What were Manigramam and Nanadesi in early medieval India?
- A.Cluster of non-revenue paying villages
- B.Village-level community groups
- C.Guilds of Indian merchants
- D.Literary societies in the capital towns
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, Guilds of Indian merchants. Manigramam and Nanadesi were powerful trade guilds of south India in the early medieval period.
In the age of the Pallavas, Cholas and later Chalukyas, merchants organised themselves into guilds that ran long-distance and overseas trade. The Manigramam was active on the west coast and in the Tamil country, and is named in the Syrian Christian copper plates of Kollam. The Nanadesi, often linked with the Ainnurruvar or 'Five Hundred' of Aihole, traded across the Deccan and as far as Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka. Their inscriptions have been found as far away as Sumatra and Myanmar, showing how far Indian traders reached.
A is wrong because revenue-free villages were land grants such as brahmadeya and devadana, not Manigramam. B is wrong because village bodies of the period were the ur and the sabha. D is wrong because these were trading bodies, not literary societies.
Exam tip: south Indian merchant guilds are Manigramam, Nanadesi and Ainnurruvar; village assemblies are ur, sabha and nagaram.
Practice Questions
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- B.2-3-4-1
- C.4-3-2-1
- D.3-4-1-2
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