TRADE AND COMMERCE DURING MUGHAL PERIOD

Abstract:

Akbar and Jahangir were both interested in the international seaborne trade, and Akbar even
participated in it for a period. The Mughals greeted the foreign businessman with open arms,
providing enough security and protection for transactions and imposed a minimal customs
fee.  In addition, the expansion of Handicrafts and industry in the area resulted in a stockpile of
exportable goods. The majority of Indian exports were manufactured goods. Cotton cloth was in
high demand in Europe and other parts of the world. Indigo, saltpeter, spices, opium, sugar, and
different woolen and silk fabrics Yarn, salt, beads, borax, turmeric, lac, sealing wax, and a
variety of pharmaceuticals were among the items exported. The most important Bullion, horses,
and a certain amount of luxury goods for the upper classes, such as raw silk, coral, amber, and
valuable stones, excellent textiles (silk, velvet, brocade, broad cloth), perfumes, pharmaceuticals,
Chinese items, and European wines were all imported. Indian traders, on the other hand,
generally demanded payment in gold or silver in exchange for their wares. Naturally, this was
unpopular in England and the rest of Europe, and seventeenth-century economists frequently
lamented, as Sir Thomas Roe did, that "Europe bleedeth to enrich Asia." However, because
India's demand for commodities was so high and her requirements for European goods so low,
Europe was forced to trade on India's terms until the seventeenth century, when special measures
were adopted in England and elsewhere to discourage the demand for Indian goods. This paper
attempts to explain the system of trade and commerce, transport and communication, internal and
external trade during Mughal period.

Introduction:

Cotton production had grown to such proportions that, in addition to meeting her own needs,
India shipped cloth to about half of the world: the east coast of Africa, Arabia, Egypt, Southeast
Asia, and Europe. The textile industry, which had flourished under Akbar's reign, continued to
thrive under his successors, and Dutch and English traders soon brought India into direct contact
with Western markets.
As a result, there was a surge in demand for Indian cotton products in Europe, which led to
increased production at home. Even the silk business, particularly in Bengal, was prospering.
"There is such a quantity of cotton and silk in Bengal, that the kingdom may be considered the
common storehouse for these two kinds of commodities, not only of Hindustan or the Great
Mughal Empire, but of all the neighbouring kingdoms, and even of Europe," Bernier said. Other
industries included shawl and carpet weaving, woollen items, pottery, leather goods, and wood
articles, in addition to silk and cotton textiles. Chittagong specialized in shipbuilding due to its
proximity to good lumber sources, and it formerly supplied ships to distant Istanbul. The business
part of the enterprise was handled by middlemen, but the Mughal government, like previous
sultans, contributed its fair share. The emperor oversaw a huge number of royal workshops,
which were busy producing goods for himself, his household, the court, and the imperial army.
Akbar was particularly interested in the growth of indigenous manufacturing. In Lahore, Agra,
Fathpur-Sikri, and Gujarat, he was personally responsible for the expansion of silk weaving.

He established a slew of factories in strategic locations, importing master weavers from Persia,
Kashmir, and Turkistan. Akbar would frequently visit the workshops around the palace to
observe the artists at work, encouraging them and elevating their stature. He "ordered people of
certain ranks to wear particular kinds of locally woven coverings, an order which resulted in the
establishment of a large number of shawl manufactories in Lahore; and inducements were
offered to foreign carpet-weavers to settle in Agra, Fathepur Sikri, and Lahore, and manufacture
carpets to compete with those imported from Persia," according to legend. Foreign traders
developed tight relationships with significant Indian marketplaces over time, and new items that
were in higher demand in Western Europe began to be produced in greater quantities. Among the
foreign inventions that excited Akbar's interest was an organ, "one of the wonders of creation,"
that had been brought from Europe.

