and aurei for trade with Andhra From the reign of

102 i s s u e d c o i ns to s u p p l e m e n t t h eir o w n ex c h e q u e r . A b o u t f i f t y - f i v e co i n s f r o m the A k k e n p a l l i h o a r d a n d o n e f r o m the N a s t h u l a p u r h o a r d

(202

ar e n e a r - p e r f e c t i m i t a t i o n s of R o m a n coins. J u s t as the S y r i a n s a n d G r e e k s w e r e e m p l o y e d as a r t i s a n s in the M e d i t e r r a n e a n w orl d , l o c a l a r t i s a n s m a y h a v e b e e n e m p l o y e d in India. So far, how e v e r , no s i t e s i m i l a r to A r i k a m e d u h a s b e e n d i s c o v e r e d in A ndh ra.

The e v i d e n c e for f o r e i g n m a r i n e r s and t r a d e r s l o c a t e d in our r e g i o n is not f o r t h c o m i n g . T h e r e is, h o w e v e r , som e d a t a o n the l o c a l m a r i n e r s . I n s c r i p t i o n s d a t a b l e to the f i r st and s e c o n d

c e n t u r i e s A.D. f r o m a

Vihara

at G u n t u p a l l i r e c o r d g i f t s b y a

mahanavika

or m a s t e r m a r i n e r w h o w a s a r e s i d e n t of M a h a n a g a p a r v a t a , w h i c h has b e e n

(203

i d e n t i f i e d w i t h the f i n d s p o t of the ep i g r a p h s . A n o t h e r i n s c r i p t i o n of the t h i r d c e n t u r y A . D . , f r o m G h a n t a s a l a r e c o r d s a g i ft to the l o c a l B u d d h i s t

stupa

b y the w i f e of a

mahanavika

w h o is d e s c r i b e d as the s o n of a

gahapati

or r e s p e c t a b l e h o u s e h o l d e r . T h e r e w e r e p r o b a b l y m o r e of t h e m l o c a t e d in the c o a s t a l t r a d i n g c e n t r e s and t hey a p p e a r

to h a v e f o r m e d an a f f l u e n t g r o u p of peopl e .

W e h a v e d i s c u s s e d e a r l i e r the g r o w t h of a r t i s a n s in r e l a t i o n to cr af t s a n d c o m m o d i t i e s . A s for the d i s t r i b u t i o n of t r a d e of the p r o d u c t s , w e f in d a g u ild s y s t e m s i m i l a r to that p r e v a l e n t in

202 P.L. Gupt a , 'Roman C o i n s . . . . ' , pp. 63-65. 203 I.K. Sar m a ,

S.I.E.,

Vol. V, p. 56*

103

n o r t h I n d i a . T h e e x t e n s i o n of this i n s t i t u t i o n into A n d h r a is a s s o c i a t e d w i t h trade, an d w i t h p o l i t i c a l and r e l i g i o u s lin k s w i t h the G a n g e t i c v a l l e y . T h e s e g u i l d s b e c a m e the n u c l e u s of u r b a n centres, n o t o n l y in the o r g a n i s a t i o n of cr aft p r o d u c t i o n b u t a ls o as b a n k s to f i n a n c e i n d ust r y. T h e r e is l i t t l e e v i d e n c e o n the a c t u a l w o r k i n g of g uilds. I n s c r i p t i o n s f r o m v a r i o u s p a r t s of A n d h r a r e c o r d d o n a t i o n s b y

avesanis

or f o r e m e n of a r t i s a n s . A n i n s c r i p t i o n f r o m N a g a r j u n a k o n d a m e n t i o n s the e r e c t i o n of a m e m o r i a l — (208 p i l l a r for a n

avesani,

c a l l e d M u l a b h u t a . A n o t h e r i n s c r i p t i o n f r o m the same p l a c e r e f e r s to a c e r t a i n

kulika-pamukha

, i n t e r p r e t e d as the

(209 . (910

h e a d of a guild.

Kulika

can a l s o b e i n t e r p r e t e d as a n a rtisan. So the terms

avesani

a n d

kulika-pamukha

r e f e r r e d to the h e a d s of g u i l d s

(211

w h o p e r f o r m e d v a r i o u s f u n c t i o n s i n c l u d i n g b a n k i n g a n d tr u s t e e s h i p .

