Notes: Social Change - CTET & State TET PDF Download

Changes in Trade, Crafts, Religion, and Society During the Medieval Age

The Medieval Age brought significant transformations in trade, crafts, religion, and society. The once splendid cities like Hampi, Surat, Masulipatnam, and Thanjavur fell into ruin, while the 18th century witnessed the emergence of modern cities such as Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras. European nations sought after Indian spices and textiles.

In the realm of religion and society, Medieval India saw the rise of the Bhakti movement, led by renowned saints like Nanak, Kabir, and Tulsidas, shaping Indian society. Islam also experienced the development of the Sufi tradition, emphasizing love and devotion to God.

Towns, Trades, and Crafts

Towns

• During the medieval period, towns varied in types, including temple towns, administrative centers, port towns, and commercial hubs.
• Thanjavur, the capital of the Cholas, served as an administrative center and bustling market with a significant temple presence.
• Artisans in Thanjavur and Uraiyur engaged in cloth production, while bronze idol makers thrived in Swamimalai.
• Famous temple-centric towns included Bhillasvamin (Bhilsa or Vidisha), Somnath, Kanchipuram, Madurai, Tirupati, Vrindavan, Tiruvannamalai, and Ajmer.
• Pilgrimage centers gradually evolved into thriving townships.

Trades

• Ajmer, once the capital of the Chauhan kings in the 12th century, exemplified religious coexistence, housing the renowned Sufi Saint Khwaja Muinuddin Chisti.
• Near Ajmer, the Pushkar Lake attracted pilgrims from ancient times.
• Various traders, including the Banjaras, engaged in trade, forming associations for mutual benefit.

Guilds, Communities, and Trade Routes

• Traders established guilds to safeguard their interests, with notable examples like Manigramam and Nanadesi in South India.
• Communities such as Chettiars and Marwari Oswal emerged as principal trading groups, while Gujarati, Hindu, Baniyas, and Muslim Bohras engaged in trade with ports across the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and other regions.
• In the 16th century, Kabul and Kandhar in Afghanistan became vital centers of the Silk Route, particularly for horse trade and slave markets.

Craftsmanship

• Bidar craftsmen were renowned for their work in copper and silver, giving rise to the distinctive Bidri art.
• The Panchals or Vishwakarma community comprised goldsmiths, bronzesmiths, blacksmiths, masons, and carpenters.
• While some towns like Ahmedabad flourished as major commercial centers, others like Thanjavur experienced a decline in size. Murshidabad in West Bengal emerged as a silk hub and became the capital of Bengal in 1704.

Hampi, Surat, and Masulipatnam

Hampi

• Hampi, situated in the Krishna-Tungabhadra basin, served as the center of the Vijayanagara Empire, established in 1336.
• Moors and Chettis played significant roles as traders in the city.
• Temples were focal points of cultural activities, with Devadasis (temple dancers) performing before the deities.
• The Mahanavami festival was a celebrated event. Following the defeat of Vijayanagara in 1565, Hampi fell into ruin.

Surat

• Surat in Gujarat emerged as a key hub for Western trade during the Mughal era, serving as the gateway for trade with West Asia through the Gulf of Ormuz.
• Surat gained renown for Zari work, and hundis issued in Surat were honored in markets as distant as Cairo, Basra, and Antwerp.
• A hundi served as a deposit note, allowing individuals to claim deposited amounts in other locations.

Masulipatnam

• Masulipatnam, situated on the Krishna river delta, was the most important port on the Andhra Coast, with a fort built by the Dutch.

New Towns & Traders

• As trade expanded, new towns emerged, attracting traders to set up their businesses.
• Company traders relocated to Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras, leading to the decline of Masulipatnam in the 18th century.
• Notable Indian traders like Mulla Abdul Ghafur and Virji Vora flourished during this period.
• In the 18th century, native traders and artisans were confined to "black towns" like Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras, while British rulers occupied superior residences in Fort St George and Fort St William.
• Vasco-da-Gama reached Calicut in 1498 in search of spices, while Columbus landed in the West Indies in 1492.

