Famous Towns of Medieval India

Introduction

At the dawn of the 8th century, many new towns emerged in India. A medieval town may be a temple town, administrative town, commercial town or port town. Many towns had combined characteristics of all the above types of towns. For example, many towns were administrative centers, commercial and craft production centres as well as temple towns at the same time. The chapter deals with the important towns, traders and crafts during the medieval age.

Administrative Towns

Thanjavur was the capital of the Cholas. It was an administrative town. It was situated on the banks of Kaveri river. Rajarajeshwara temple (built by Raja Chola) was in this town. Apart from the temple, palaces with mandalas (pavilions) were present in this town.

Important aspects of the towns were following:

1. There were bustling markets selling grains, spices, clothes and jewellery.
2.  Wells and tanks provided water supply to the town.

3.   The sculptors used to make exquisite bronze idols as well as  tall, ornamental bell    lamps.

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Temple Town (Thanjavur)

A classical example of the temple town was Hampi, famous for its splendid work of architecture. Hampi which was located in the Krishna-Tungabhadra basin formed the nucleus of the Vijayanagar Empire founded in 1336. A well-fortified city was revealed by the magnificent ruins at Hampi. The construction of walls was done using a technique in which stone slabs were wedged together by interlocking. No mortar or cementing agent was used in this construction. Hampi had a distinctive architecture.

Important features of Temple Town

The buildings in the royal complex had splendid arches and domes. They had pillared halls with niches for holding sculptures with well designed gardens and orchards.

In the 15th and 16th centuries Hampi became the centre for various cultural and commercial trade activities. The market consisted of traders such as Moors (name used for Muslim merchants) the Chettis and the Portuguese.

The cultural activities included celebration of various festivals such as Mahnavami one of the most important festivals of Hampi. Temples became the centre for not only worship but also for the development of various religious and cultural traditions such as that of Devadasis (the temple dancer). Inspite of all these developments, Hampi the cultural capital fell into ruins following the defeat of Vijayanagar in 1565 by Deccan Sultans-the rulers of Golconda, Bijapur, Ahmednagar, Berar and Bidar.

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Some well known architecture monuments in Hampi

These are the few architectural splendours of Hampi:

• The stone chariot: It is one of the most visited monuments in Hampi. The Hampi chariot is one among the three famous stone chariots in India. The other two are in Konark and Mahabalipuram. The chariot inside the temple complex is a shrine dedicated to Garuda. As per art historians, the delicately carved chariot at Hampi reflects skill of temple architecture under the patronage of Vijayanagar rulers who reigned from 14th to 17th centuries
• Dasara Dibba or the Mahanavami Dibba: Mahanavami Dibba is one of the most popular architectural splendor of Hampi. It is a beautiful stone platform located within the Royal Enclosure of Hampi. It was built during the Vijayanagara period by King Krishnadevaraya to commemorate his victory over Udaygiri. The king used this platform to watch the army march-pasts, war games, aquatic sports, shows of the royal animals and also the most important Navaratri celebrations (the nine nights and ten days state festival). For these were the events to demonstrate the Imperial pomp and power at his disposal
• Vittala Temple: It was built in the 15th century during the rule of Vijayanagar empire. The Vittala Temple is presumed to be the grandest of all temples and monuments in Hampi. The temples exemplify the immense creativity and architectural excellence. It is dedicated to Vittala who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is a Dravidian style of architecture which is further enhanced with elaborate carvings. It is believed that the main shrine of the temples had one enclosed mandala.

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Trade in Medieval Towns

There were two important trading centres during that era they are:

• Surat: It was an emporium of western trade during the Mughal period along with Cambay (present Khambhat). Surat was the gateway for trade with West Asia via the Gulf of Hormuz. Surat has also been called the gate to Makkha because many pilgrim ships sail from here.The textiles of Surat were famous for their gold lace borders (zari) and have markets in West Asia, Africa and Europe
• Masulipatnam: It was situated in the delta of the Krishna river. The Qutb Shahi rulers of Golconda imposed royal monopolies on the sale for textiles, spices and other items to prevent the trade passing completely into the hands of the various East India Companies.In 1686-1687 Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb annexed Golconda.

So European Companies took alternatives to Bombay, Calcutta and Madras which lost Masulipatanam’s glory.

Conclusion

The medieval towns were the great centres for art and commercial trade patronised by the kings. There were administrative centres. Temple towns as well as centres of commercial activities and Craft production during medieval periods. From the 8th century onwards the subcontinent was dotted with several small towns. They usually had a mandalika to which nearby villagers brought their products to sell. They also had market streets called Hatta (haat of later times) lined with shops. Usually a Samanta or in later times a Zamindar built a fortified palace in or near these towns. They levied taxes on traders, artisans and articles of trade and sometimes donated the rights to collect these taxes to the local temples. These temples developed into a major centre for multiple nature of social, economic and of course religious activities. India in the medieval times was deemed to be the largest and the most competitive producer of textiles. Thus India was at the centre of Indian Ocean Trade. Internationally India was prominently trading with Southwest Asia and the Mediterranean via the Arabian Sea and Southeast Asia via the Bay of Bengal . The well known centres of trade during the medieval period were Surat , Bengal and Masulipatnam. This shows that India had a rich trade with other countries. It showed the rich cultures of those dynasties and also portrayed the life of the working class, mostly traders in Hampi.