Shreshthi
Also called: Setthi · Topic: Economy of Early India: Agriculture, Trade, Guilds, Coinage · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A shreshthi was a rich merchant or banker in early India. The Prakrit/Pali form of the word is setthi. Shreshthis lent money, financed trade and often led guilds or town merchant bodies. They appear often in Buddhist texts such as the Jatakas. Inscriptions name them as donors to stupas and monasteries. The word lives on in the modern surname Seth, and is commonly linked to Chetty as well. The Tamil word for a successful merchant was masattuvan.
Example
In Buddhist tradition, Anathapindika was a setthi (merchant) of Shravasti in the time of the Buddha (c. 6th–5th century BCE). He is said to have bought the Jetavana grove and given it to the Buddha.
Don't confuse with
- Sarthavaha (satthavaha): the leader of a travelling merchant caravan. A shreshthi was usually a merchant or banker based in a town.
- Gahapati: the master of a household, controlling its land, animals and workers. The word could also mean a rich townsman, but it was not mainly a trading title.