Nagaram
Topic: Southern Dynasties: Chalukyas, Pallavas, Cholas · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A nagaram was an assembly of merchants in the trading towns of south India, especially in the Chola period (9th–13th centuries). It looked after trade and the affairs of the town. It sometimes did government work in cities as well. It also gave gifts and land to temples. It worked alongside two other kinds of assembly: the ur (ordinary village assembly) and the sabha (assembly of Brahmin villages).
Example
In busy trading towns such as Kanchipuram, the nagaram of local merchants made gifts to temples and helped run town business. Their inscriptions show how closely trade, temples and town life were tied together in the Chola south.
Don't confuse with
- Sabha: assembly of a Brahmin village, as at Uttaramerur, where members were chosen by the kudavolai (ballot-pot) method.
- Merchant guilds (Ainnurruvar, Manigramam): large trading bodies that worked across regions and overseas. A nagaram was a local, town-level body.