Socio-Cultural Life of Merchants in Mughal Gujarat

SOCIO - CULTURAL LIFE

OF MERCHANTS

IN MUGHAL GUJARAT

(16th–17th Century)

MONIKA SHARMA

Copyright © 2014 by Monika Sharma.

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Contents

Abbreviations

1. Region of Gujarat: Main Features Complementing Trade and Commerce

2. Major Merchant Communities in Mughal Gujarat

3. Living Standard of Merchants of Gujarat

4. Merchant Participation in Social Mores and Religious Customs

5. Merchants-Mughal Nexus

6. Idea of Money for Different Communities

7. Different Institutions of Merchant Communities

Appendices

Bibliography

• MAPS:

1. Map - 1 16th–17th century Gujarat – A Physical Map

2. Map - 2 6th–17th century Gujarat – A Political Map

3. Map - 3 Ports of Gujarat

4. Map - 4 Region-wise Concentration of Merchant Communities of Gujarat

• TABLES:

1. Revenue Paying Sarkars

2. Tribute-Paying/Peshkashi Sarkars

3. Bandar or Ports of Gujarat

4. Baras in Gujarat

5. Products and Industries

6. Agriculture Production

7. Puras/Suburbs

8. Castes of Banias (16th-17th century)

9. Castes of Jains / Gachhas (16th-17th century)

10. Divisions of Shia Bohras

11. Subordinates of Da’ai of Daudi Bohras

12. Details of Mulla Abdul Ghafur’s Ships

13. Septs of Khojas

14. Major Septs of Memons

15. Surnames (Atak/Nukh) of Lohana

16. Surnames of Memons

17. Occupational Groups of Portuguese

18. Money Assets of Merchants

19. Major Guilds (6th–11th century)

• SKETCHES:

1. Dhheeli Moti Paaghri

2. Ijar

3. Ochhi Dheeli Paaghri

4. Kulah-i-Bawahir

5. Gol Paaghri

6. Achkan

7. Angarkha

8. Misar/Shirbandh

9. Saankal, Kara, Vaali

10. Daamri, Veenti, Payal, Baloya, Bangadi

11. Hansali, Kanthi

• PICTURES:

1. Farman which was issued by Murad Bakhsh as an Emperor (22 June 1658)

2. Nishan issued by Dara Shukoh to restore the Chintamani Temple (3rd July, 1648)

3. Nishan of Dara Shukoh to Shantidas demanding for a valuable diamond to the court (1st Sept, 1655)

4. Commercial Institutions of Ahmadabad

5. Family-tree of Shantidas Zaveri

Acknowledgements

I will be gratified to record thanks to those who helped me in the plenitude of this research. It gives me immense pleasure to express my deep sense of gratitude to my guru Dr Sumbul Halim Khan with whose guidance and constant encouragement I produced this piece of work with success. Her moral support and masterly guidance was a constant inspiration for me throughout my research work. She provided thorough criticisms, rigorous scrutiny, and valuable suggestions at all times. The affectionate treatment and the consistent encouragement that I received from her is worth cherishing.

I take this opportunity to acknowledge the huge debt I owe to my mentor Mr Anil Singh Chaudhary for introducing me to history and helping me in all possible ways to seek new ventures. I cannot possibly thank him and his family enough for all they do for me.

I shall be failing my duty if I forget to acknowledge Prof. Farhat Hasan for having suggested such an interesting and exciting theme for this work. I take this opportunity to thank Prof. S. P. Verma and Dr Pushpa Prasad for their cooperation and many valuable suggestions. I am ever grateful to Prof. Makarand Mehta and Prof. Shirin Mehta for their consistent encouragement, material and expert advice to ensure the accomplishment of this research work.

