Tag: towns

Mathura was an important religious center as well. It was an important center of worship of Lord Krishna. Buddhist monasteries and Jain shrines were also present in Mathura.

Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti was a celebrated Sufi saint who settled in the city of Ajmer in the twelfth century. In the 12th century, the city of Ajmer (Rajastan) was the capital of the Chauhan kings. The city provides for an excellent example of religious coexistence. The Pushkar lake which is very famous amongst pilgrims is also loacted near the city.

The town of Thanjavur is loacted in the current Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was the capital of the erstwhile Chola kingdom. The river Kaveri flows near it. Thanjavur is also an example of a temple town. Temple towns represent a very important pattern of urbanisation, the process by which cities develop. Temples were often central to the economy and society in such towns.

From the eighth century onwards, the subcontinent was dotted with several small towns. These probably emerged from large villages. They usually had a mandapika (or mandi of later times) to which nearby villagers brought their produce to sell.

As per a 10th Century inscription found in Rajasthan, there were taxes on sugar and jaggery, dyes, thread, and cotton, on coconuts, salt, areca nuts, butter, sesame oil, on cloth.

With its rugged, mountainous landscape, Kabul (Afghanistan) became politically and commercially important from the sixteenth century onwards. Kabul and Qandahar were linked to the celebrated Silk Route. Besides, trade in horses was primarily carried on through this route.
Camels carried dried fruits, dates, carpets, silks and even fresh fruits from Kabul to the subcontinent and elsewhere. Slaves were also brought here for sale.

In the medieval period, since traders had to pass through many kingdoms and forests, they 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 peninsula and with Southeast Asia and China.

From the 8th century onwards, some traders lived in the town, others travelled from town to town. Many came from far and near to these towns to buy local articles and sell products of distant places like horses, salt, camphor, saffron, betel nut and spices like pepper.