The detrimental outcomes of the trade on the Mughal Empire:

Two and a half centuries of trade between India and Western Europe contributed to the demise of
an empire that was once agriculturally oriented, had powerful military forces, and tolerated
minorities.  Its subjects, as well as their various religious beliefs (with the exception of
Aurangzeb). All three Islamic empires discovered one of two things:  by the 19th century, the
economy had collapsed or weakened significantly. European countries, on the other hand, were
expanding, developing, and growing, Inventing new movements, intentions, and technologies. 
Despite the fact that the Ottoman and Safavid empires were fundamentally independent, their
mutual interest, trade, aided Europe's permanent residence on Indian lands.  The factory records
of the British East India Company were the most extensive and clear information concerning the
Mughal Empire, which shows that trade was the only means of connection between Western
Europe and the Mughal Empire. The trade was conducted by the same countries, but the
proportions were different of import for those countries, depending on what's going  on at that
time in Europe and on the alliances the countries tight themselves into. Trade was used to trace
the pattern of globalization and world entanglement in the 17th century. In this manner, I n the
Mughal empire, European countries found a home. As a result, Until the British occupied the
Indian subcontinent in the 19th century, they gradually gained more control over the trade
and, over the empire. The primary purpose of the European language was to communicate with
other Europeans diffused across coastal regions, particularly important trading centers, and
occasionally throughout major commercial cities based inland.

The small retail sellers and traders in the market places:

Mughal India's Hindus and Muslims were both traders in the first category. One of the most
renowned of them was Virsji Bliohra, a well-known Surat businessman. Apart from a few
merchants from Gujrat, South Indian Chinna Chetti and Bengali Jagat Seth specialized in export
trade, transporting Indian commodities abroad. They had their ships and various modes of
transportation.

During the Mughal era, both inland and international trade flourished. Inland trade, on the other
hand, was divided into two distinct categories: local and provincial. There was no shortage of
towns throughout the Mughal Empire. The cities were densely populated. As a result, various
markets were established to suit the daily needs of the metropolitan society. In order to carry on
inland trade in several provinces, land and river transportation systems were constructed. Roads
were built, expanded, and widened. An important road constructed during the Mughal rule
proceeded from Sonargaon in Bengal to Lahore in the north western part of India. 
In India, there were numerous sea ports. India has trade links with 2 Arab countries: Persia and
Egypt. They also traded with a number of countries in South East Asia and China. They mainly
imported horses from West Asia, silver from Japan and gold from East Indies.  There had been
an upsurge in requests in India for European toys and high-end goods.

Transport and communication:

Traveling back then was often dangerous due to robbers, dacoits, and numerous marauding
tribes. The royal highways, on the other hand, were kept in good repair, and there were numerous
sarais along the route for the convenience and safety of the travelers. Muhammad Tughlaq built a
road from Peshawar to Daulatabad in addition to the royal road from Peshawar to Sonargaon.
There were plans in place to transport the mail rapidly from one section of the country to another.
This was accomplished by horse relays or, more efficiently and swiftly, by runners stationed in
towers built specifically for the purpose every few kilometers. The runner kept ringing a bell as
he ran so that the next relay runner could see him from the tower and prepare to carry his weight.

Internal and External trade:

India's international trade, both overland and overseas, was truly an international enterprise.
Despite the fact that the Arabs were the major partners in the India Ocean commerce, the Tamils
and Gujratis, both Hindu and Muslim, were not completely displaced. Marwaris and Gujratis,
many of whom were Jains, controlled the coastal trade and trade between the coastal ports and
north India. The Muslim Bohra merchants took part in the commerce as well. Multanis, who
were largely Hindus, and Khurasanis, who were Afghans, Iranians, and others, controlled the
overland trade between Central and West Asia. Many of these traders had made their homes in
Delhi. Gujarati and Marwari merchants were exceedingly affluent, and some, particularly the
Jains, lavished significant sums on temple construction. Cambay was a thriving city with a
thriving merchant class. They had lofty houses built in fine stone and mortar, with tiled roofs.

Their homes were surrounded by orchards and fruit gardens, which had many tanks. These
wealthy merchants and talented craftsmen enjoyed a high standard of living and were
accustomed to delicious food and clothing.  Hindu and Muslim traders were escorted by pages
with swords encrusted with silver and gold. The Hindu merchants in Delhi rode horses with
expensive adornments dwelt in opulent mansions and lavishly celebrated their festivals with
great pomp and show. The nobles were so spendthrift in their homes that every time they wanted
to hold a feast or a celebration, they had to run to Multanis' residences in order to borrow money.

Citations:

(Columbia University Libraries: Travels in the mogul empire A.D. 1656-1668)

Edwardes SM and Garrett HLO, “Mughal Rule in India” (Amazon2001)

Edwardes SM, “Mughal Rule in India” (Google Books)

“Muntakhab-Ut-Tawarikh, in Three Volumes, Set - 1976 Edition