W h i l e the a r t i s a n s t h e m s e l v e s m a y h a v e b e e n r e s p o n s i b l e for the d i s t r i b u t i o n of p r o d u c t s to a c e r t a i n e x ten t, w i t h i n c r e a s e d c o m m er c e, a n e w s o c i a l d e v e l o p m e n t t o o k place: the g r o w t h of a m a r k e t c o m m u n it y. T h e r e a r e n u m e r o u s i n s c r i p t i o n s of the e a r l y h i s t o r i c a l

(212

p er i o d , r e c o r d i n g the d o n a t i o n s m a d e b y m e r c h a n t s

(vamya)

. F r o m 205

206

208

210 212

A b o u t t h e e x t e n s i o n o f t h i s s y s t e m t o th e r est o f Ind ia, see R. T h a p a r , 'The I m p a c t o f T r a d e c. 1 0 0 B.C. - 300 A.D. in I n d i a ' ,

Kunwar Muhamad Ashraf Memorial Volume,

(ed.) H o r s t Kriiger, N e w D e l h i , 197 1, pp. 30-38.

207

Lilders List

No. 1298; B u r g e s s ,

op. oit.

p. 1 1 0 f. Vol. X X X V . 209

Ibid.,

X X X I V , p. 209 ff. 2 1 1 D.C. S i r c a r ,

Indian Epigraphical Glossary,

D e l h i , 1966, p.

₁₆₅

a n d R.C. M a j u m d a r ,

Corporate Life in Ancient India

. C a l c u t t a , 1 92 2 , p. 33.

C. S i v a r a m a m u r t y ,

A.S.M.G.M.,

p.

₂₉₈

, No. 103;

Lilders List

Nos. 1213, 121U, 1 2 29 , 1230 , 1 2 3 9 ,

_{1 2 7 8}

,

_{1 2 8 1}

, 1 2 8 5 a n d

₁₂₉₂

;

B. Ch. C h h a b r a ,

E.I.,

Vol. X X X I I I , pp. 1 8 9 - 9 1 ; S. S a n k a r a m a r a y a n ,

E.I.,

Vol. X X X V I I , pp.

₂₉

ff; M. A . W . Khan ,

A Monograph on an Early

Buddhist Stupa at Kesanapalli,

p p U ff.

R e l e v a n t s e c t i o n s in C h s . IV a n d VI. D.C. S ir c a r ,

E.I.,

Ibid.

the e v i d e n c e of the i n s c r i p t i o n s , it a p p e a r s that s om e of thes e m e r c h a n t s b e l o n g e d to th e

gahapati

c a t e g o r y as we ll. T h e y p r o b a b l y e m e r g e d ou t of the

gahapati

class. F r o m m o d e r n a n a l o g y , it is no t s u r p r i s i n g that, g i v e n the o p p o r t u n i t y , the son s of v a r i o u s p r o m i n e n t h o u s e h o l d e r s w h o c o n t r o l l e d l a n d b e c a m e i n v o l v e d in trade. A n

i n s c r i p t i o n r e c o r d i n g d o n a t i o n s b y the w i v e s of m e r c h a n t s

(mniyint)

- (213 r e f e r s to the w i f e of a r i c h c a r a v a n l e a d e r or

dhanika-sathanika.

W e can a s s u m e that som e of the m e r c h a n t s h a d c a r a v a n s e n g a g e d in trade. T h e y w e r e c e n t r e d in

nigamas

or m a r k e t ce n tres. O n e c a t e g o r y of t h e s e m e r c h a n t s k n o w n as

setthis

w a s q u i t e p r o m i n e n t . T h e w o r d itse lf d e r i v e s f r o m the V e d i c

sresthin

, a n d r e f e r r e d to a ci t y - m a n , a w e a l t h y (214 m e r c h a n t , a f o r e m a n of a g u i l d or a b a n k e r . S i n c e a ll the r e f e r e n c e s to t h em in A n d h r a P r a d e s h a r e a s s o c i a t e d w i t h towns, t he y w e r e (215

s o m e w h a t l i ke the

nagarasetthvs

of the

Jatakas.

T h e y a p p e a r to h a v e

(2

b e e n v e r y rich, a nd some of t h e m e v e n m a i n t a i n e d B u d d h i s t i n s t i t u t i o n s . A p a r t f r o m t r a d e and f in a n c e , t h e y a l s o p e r f o r m e d s o c i a l a nd c i vic d u t i e s s uc h as the s u p e r v i s i o n of r e l i g i o u s e s t a b l i s h m e n t s . T h e n a t u r e of the

setthis'

p l a c e in the l o c a l p o w e r s t r u c t u r e w i l l b e d i s c u s s e d in a l a t e r , „ (217 c h a p t e r .

T h e y w e r e c e n t r a l to the b a n k i n g of the period. I n s c r i p ­ ti o ns r e f e r to p e r m a n e n t e n d o w m e n t s (

akhayanivi = aksava-nivi)

to

(218

g u i l d s w h i c h a c t e d as ba nks. T h e s e b a nks , a p a r t f r o m the o b v i o u s f u n c t i o n s of r e c e i v i n g a n d l e n d i n g m o n e y at int e r e s t , a ls o t o o k c u s t o d y

In document Society against the state : perspectives on the history of early Andhra Pradesh (Page 111-118)