Economy : Agricultural Production, Rise of Urban Economy, Non-agricultural Production, Trade and Commerce

2020-04-29 21:48 :44

! Some major medieval cities were Delhi, Multan, Anhilwara, Cambay, Kara, Lakhnauti and Daulatabad.
Ibn Batuta visited Delhi in 1330 and described its enormity.

Factors of Urban Expansion :

Iqta headquarters emerged as centres of concentration of economic activity. Ex Hansi, Kara, Anhilwara
wants of new rulers/nobles were lavish and this led to an increase in demand and production of items like silk, fine cotton textiles etc
Craftsmen, artisans and designers introduced various new techniques and technology
artisans who manufactured were owners of theri own goods
$ Khair ur Majlis talks about door to door sellers of goods and services.
$ Masalik ul Absar and Afif mention about the Karkhanas of Muhammad Tughlaq and Feroz Tughlaq resp.

Trade and Commerce

The newly emerged towns became centre of trades and the realisation of surplus of peasant farmers in cash induced trade in the hinterlands.
Inland trade was short distance and long distance.
@ The turnonver for short distance inter villages trade was high in volume but low in value. Commodities traded were wheat, rice, gram, sugarcane, cotton etc.
$ Inter town or long distance trade was in high value goods. Barani and Ibn Battuta mention goods like distilled wine from Aligarh, muslin from Devgiri, cloth from Awadh, betel leaf from Malwa. Delhi and Lahore produced candy sugar and ghi from sirsa.
Khalji annexation of Gujarat enlarged foreign trade it connected Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.
Hormuz and Basra were chief ports in Persian Gulf while Aden, Mocha and Jedda were along the Red Sea.
$ European traveller Tome Pires mentions trade from Gujarat to Malacca strait. Cloth was the main export item and spice was imported.
$ Varthenma an Italian traveller and Il Kahnid mention about flourishing trade from Cambay.
Ports of Bengal traded with China, Malacca and Far East. It exported Textiles, sugar and silk fabrics.
Daibul in sindh was also a well known port trading in smoked fish, dariy and cloths.
Overland trade took place from Multan to central asia, persia etc.
Principal items of imports were Horses from Yemen, Kis, Hormuz, Aden and Persia and Precious metals especially silver from Alexandria, Iraq and China.
Items of exports were grain, textiles, slaves, indigo, agate.
~ Merchant classes like the karwanis and Multanis emerged. Dalals or brokers worked as a link b/w buyer and sellers. Sarrafs emerged and money changers they tested metallic purity.

Maritime Trade 13th to 15th Century

@ Maniraman was an association of South Indian Merchants that remained active in domestic and foreign trade.
& Vastupal and Tejpal of Gujarat were well know traders
Chetti Merchants in Tamil Nadu, Maraccars in Malabar.
Asian trade during this time was 10 times of European
Distinction b/w retail and wholesale trade. Big emporium and rich merchants traded in bulk. Captain were paid good money, ships also had small merchants called peddlers.
Merchants had entrepreneurial skills and financial and shipping resources they did not depend on states for political/military support.
@ Items included both luxury and common goods ex. silk, spice, salt, sugar, grains, clothing, horses, chinese porcelain, incense, ivory, glass, jewellery etc.
Trade was long distance too from Arabia to China. Malay Pensinsular, East Africa all had Indian traders frequent there.
~ Both sewn and nailed ships were used. Sewn ones more since they were more flexible.
~ Arab boom type ship was used in India built in Gujarat and Malabar region.
Sea pirates active on coasts of Oman and Malabar.

PYQs

Economy

Make a comparative review of the agrarian reforms of Alau-ud-Din Khalji and Sher Shah Suri. [1995, 60m]

Throw light on the Land Revenue System of Sultanate period. [1998, 60m]

Identify the main factors that sustained the expansion of urban economy in the Delhi Sultanate. [2009, 30m]

Examine the increasing importance of maritime trade of India during thirteenth to fifteenth centuries. [2010, 30m]

Evaluate the conditions of industries in India from 1200 to 1500 CE. [2013, 20m]

Evaluate critically the conditions of labour from 1200 to 1500 CE on the basis of historical sources. [2013, 15m]

Discuss in brief the land-revenue system and judicial administration of the Delhi Sultanate. [2015, 15m]

Delineate non---agricultural production and urban economy in the 13th and 14th centuries C.E. [2017, 20 Marks]

Discuss the advancement made in Textile Technology under the Delhi Sultans. [2018, 10 Marks]