Trade routes
Topic: Economy of Early India: Agriculture, Trade, Guilds, Coinage · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 5 "The Rise of Empires"
Meaning
From about the 6th century BCE, a network of land and river routes spread across the subcontinent. The Uttarapatha ("northern route") ran from the northwest across the Ganga plains to eastern India. The Dakshinapatha ("southern route") ran from Kaushambi, near Prayagraj, across the Vindhyas to the south. Side roads joined these routes to the coastal ports. Some routes went further, overland into Central Asia and by sea to West Asia, Africa, Southeast Asia and China. Traders carried salt, grain, cloth, metals, stone, timber, medicinal plants, spices and gems along them. Rulers tried to control the routes because protecting traders, for a fee, brought them income.
Example
In c. 1st century CE, the Kushanas controlled parts of the Silk Route. This road linked India with Central Asia and China. Their gold coins have been found across north India and Central Asia. This shows how much valuable trade moved along these roads.
Don't confuse with
- Uttarapatha vs Dakshinapatha: Uttarapatha was the northern route across the Ganga plains. Dakshinapatha was the southern route that began at Kaushambi.
Related concepts
- Uttarapatha
- Dakshinapatha
- Indian Ocean trade
- Hippalus
- Indo-Roman trade
- Periplus of the Erythraean Sea
- Pliny's Natural History
- Ptolemy's Geography
- Muziris
- Arikamedu