The Advent of Bhakti & Sufi Movement

The Bhakti and Sufi Movement played a crucial role in fostering harmony between Hindus and Muslims:

• The Bhakti movement advocated single-minded devotion to one God, discarding rituals and sacrifices in favor of emphasizing purity of heart and mind.

• The Bhakti concept, as advocated in the Bhagavad Gita, gained widespread popularity, with even Buddhists and Jainas adopting these beliefs. 
• The 7th to 9th centuries witnessed the emergence of new religious movements led by the Nayanars (devotees of Shiva) and Alvars (devotees of Vishnu). 
• These movements transcended caste barriers, including participation from untouchable communities like the Pulaiyar and Panars.

• The Nayanars, numbering 63, included prominent figures like Appar, Sambandar, Sundarar, and Manikkavasagar. Their hymns were compiled in the Tevaram and Tiruvacakam.
• The Alvars, numbering 12, featured renowned saints like Periyalvar, Andal, and Nammalvar. Their compositions were compiled in the Divya Prabandham.
• Shankaracharya, born in Kerala in the 8th century, advocated Advaita Philosophy, emphasizing the oneness of the individual soul and the Supreme God.

Bhakti Movement

In Maharashtra, notable saints like Jnaneshwar, Namdev, Eknath, and Tukaram, along with individuals from the 'untouchable' Mahar Caste like Sakhubai and the Chokhamela family, spearheaded the regional tradition of Bhakti. They focused on the Vitthala temple in Pandharpur, expressing devotion through Marathi devotional hymns known as Abhang.

Sufi Movement

The Sufi Movement, initially a reform movement, emphasized free-thinking, liberal ideas, and toleration, promoting the equality of all human beings and the brotherhood of man. This concept of universal brotherhood facilitated bridging the gap between followers of different religions, gaining momentum during Akbar's reign with his liberal religious policies under the influence of Sufi saints.

• Abul Fazal documented the existence of 14 Silsilahs in India, highlighting the close bond between the leader or Pir and their disciples or murids.
• Sufism reached India in the 12th century, gaining prominence in the 13th and 14th centuries, with the Chisti and Suhrawardi Silsilas being the most notable.
• The Chisti order, established by Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, centered around his dargah at Ajmer, revered by both Muslims and Hindus.
• Nizamuddin Auliya, a prominent Sufi saint of the Chisti order, led a simple life in Delhi, earning widespread admiration.

New Religious Developments in North India

Following the 13th century, North India experienced a resurgence of the Bhakti movement:

• Tulsidas conceptualized God in the form of Rama, composing the Ramcharitmanas in Awadhi.
• Surdas, a devotee of Lord Krishna, left behind compositions compiled in works like Sursagara, Sur-saravali, and Sahitya Laheri.
• Chaitanyadeva founded the Gaudiya Vaishnavism movement.
• Kabir, a renowned saint from the 15th-16th centuries, propagated his ideas through a vast collection of verses called Sakhis and Padas.
• Guru Nanak (1469-1539), born at Talwandi (Nankana Sahib), established a center at Kartarpur and appointed Lehna as his successor, known as Guru Angad.

Guru Angad compiled the writings of Baba Guru Nanak and introduced a new script called Gurmukhi. This compilation, authenticated by Guru Granth Sahib in 1706, included the works of other prominent figures like Sheikh Farid, Sant Kabir, Namdev, and Guru Tegh Bahadur.

In the 17th century, the town of Ramdaspur (Amritsar) flourished around the central Gurudwara known as Harmendar Sahib (Golden Temple). Additionally, in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh established the institution of Khalsa.

Martin Luther and Reformation

The 16th century in Europe witnessed religious upheaval. Martin Luther (1483-1546) challenged the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, advocating for the use of vernacular languages instead of Latin and translating the Bible into German.

Islam and Sufism

Sufism, the mystical path in Islam, emphasized love and devotion to God, rejecting outward religiosity. Prominent Sufis of Central Asia included Ghazzali, Rumi, and Sadi. They developed various methods to train their disciples, such as chanting, meditation, singing, dancing, discussing parables, and breath control under the guidance of a master (pir).

Sufi masters conducted their assemblies in hospices known as Khanqahs, and the tombs of Sufi saints became places of pilgrimage.