SOAS Research Online

Abstract

The era of the Mughal ascendency in the history of India is marked with crystalisation of all the highest social, political and cultural values of the medieval world. As such the period has often been subjected to investigation. The economic life of northern India, the provenance of the Mughal empire has not so far received the attention it deserves. An attempt has, therefore, been made here to survey some of the most eminent urban centres of the region. Among them Lahore, Delhi and Agra, by virtue of their metropolitan character, were pre-eminent. Then follow Patna and Benaras, the chief commercial centres in the eastern parts of the region. The object of the study is to investigate the functioning of the city life and to examine the forces which sustained it. A brief resume of the political life of these cities is followed by an investigation under heads such as their location, water supply, provisioning, commerce, industry, composition of population and general layout. The discussion extends to three chapters, the first two dealing with the capital cities and the third with Patna and Benaras. The study reveals that it was owing to their industries and commerce that these cities had become viable enabling them to endure through the vicissitudes of succeeding centuries. The rest of the work has, therefore, been devoted to industries. Among the principal industries, cotton textiles, because of its pervading importance, has been given primacy of place. Thus, the fourth and fifth chapters discuss this industry at length under such heads as centres of production, various processes of the manufacture of cotton goods, varieties produced, organisational aspect, uses of and trade in cotton fabrics. The last chapter deals with certain select industries namely metalware, salt, sugar and paper.