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Population, Agriculture Production, Craft Production

Population, Agriculture Production, Craft Production

Section titled “Population, Agriculture Production, Craft Production”

2020-04-26 19:31 :56

Population

Section titled “Population”
  • Moreland made the first attempt to estimate the population with the help of the data of the Ain i Akbari. He compared the the extent arazi (gross cropped area) to the size of the population. He concluded 30 to 40 million people lived at the end of the 16th century.
  • He calculated the population of the Deccan from the military strength taking the ratio as 1:30 b/w soldiers and civilians. Estimating the population at 30mil.
  • His estimates were flawed b/coz arazi did not include fallow, uncultivable waste land etc. Taking the ratio was also arbitrary as they could vary.
  • Irfan habib and Shireen moosvi have covered other aspects missing in Morelands classifcation and concluded that the population in 17th century to be 140-150 mil. And that of Akbars Empire as 100mil
  • Ashok Desai has used the statistics of consumption in 1960s to calculated level of consumption in 1595. He compared the purchasing power of the lowest urban wages on basis of prices given in Ain to all India average prices in 1960s which was 1/5th of what it was in 1960s.
  • It has been criticized for using modern statistical data to compare 15th century data. The price and wages in Ain considers only areas around Delhi and Lahore.
  • the compound annual rate of growth of the country’s population for the period 1601 to 1872 was 0.21% per annum. It suggest that the growth rate of Indian population was not sluggish.
  • Various sources like Nizamuddin Ahmad in his Tabaqat i Akbari says that there are 120 big town and 3200 townships. European Travellers have given the estimates of some towns like Agra, Delhi , Lahore, Thatta etc.

Agriculture Production-

Section titled “Agriculture Production-”
  • Abul Fazl in his Ain-1 Akbari provides area figures for all the Mughal provinces in North India except Bengal, Thatta and Kashmir. Figures are of the year 1595. They are reproduced in the Chahar Gulshan. The extent of measured land is not clear.
  • But the ones from Aurangzeb’s reign are more reliable figures.
  • Moreland says that the figures are for total cropper area. Irfan Habib says that it included cultivable ares which was not sown and also are under habitation, lakes, forests etc.
  • Recent studies by Habib and Moosvi say that the cultivated area double b/w 16th century to 20th century due to clearance of forests esp in Bengal, Bihar and Awadh.
  • Tillage was done through the use of ploughs both wood and iron harnessing an Oxen. Horse or bullock drawn or wheeled plough were not used. The shape and size depended upon economic and geographic factors of the cultivator or the soils.
  • Patella was used to break lumps of earth. Barbossa mentions seed drills used in coastal areas but generally seeds were sown with hand.
  • Bird droppings and fish manures were used to enrich soils.
  • Rotation of crops was used for better yields. A semicircular sickle was used for cutting crops.
  • Well irrigation was most common, ropepulleys, lever principle, wheel powere by animals were used to draw water from wells.
  • Ain i Akbari mentions Dhebar lake in Mewar used for irrigation. Rajsamand and Jaisamand were other important lakes.
  • Kharif and Rabi were 2 cropping seasons. Rice and Wheat were 2 major corps. Jowar and Bajra were the 2 main millets produced. Gram, arhar, moong, moth and urd were pulses produced.
  • Jinsi Kamil were cash crops produced. Major cash crops in 16th-17th centuries were sugarcane, cotton, indigo and opium. Sugar cane was mentioned in Ain i Akbari to be produced in Agra, Awadh, Lahore, Multan etc. Bayana was imp for producing quality Indigo.
  • Horticulture assumed new heights. Nobles households had big orchards.
  • Shireen Moosvi has shown the productivity of various crops during this time. Wheat, barley, Sugarcane etc were most productive.

Craft Production -

Section titled “Craft Production -”
  • Cotton Textiles were produced in Gujarat - Ahmedabad, Broach, Baroda, Cambay, Surat etc. Rajastha - Ajmer, Sironj. UP - Lucknow, Banaras, Agra. Burhanpur and Aurangabad in Deccan. Chaula and Bhivandi in Maharashtra. Masulipatnam, Coromandel also produced cotton textiles.
  • Spinning of yam thus became a specialised occupation. Women in large number spun yam in Mysore. Vizagapatam and Ganjam.
  • Bafta is described in the Ain-i Akbari as a type of high quality calico normally white or of a single colour.
  • Tafta was a silk cloth some times inter-woven with cotton yam. Zartari was a cloth which was inter-woven with gold or silver thread.
  • Muslin was a very fine quality of thin cloth. Chintz (Chheent) was cotton cloth with floral or other patterns printed or painted. Khasa was a kind of muslin.
  • Silk was abundantly produced in Kashmir. Patna and Ahmedabad were also known for it.
  • Wool was anothcr important material used for manufacturing textiles. Kashmir shawls were exported abroad. Delhi, Lahore, Mirzapur were imp centers of woolen goods.
  • Tents and embroidery were also famous.
  • Wood based crafts like palanquins, Bullock carts intricately carved and decorated were made. Large no of boats and sea going ships were made. Surat, Bassein, Goa, Cragnore, Cochin etc were imp ship building center.
  • Stone-cutting was an irnportant craft used in making houses, palaces, etc.
  • Paper was manufactured in Ahmedabad, Daulatabad, Lahore, Sialkot, Biharsharif near Patna.
  • Apart from the above coarse pottery, fine crockery was also made. Manucci (1663) mentions eathern crockery finer than glass and lighter than paper.
  • Glass manufacturing was also undertaken.
  • Jajmani system was prominent in villages.
  • Production at artisan level was done for market, Pesaert a Dutch traveler has mentioned around 100 specialised categories of artisans.
  • Dadni was a system where money was given to artisans in advance.
  • Karkhanas alos produced goods but mainly for the Nobles and the Royal household.

Land Revenue Assessment under Mughals

Section titled “Land Revenue Assessment under Mughals”
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Its Influence to Strengthen Mughal States

Section titled “Its Influence to Strengthen Mughal States”
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PYQs

Section titled “PYQs”

Population, agricultural production, craft production

  1. Discuss the patterns of land revenue system developed in Medieval India and examine their significant features. [1980, 60m]
  1. Review briefly the methods of land-revenue assessment adopted by the Mughals. [1983, 60m]
  1. Analyses the distinguishing features of the land revenue system under the Mughals and point out its influence on the strength of the Mughal State. [1989, 60m]
  1. Delineate the striking features of agricultural and craft production during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in India. How did they impact the social fabric of the country? [2008, 60m]
  1. Write a short essay on: “Estimates of population of Mughal India.” [2009, 20m]
  1. State the structure of medieval village society in Northern India. What were the passive forms of resistance of the peasants in the medieval period? [2012, 30m]
  1. Will it be correct to say that the rural economy in Mughal India was relatively self-sufficient? [2015, 10m]
  1. “An important feature of agriculture in Mughal India has been the large number of crops raised by the peasants”. Illustrate by giving examples. [2018, 15 marks]