Mewar as the Locus of Guhila State (Part-IV)

The  Guhila state of Mewar  economically  began its career on a prosperous rural basis in the seventh century.   Socio-economic  base of Mewar   had  expanded into  urbanization  and   semi-monetization  by the tenth century. — Prof. Nandini Kapur Sinha

We begin with a brief scrutiny of the strategic importance of Mewar in contemporary western India. Mewar formed an important part of the regional circuit of trade in western India. Between the tenth and four teenth centuries, the Gujarat coast saw an increasing maritime and coastal trade; this stimulated commercial activities in the hinterland.

Arab settlements in western India are evident if one looked at Persian and Arabic inscriptions as well as the accounts of such travellers as Al Masudi, Al-Biladuri, Ibn Battuta and Al-Qulqashandi.” Not only foreign trade but an equally vibrant network of internal trade in western India is evident both from literary and epigraphic sources of the period. Merchants in western India traded in both essential and luxury com modities, ranging from grains, salt, jaggery, oil, ghee, textiles, leather goods, metal goods, animals, spices, betel-leaves and areca nuts to saffron, ivory, coral, gold, semi-precious stones such as camelian, onyx and cat’s eye.” Some of these commodities found markets in West Asia. The initiative of the local states in helping the trade to thrive can be seen in the political measures undertaken. The kings always ordered the local residents of the land to provide protection to all the merchants and pilgrims passing through their region, and provided them with financial assistance whenever required.” In a similar spirit, rulers quelled disruptive elements which were impediments to free flow of commercial traffic. In PrabandhacintamaniMerutunga described the defeat of the Bhils in Malwa by Caulukyan King Siddharaja, as the farmer had obstructed a road.” It is evident from such texts as Prabandhacintamani and Tilakamañjart” that some rulers and ministers constructed rest-houses, water-reservoirs, and charity houses for food, drink, beds and medicines for the needy (mainly pilgrims) at Anahilavada, Pattana, Stambhatirtha (Cambay), Satruñjaya, Ujjayanta (Girnar), Darbhavali (Dabhoi), etc. Such measures must have helpedthe traders too. 

The crucial question is how Mewar figured in this western trade network. In this context, the importance of Mewar is its location between northern India and western-central India Mewar became critical for the passage of trade and traffic. True, one could bypass Mewar by travelling through the chief artery, the ‘Palanpur gap’ and Mt. Abu. This route ran from Anahilapura through Siddhapura, Candravati, Abu, Bhinmal, Nadol. Jalor, Bali, Pali, Ajmer and Naraina to Mathura, However, even in this context, western Mewar was very important because it provided the link route to the major artery through passes in the Mewar hills and forests. V.K. Jain points out that another route ran through Ahada (near present Udaipur, the Ahada of Nagda-Ahada), Pol and Idar, joining the Mount Abu route (the chief artery).” Western Mewar provided routes to Malwa and central India as well. The route from Ujjain ran through Dhora, Dohad, Arthuna (district Banswara), Ahada, Nadlai, Nadol and Pali to Ajmer and Naraina.” But what has not been highlighted by V.K. Jain is the strategic importance of eastern Mewar. The route through Chittaur was equally important as it linked northern India with central and western India. The Mount Abu route being a popular trade route (on a vast plain and unguarded) was always vulnerable to the threat of Mongol attacks right from the thirteenth century. This seems to be the compelling reason which forced both the sultans, Iltutmish” and AlauddinKhalji to make a passage through Mewar to Gujarat in the early thirteenth century and through central India in the early fourteenth century respectively.” The Chittaur route was defended by the Aravallis and thick forest as it ran through Mewarand Vagod to Gujarat and Malwa. Much has been said about the imperial designs of Sultan AlauddinKhalji in invading Mewar in the early fourteenth century. Undoubtedly, he had to contain the ambitious Rajput rulers; but the move to annexeMewar had a strategic importance as well. And it was the same reason that compelled Iltutmish to ask for passage through Mewar. AlauddinKhalji was not content with the riches secured from Gujarat and with its incorporation into the sultanate. As one historian has pointed out, ‘most of Alauddin’s other ventures were mainly directed at securing his communication lines against the Rajputs and safeguarding the empire against repeated inroads of the Mongols. The attack on Ranthambhor and Chittor and his invasions of Sevana and Jalor were mainly for this purpose. 85 Mewar continued to command increasing commercial importance throughout the period specially in the fourteenth and the fifteenth centuries. An epigraphic study of exchange centres such as Ghatiyala, Mandor, Hathundi, Jalor, Nadol, Dhalop, Narlai, Sevadi, Kiradu, Candravati, Arthuna, Panahera, Shergarh, Ahada, Khamnor and Chittaur (the last three in Mewar), as well as prasastis put up by merchant families, testify to commercial transactions in early medieval Rajasthan.

The Guhilacentres of power had been built on a rural resource base in the seventh century.” This material base gradually entered the age. of commercial and urban epoch by the tenth century. Some important settlements figure for the first time in the Guhila records of the tenth century. The following is a list of a few important settlements between the tenth and the thirteenth centuries (i) Atapura,” (ii) Ekalingaji,” situated 22 km to the north of Udaipur, (iii) Paldi, situated near Udaipur,” (iv) Jagat,” situated on the border of Udaipur-Chittaurgarh districts, (v) Dariba2 near Kankroli (famous for zinc and lead mines), Udaipur district and (vi) Chirava near Ahada (Udaipur).” Because of the strategic location of western Mewar, a part of the commercial traffic of western India was regularly passing through Ahada. The traffic was either on its way to Nãdol to join the arterial route, or to Malwa through Arthuna (Banswara), or to Gujarat. An idea of the nature and volume of trade passing through Ahada is provided by the inscriptions. The Nagda-Ahada kingdom was regularly visited by merchants from distant places such as Karnata (Karnataka), Madhyadeœa, Lata (southern Gujarat and northern Konkan) and Takka (Punjab).” SaraGeœvara temple inscription of GuhilaAllata of 953 records the grant of a number of commercial cesses levied on these merchants and travellers. Merchants and travellers entering Ahada were asked to pay one dramma on the sale of an elephant, two rûpakas on a horse, one-fortieth of a dramma on a horned animal,95 one tula from läa (the division of crops between a peasant and the state is called lätä or läa in Mewar) and so on. It appears that every item entering the market of Ahada was assessed and duly taxed. Therefore, the state exchequer now came to receive commercial revenue in the form of tolls and custom in considerable amount. 

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