Urbanization During The Medieval Period The Mughal Capital Cities References

Objectives_template
Module 2: Origin of city in history

Lecture 7: Urbanization in Medieval India
The Lecture Contains:
Urbanization during the Medieval Period
The Mughal Capital Cities
References
file:///D|/NPTL%20WORK/Dr.%20Anindita%20Chakrabarti/UrbanSociology/lecture7/7_1.htm [5/31/2013 9:55:50 AM]

Objectives_template

Urbanization during the Medieval Period
In the previous lecture we have looked at the different types of cities as described in the Pali and Sanskrit literary sources. In
this lecture we will look at the growth of cities during the medieval period. The decline of urban centres
began during the Gupta Period (fifth century CE) and continued in North India as the larger
empires disintegrated into unstable dynastic regimes.
In South India between 800 and 1300 CE urbanization received a strong stimulus where the rise of cities was connected with
the rise and decline of dynasties. The remarkable feature of the period was the rise of brahamanical
Hinduism. This was reflected in the morphology of the cities where the focal point of the city was the temple. The
concentric squares of streets were arranged around the temple. The inner squares were occupied by the
upper castes while the lower castes lived in the periphery of the city. The streets leading
out of the four gates of the temple were the places of commercial activity. They also linked the inner city to the periphery and
the hinterland beyond.

Objectives_template

From 1000 to 1526 CE urabanization in North India bore the stamp of the new
Muslim rulers. The successive dynasties built new cities at the present site of Delhi. Al-beruni and Ibn Batuta mentioned
fifty cities of importance during this period.
The Mughal period witnessed a high level of urbanization. Political stability and economic
prosperity under the Mughals were responsible for it. During this period older cities were revived and new ones were
established which bore the testimony of Mughal architecture. According to Abu-l Fazl, in 1594 there were 2837 towns of which
180 were named as larger cities.

Objectives_template

At the southern periphery of the Mughal empire, the rise of the Bahmani kingdoms
and Vijayanagara empire, the Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad contributed to
urban development. Pune, Golconda, Hyderabad, Bijapur and Aurangabad are urban centres of this period.
It is reported that apart from the capital and administrative towns, the smaller towns were created by the Mughal emperors who
were aware of the enormous cultural gap between the rural masses and the city rulers. They dispersed intermediate
functionaries in different parts of the empire who helped in the process of land resettlement and building small towns. These
places were noted for their craftsmen and large houses of nobles.

Objectives_template

Mughal Capital Cities
The first Mughal capital city was established in Delhi in 1526. It was shifted to Agra and then
Akbar built an entirely new city at Fatehpur Sikri. Later, under Shahjahan the capital returned to Delhi when
Shahjahanabad was built. It was a planned city with a wide central avenue leading to the Red Fort. Certain basic elements that
were common to these cities were the location of the king or lord either on a high ground on one
side of the city or on the river bank. The second major element was the mosque-- Jama Masjid—the
cultural focal point for the Muslim residents of the city. Every city of this period had a central
market place situated at the main chowk or crossroad of the city. Another element, though not universal, was
the outer wall constructed for the purpose of defense. The cities, with the exception of
Shahjahanabad were unplanned with overlapping residential, commercial and industrial land uses.

Objectives_template

■ It has been noted by scholars that French travelers of this period have mentioned the beauty of cities like Delhi and
Agra and pointed out that the difference between the European cities and these cities
was that while the European cities with large workshops were centres of
production, Indian cities seemed to have substantial numbers of craftsmen
catering specifically to the royal court. On a royal tour the residents of the city also had to move
because they made their living by supplying goods to the court.
● This report described these cities like a military encampment. But this was applicable only to cities like Delhi and Agra
in the seventeenth century. It was an exception rather than the rule.
● External trade had also contributed to urbanization during this period. Goods made in India were sent to West Asian,
South-east Asian and European markets. The main centres of this trade during this time were Cambay, Surat,
Burhanpur, Satgaon, Chittagong, and Hoogly.
● The Mughal period witnessed the beginning of the European phase of India’s
urban history. The Portuguese were the first to establish new port towns in India—Panaji in Goa in 1510 and
Bombay in 1532. They were followed by the Dutch, French and the British.1
1Urbanization during the British period will be covered in the section on Urban
Planning (lecture 36-39)

Objectives_template

References
● Ramachandran, R. ,2010 (1989),"Urbanization and Urban Systems in India", , New Delhi: Oxford University
Press

Urbanization During The Medieval Period The Mughal Capital Cities References

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Urbanization During The Medieval Period The Mughal Capital Cities References

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Urbanization During The Medieval Period The Mughal Capital Cities References

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Objectives_template

Module 2: Origin of city in history

The Lecture Contains: