Describe Swat as a gateway to the West .
Surat in Gujarat was the emporium of western trade during the Mughal period along with Cambay (now Khambat) and somewhat later, Ahmedabad. Surat was the gateway for trade with West Asia via the Gulf or Ormuz. Surat has also been called the gate to Mecca because many pilgrim ships set sail from here.
Surat was a cosmopolitan city inhabited by people of all castes and creeds. In the 17th century the Portuguese, Dutch and English had their factories and warehouses at Surat. Several retail and wholesale shops could be found in Surat. These shops sold cotton textiles. Here, it is worth mentioning that the textiles of Surat were famous for their gold lace borders, le. zari and had a market in West Asia, African and Europe. The state provided all the facilities to the people who came to the city from all over the world. The Kathiawad seths or mahqjaxvs had huge banking houses at Surat. The Surat hundis were honoured in far-off markets of Cairo in Egypt, Basra in Iraq and Antwerp in Belgium.
Find out about the present-day taxes on markets. Who collects these taxes? How are they collected and are they used for?
Compare any one of the cities described in this chapter with a town or a village with which you are familiar. Do you notice any similarities or differences?
What purpose did small towns serve? [V. Imp.]
Or
Describe various Junctions of small towns.
Name a few Indian spices which became an important part of European cooking. Ans. Pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, dried ginger, g. 9. What were craftspersons of Bidar famous for?
In what ways was craft production in cities like Calcutta different from that in cities Wee Thanjavur?
State whether true or false:
(a) We know the name of the architect of the Rajarajeshvara temple from an inscription.
(b) Merchants preferred to travel individually rather than in caravans.
(c) Kabul was a major centre for trade in elephants.
(d) Surat was an important trading port on the Bay of Bengal.
Fill in the blanks:
(a) The Rajarajeshvara temple was built in ………………..
(b) Ajmer is associated with the Sufi saint…………………
(c) Hampi was the capital of the ………….
(d) The Dutch established a settlement at…………….. in Andhra Pradesh.
Describe the trade activities of the big and small traders belonging to the medieval time.
How did the system of advances snatch the freedom of the weavers?
OR
How did the Indian Crafts persons lose their independence?