I am immensely grateful to Bhulabhai Jaisinghbhai Institute of Research and Learning, Ahmadabad, for always being cooperative and helpful. It would have been impossible for me to undertake this research work without their positive attitude and collective efforts. I would like to thank Dr R. T. Savalia who provided all the possible information and research material to me. It is pertinent to acknowledge the remarkable help and support from the Centre of Social Studies, Surat, particularly Dr, Sadan Jha, Ms Seema Shukla and Ms Hina Shah. I would like to thank the staff of Central Library of Surat and Library of South Gujarat University, Surat. Their role is noteworthy so far as my research work is concerned. So their help is gratefully acknowledged. The support and the cooperation of the staff of Hansa Mehta Library of M. S. University, Baroda and the Central Library of Baroda are also noteworthy. I extend my thanks to Maharashtra Archives, Mumbai and National Archives and National Museum’s library, New Delhi. Finally, I acknowledge the Seminar Library, Department of History, Maulana Azad Library, A. M. U. Aligarh for their promptness in rendering miscellaneous kinds of help.

I cannot forget to say thank to the people who contributed to this work to make it more impressive, particularly Mr Faiz Habib, who intelligently developed all the maps of my research work. I am also thankful to Dr Madhu Y. Sharma for always being supportive and helpful in deciphering the Gujarati language. Special thanks to Dr Manisha Sharma for contributing excellent imaginative sketches of the different dresses and ornaments of sixteenth to seventeenth century Gujarat.

Monika Sharma

Dedicated to my caring father…

Late Professor Phool Bihari Sharma.

Abbreviations

Region of Gujarat: Main Features Complementing Trade and Commerce

Map - 1

16th–17th century Gujarat – A Physical Map

I n order to appreciate the presence of varied nature of mercantile community in Gujarat, one has to acknowledge the characteristics of the region which facilitated such a phenomenon. It can be gleaned by the rich nature of data contained in Mughal chronicles, regional Gujarati documents, and travelogues that the region of Gujarat had considerable agricultural resources to sustain and provide impetus to mercantile activities. Evidences also indicate the presence of accelerated activity in commercial and manufacturing centres. This peculiarly conducive environment led to the region becoming a hub, not only of thriving mercantile institutions and capital, but also becoming a conglomerate of skilled artisans and craftsmen. As a result, it was properly connected by inland and overseas trade routes.

This chapter intends to explore the region of Gujarat, its geographical layout, urban set-up, trade centres, cities, manufacturing centres, ports, and trade routes for a better comprehension of the perspective discussed above.

Geographical Layout

Ain gives detailed information of medieval Gujarat, which covers a large area from Burhanpur to Jagat.¹ Gujarat was flanked by Khandesh on the east, to the north by Jalor and Idar, to the south by the ports of Daman and Cambay, and on the west, by Jagat which is on the seashore.

Mountains: The region of Gujarat has big and small mountains in all directions. In the north, Mount Pawa, Lunawara, Sunth, Banswara, and Dongarpur extended to the mountains of Udaipur.² Pawa is in Champaner sarkar; it has fountains, reservoirs and the stream called vikhand.³ In the north-east, from Idar (in Ahmadabad sarkar), Danta Samphar, Palanpur, and Dantiwara, touching Mount Abu which connects the hills on the Ajmer frontier.⁴ In the north-west, the Kutch hills extend to the seashore.⁵ In the west, in the Sorath sarkar the land is almost hilly.

Girnar, near Junagarh, had different kinds of trees, mango groves, and all types of flowers. It has running brooks, wells, tanks, and ponds. It also had wild animals such as deer, mountain ox, and nilgai. Girnar was the most sacred mountain for Banias. Jamil, a mountain joins the Girnar and connected with the name of a Muslim saint Jamil Shah. The Hindus relate it with Mahadev. Both communities undertook pilgrimage to it. The rivulet Sonrekha rises between Gir and Jamil.⁶ In the Sorath sarkar, some other important mountains were also there, such as Usam, 10 kos from Junagarh. Sodachal, or Satrunjaya, in Palitana (in Sorath sarkar) named after the river Satrunja, it had fountains of sweet water and famous temples of Jains on its peak. Gopha was there in Jagat or Dwarka.⁷ In the south, some mountains extended from Surat port to Nandurbar and Baglan (in the province of Deccan).⁸

In the south-east, in Nandod sarkar, there is Vindhyachal or Rajpipla mountains. It extended to the hills of Jabua or Jhalora and Ali Mohan or Ali Mohammad, and then crossing the Khanapur pass touches the boundary of Bengal. The travellers and sanyasis of Surat used to visit. Wild elephants lived in the valley near Ali Mohan/Mohammad. Running brooks, tank, different trees were found there. A temple is also there dedicated to Mahadev.⁹

