Nagarsheth
Also called: Nagar sheth · Topic: Mughal Agrarian Society and Economy · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 1 "Through the Eyes of Travellers"
Meaning
The nagarsheth was the chief of the whole merchant community in a Mughal city. Merchants in western India were organised into bodies called mahajans, and each had its own head, the sheth. The nagarsheth stood above them all and represented every mahajan together before the authorities. The post shows the power of merchants in Mughal towns.
Example
In 17th-century Ahmedabad, a leading trading city of Gujarat, the nagarsheth represented all the city's mahajans in their dealings with officials.
Don't confuse with
- Sheth: the head of a single mahajan. The nagarsheth headed the merchant community of the whole city.
Related concepts
- Flow of silver into India
- Silver rupya
- Hundi
- Banjaras
- Mahajan
- Urbanisation in Mughal India
- Urban professional classes
- Manzil-abadi
- Sipah-abadi
- Mulk-abadi