Page 65 - SST Class 07
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Activity embroidered zari work on textiles which were in
Hampi is famous for its architecture. Collect great demand in the west Asia and Europe. It is
pictures of some of the important buildings of this believed that its ancient name was Suryapur. Due
city and paste them in your scrapbook. to its commercial importance, the Arabs arrived
here in about twelfth
Masulipatnam century. They overpowered
Masulipatnam was a small seaport on the coast of the local population and
the Bay of Bengal, presently in the state of Andhra became rulers. A fort was
Pradesh. It was a small trade town where the Arab built in Surat in 1373 by
traders anchored their ships for trade in southern Firoz Tughluq. Muzaffar Shah
India. It gradually rose to prominence when the was its famous governor
Satavahanas used it as an important seaport. Later, during the fifteenth century. A textile mill in Surat
it became a trade centre for the European traders Many Hindu traders also operated from here. Gopi
who came and stayed here, because it was was the leader of Hindu traders from 1496 to 1521.
connected to the inland centres of production. Surat was attacked by the Portuguese in 1512, so it
The Dutch built their fort here. was fortified by the Ahmedabad ruler. Ghengiz
Khan is also said to have attacked this town.
After the British came to India, they took over its
control and it remained under their control since Surat fell in the Mughal possession in 1573 when
then. However, for the British, it was not enough Akbar invaded it. However, it had to face troubles
for a seaport to be linked to production centres during the Aurangzeb’s rule because the Marathas,
only; they wanted it to be a centre of led by Shivaji, often targeted it.
administrative and political aspects also, which The British made it a trade transit point from 1608.
Masulipatnam was not. After the British gained They established their factory here in 1612 and
control over Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Madras made it a Presidency Town. The Dutch also founded
(now Chennai), they lost interest in this town. a factory in this town.
With this, the traders too stopped coming to this
town, and it declined in importance. However, Surat lost its importance when the British
gained control of Bombay (now Mumbai) and made
During the days of its glory, it represented the it their chief centre of trade on the coast of the
unique feature of blended Hindu, Muslim and Arabian Sea.
Christian cultures. At present, the town of
Masulipatnam is a small coastal town of no At present, Surat is a major trade centre dealing in
significance. textiles and diamonds.
Traders
Info Bits India has carried overland and overseas trade with
Info Bits
other countries. Traders have played an important
The earlier name of Masulipatnam was
Machilipatnam because its gateway was decorated role in visiting other kingdoms and countries. They
with the eyes of a machili (or fish). have risked their life and property but they have
brought the world together.
Case Study : Surat
Overland trade was carried on horses. Traders used
Surat is an important seaport town on the bank of to move in large caravans, buying goods from one
the River Tapti. It came to prominence in the place for sale on a profit in other places. The Silk
medieval period as a trade town. It was also called Route is the famous route which was treaded by a
the ‘Gateway to Mecca’ because many pilgrim ships large number of traders across Asia and Europe.
set sail from here. Because these traders were threatened by robbers,
they often employed armed guards to move with
Surat has been famous for its textiles since olden
times. Its craftsmen have been famous for their them. These traders also spread knowledge; for
Towns, Traders and Craftsmen
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