CBSE Notes Class 7 History Chapter 6-Towns, Traders and Craftsperson

According to the CBSE Syllabus 2023-24, this chapter has been removed from NCERT Class 7 Social Science textbook. 

What might a visitor to a medieval town anticipate seeing? It depends on the type of town it is—a port town, a commercial town, a commercial center, or a temple town. Many towns served multiple purposes, including that of governmental centers, temple towns, commercial hubs, and centers for the creation of handicrafts. Chapter 6 of CBSE Class 7 History provides further information about towns, traders, and craftspeople for students. The CBSE Notes Class 7 History Chapter 6-Towns, Traders, and Craftsperson is one of the greatest resources for reviewing the complete Chapter in preparation for the exam. 

Administrative Centres

• Additionally, Thanjavur, the Cholas's capital, was a hub for administration.
• The enduring river Kaveri flows close to this lovely town.
• The Rajarajeshvara temple was constructed by King Rajaraja Chola and his architect Kunjaramallan Rajaraja Perunthachan.
• Many palaces have mandapas or pavilions.

Temple Towns and Pilgrimage Centres

• Temples are an integral part of the economy and society.
• People built temples to show their devotion to different deities.
• People then endowed temples with grants of land and money to carry out elaborate rituals, feed pilgrims and priests, and celebrate festivals.
• Thanjavur is an example of a temple town and represents a very important pattern of urbanization, the process by which cities develop.
• moved close to the temple to meet its requirements as well as those of the pilgrims.
• Thanjavur is a temple town that exemplifies an important urbanization model. 
• Temples serve as the foundation for economic and social progress. 
• Temples were given land and money in order to perform intricate rites, feed priests and pilgrims, and host lavish festivals. 
• Pilgrims that visit the temples offer donations as well. 
• Temple custodians invest their profits in enterprises and banks. 
• Pilgrimages gradually evolved into townships. Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh and Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu are two such towns.
• A Chain of Small Towns 

A Network of Small Towns

• Traders frequently traveled in caravans and formed guilds to safeguard their interests because they had to pass through several kingdoms and woodlands.
• There were further ethnic groups such as the Chettiars and the Marwari Oswals.
• Gujarati traders, especially Hindu Baniyas and Muslim Bohras, traded extensively with Red Sea, Persian Gulf, East African, South East Asian, and Chinese ports.

Crafts in Towns

• The community of Vishwakarma includes goldsmiths, blacksmiths, bronzesmiths, carpenters, and masons. 
• This community is needed to build the temple. 
• Saliyar or Kaikkolars was a community of weavers that flourished at this time and raised large sums for the temples.

Hampi 

• Hampi of the Vijayanagara Empire is located in the Krishna-Tungabhadra basin, founded in 1336.
• Hampi was a well-fortified city
• No mortar or cementing agent was used in the construction of these walls and the technique followed was to wedge them together by interlocking.
• The Mahanavami festival, (Navaratri) was one of the most important festivals celebrated at Hampi.

Surat 

• Surat in Gujarat was the emporium of western trade during the Mughal period along with Cambay and Ahmedabad.
• Surat was the gateway for trade with West Asia via the Gulf of Ormuz. It has also been called the gate to Mecca because many pilgrim ships set sail from Surat. 
• Surat was a cosmopolitan city and people of all castes and creeds lived there.
• Surat began to decline towards the end of the 17th century due to the loss of markets and productivity because of the decline of the Mughal Empire, control of the sea routes by the Portuguese, and competition from Bombay where the English East India Company shifted its headquarters in 1668.

Traders Big and Small

Several horse traders formed associations-headmen negotiated on their behalf with warriors who bought horses-as traders had to pass through many kingdoms and forests, they travelled in caravans-formed guilds to protect their interests-several such guilds in south India from the 8th century onwards-most famous being the Manigramam and Nanadesi-guilds traded extensively both within the peninsula and with Southeast Asia and China-guilds towns on the west coast were home to Arab, Persian, Chinese, Jewish, and Syrian Christian traders; Indian spices and cloth sold in Red Sea ports were purchased by Italian traders; eventually, these goods reached Europe. traded extensively with the ports of the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, East Africa, Southeast Asia, and China; sold textiles and spices in these ports; in exchange, brought gold and ivory from Africa; spices, tin, Chinese blue pottery, and silver from Southeast Asia.