinds of traders. These included the Banjaras and several traders especially horse traders.The traders usually travelled in caravans and formed guilds to protect their interests. There were several such guilds in South India from the eighth century onwards—the most famous being the Manigramam and Nanadesi. These guilds traded extensively both within the …
The Indian textiles were in great demand in the European markets. As a result, the English began to make attempts to control the Indian craftspersons by appointing Indian traders as their agents. They introduced the system of advances under which the weavers had to weave cloth which was already promised to European agents. Weavers no …
How did the system of advances snatch the freedom of the weavers? Read More »
The city of Masulipatnam was a centre of intense activity during the 17th century. Both the Dutch and English East India Companies attempted to control this city as it became the most important part of the Andhra coast. Qutb Shah rulers of Golconda imposed royal monopolies on the sale of textiles, spices, and other items …
What made the city of Masulipatnam populous and prosperous? Read More »
Surat, which was an important trade centre during the Mughal period, began to decline towards the end of the seventeenth century. This was because of the following factors: Because of the decline of the Mughal Empire, Surat faced a huge loss of markets and productivity The control of the sea routes went into the hands …
In its heyday in the 15-16th centuries Hampi was an important centre of commercial and cultural activities. Moors, which was a name used collectively for Muslim merchants, Chettis and agents of European traders such as the Portuguese, visited the markets of Hampi. Temples were the hub of cultural activities. Temple dancers known as devadasis performed …
How was Hampi in its heyday in the 15-16th centuries? When did it fall into ruin? Read More »
The architecture of Hampi was distinctive in several ways : Hampi was a well-fortified city. No mortar or cementing agent was used in the construction of these walls. The technique followed was to wedge them together by inter-locking. The buildings in the royal complex had splendid arches, domes and pillared halls with niches for holding …
The present-day taxes on markets are collected as license fees of shops. MCD must collect these taxes. MCD does this work with the help of its various departments. The taxes collected by MCD are used in the welfare of the public, roads, sewage, electricity, water, etc.
Several small towns came to be seen in the sub-continent from the 8th century onward. These towns usually had a mandapika or mandi where nearby villagers came to sell their produce. These towns also had market streets called halta or hoot lined with shops. There were also streets for different kinds of artisans such as …
Several small towns came to be seen in the sub-continent from the 8th century onward. These towns usually had a mandapika or mandi where nearby villagers came to sell their produce. These towns also had market streets called halta or hoot lined with shops. There were also streets for different kinds of artisans such as …
‘Lost wax’ technique was used to make Chola bronze statues. This technique involved several stages : First of all, an image was made of wax. This was covered with clay and left in sun to dry. It was then heated and a small hole was made in the clay cover. The molten wax was drained …