Rivers: Gujarat is water fed by the Narmada, Tapti, and Mahi, etc. Besides the ocean, there are the Sabarmati, the Narmada, the Tapti, the Saraswati, and two springs called Ganges and Jamna. The climate is temperate and the sandy character of the soil prevents it from turning into mud in the rainy season.¹⁰

Mirat considers that saraswati was the most important river for Brahmins. In Gujarat, it appears near Mount Abu and passes through the Siddhpur in Pattan and Kodinar in Sorath, and then divides into many branches.¹¹ Narmada is also called Rewa, one of the great rivers of the region, crosses Malwa into Gujarat, and then falls into the sea. Tapi or Tapti rises in the mountains of Deccan and falls into the sea near Surat. Kim rises in the mountains of Deccan and falls into the sea near Olpad near Surat. Mahendri also called Mahi falls near the port of Cambay.¹² Sabarmati, near the Ahmadabad, after joining other streams, reaches Cambay and falls into the sea.¹³ Bhadar rises in the hills of Sorath and passing Jetpur then falls into the ocean towards the east by way of Dhanduka.¹⁴

Climate: The economy of South and South-east Asia is largely dependent on the monsoon winds and the amount of rain they bring with them. These monsoons were, and to a large extent are, the governing factor controlling shipping in the surroundings seas. They largely determined when a particular route could be sailed, when a market would be high or low, and when a punitive naval expedition could be undertaken. For example, the ‘season’ for trade from Gujarat to Aden was from September to May; for Aden to Malabar, from October to February.¹⁵

Jazira/Islands: Mirat refers to eight islands in its geographical survey. The related details are stated thus16 :

1. PiramBisram lies between Gogha and Surat. The merchant named Mulla Mohammad Ali, grandson of Mulla Abdul Ghafur, built towers and battlement for the fortress and sent people to reside there during the reign of Emperor Mohammad Shah.

2. Sultanpur was in Talaja, near Gogha. It is surrounded by sea at high tides and then it becomes a peninsula.

3. Qutubpur was in pargana Mahuva.

4. Diu was in pargana Una and covers 3 kos.

5. Shankhoddhar was in pargana Jagat or Dwarka. It is one of the great temples of Hindus. A tomb of a saint-Haji Kirmani is also there.

6. Sankotretha was near Mahuva.

7. Sayalpeth was near Mahuva.

8. Danda Rajput lies between the Surat and Deccan.17

Sub-Divisions of Subah of Gujarat

The subah of Gujarat was divided into sixteen sarkar after it was conquered by Akbar.¹⁸ Six of them pay tribute (peshkashi) while the rest of the ten had to pay revenue.¹⁹ Among these sarkars Pattan had the largest area, and it was also the highest revenue-paying sarkar, while Sorath had the maximum number of parganas.

The above sarkars were namely:

Revenue Paying Sarkars

Apart from the above-mentioned sarkars, there were six (peshkashi) tribute-paying sarkars as well, which belonged to the zamindars prior to the conquest of Gujarat by Akbar.²³ After the conquest, they were ordered to serve the nazims and pay tribute.²⁴

Tribute-Paying/Peshkashi Sarkars

Towns

The official chronicles offer a lucid morphology of the towns of Gujarat. They divide these towns into two categories—big towns and small towns. This classification is based on the size and population of the town or on administrative position.²⁵ M. P. Singh explains that from the functional point of view, the Mughal town can be divided in various categories: administrative divisions such as imperial/provincial capital, sarkar, and Parganas.²⁶

These were originally meant for administration. Subsequently, they became centres of crafts and trade and commerce.²⁷ Second category was manufacturing towns. The important towns in the province of Gujarat were Ahmadabad, Baroda, Broach, Cambay, Surat, Rander, Nadiad, Mehmudabad, Gandevi, Navsari, and Dabhoi, etc. The third category comprised towns which developed as commercial and industrial centres first and later on became administrative headquarters.²⁸

Map - 2

6th–17th century Gujarat – A Political Map

Ports:

The Sultanate of Gujarat in AD 1571–1572 contained twenty-three ports constituted them into twenty-three revenue