Inland Trade in the Mughal Empire

Abstract

The Mughal rule had manifold implications in all spheres of life in India, including the economic one. During the peak period of imperial power (17th century), inland trade underwent a transformation in volume, commodities, and organization. The historiography of inland trade has seen various shifts in the last four decades. The initial views of an autocratic state have been overtaken by new research recognizing the state’s role in facilitating trade in alliance with nobility and other elite groups. The autonomous function of trading activities and merchant groups is now widely acknowledged. Authoritative attitudes and attempts at extraction did sometimes impinge on the expansion of trade and commerce, but subject to that qualification, individual action had agency. The pattern of local, regional, and inter-regional trade being facilitated by urbanization, goods transport, and other related services shows that commercial transactions in the commodities of daily use, as well as luxurious items, were constantly increasing. Here goes a narrative history, a tour of the historiography, and a discussion about the communities engaged in commercial transactions.