Towns

2020-04-27 12:33:17

Tome Pires and his highly perceptive Suma Orienta, Scottish sea captain and country trader, Alexander Hamilton, Dutch merchant, Francisco Pelsaert, and the French physician, Francois Bernier. Provide the sources about the town life in Mughal India. Other accounts of Khafi Khan and Banda Bahadur also talks about town life.
Indian cities were markedly different from European cities like Paris.
complementarity of economic nodality and political attributes which was as much a feature of Indian towns
the existence of very widespread marketing facilities provided only in central place was reason for growth of such cities. They acted as redistribution centers.
The Islamic word shahristan, on the other hand, was a place of political and military power.
There was a sudden growth of Agra during Akbars reign and everyone bough plots in a hurry as a result Hindus and Muslims the rich and the poor mingled.
Lahore, Delhi-Agra, Patna, Burhanpur, and Ahmedabad were the 6 primary cities. Kabul and Kandahar could also be added. The subedars of these cities were close relative of emperor. They were mainly political cities, their strategic ormilitary significance was only secondary.
Administrators, Military officials often moved from peripheral cities to these central cities in search for higher financial rewards.
Robber and Thieves were present and they even plundered imp towns. Jahangir issued a proclamation to stop such activities by populating these towns and appointing officials.
Pelsaert says that Agra was most flourishing in Akbars reign but had deteriorate since late in Jahangirs reign due to bad administration and corrupt officials. It was however an important nodal center from where all goods passed.
Lahore was a chief marketer for Indigo to East Mediterranean, Central Asia.
Port cities like SUrat, Masulipatnam and Hugli survived despite not being center of power or administrative centers. Surats trade to Red Sea, Bengal, South East Asia, and China sustained its civic wealth.
The average housing density was high. Bernier said that the population of Paris was more than that of Delhi. Overcrowding was absent.
The various cultural, architectural and artistic aspects of cities and towns showed the culmination of various Islamic and Local characterstics.