Page 65 - SST Class 07

Activity embroidered zari work on textiles which were in
Hampi is famous for its architecture. Collect
pictures of some of the important buildings of this
city and paste them in your scrapbook.
Masulipatnam
Masulipatnam was a small seaport on the coast of
the Bay of Bengal, presently in the state of Andhra
Pradesh. It was a small trade town where the Arab
traders anchored their ships for trade in southern
India. It gradually rose to prominence when the
Satavahanas used it as an important seaport. Later,
it became a trade centre for the European traders
who came and stayed here, because it was
connected to the inland centres of production.
The Dutch built their fort here.
After the British came to India, they took over its
control and it remained under their control since
then. However, for the British, it was not enough
for a seaport to be linked to production centres
only; they wanted it to be a centre of
administrative and political aspects also, which
Masulipatnam was not. After the British gained
control over Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Madras
(now Chennai), they lost interest in this town.
With this, the traders too stopped coming to this
town, and it declined in importance.
During the days of its glory, it represented the
unique feature of blended Hindu, Muslim and
Christian cultures. At present, the town of
Masulipatnam is a small coastal town of no
significance.
Info Bits
Info Bits
The earlier name of Masulipatnam was
Machilipatnam because its gateway was decorated
with the eyes of a machili (or fish).
Case Study : Surat
Surat is an important seaport town on the bank of
the River Tapti. It came to prominence in the
medieval period as a trade town. It was also called
the ‘Gateway to Mecca’ because many pilgrim ships
set sail from here.
Surat has been famous for its textiles since olden
times. Its craftsmen have been famous for their
great demand in the west Asia and Europe. It is
believed that its ancient name was Suryapur. Due
to its commercial importance, the Arabs arrived
here in about twelfth
century. They overpowered
the local population and
became rulers. A fort was
built in Surat in 1373 by
Firoz Tughluq. Muzaffar Shah
was its famous governor
during the fifteenth century. A textile mill in Surat
Many Hindu traders also operated from here. Gopi
was the leader of Hindu traders from 1496 to 1521.
Surat was attacked by the Portuguese in 1512, so it
was fortified by the Ahmedabad ruler. Ghengiz
Khan is also said to have attacked this town.
Surat fell in the Mughal possession in 1573 when
Akbar invaded it. However, it had to face troubles
during the Aurangzeb’s rule because the Marathas,
led by Shivaji, often targeted it.
The British made it a trade transit point from 1608.
They established their factory here in 1612 and
made it a Presidency Town. The Dutch also founded
a factory in this town.
However, Surat lost its importance when the British
gained control of Bombay (now Mumbai) and made
it their chief centre of trade on the coast of the
Arabian Sea.
At present, Surat is a major trade centre dealing in
textiles and diamonds.
Traders
India has carried overland and overseas trade with
other countries. Traders have played an important
role in visiting other kingdoms and countries. They
have risked their life and property but they have
brought the world together.
Overland trade was carried on horses. Traders used
to move in large caravans, buying goods from one
place for sale on a profit in other places. The Silk
Route is the famous route which was treaded by a
large number of traders across Asia and Europe.
Because these traders were threatened by robbers,
they often employed armed guards to move with
them. These traders also spread knowledge; for
Towns, Traders and Craftsmen
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