A STUDY OF TOWNS IN NORTHERN INDIA (c.A.D. 800-1200) DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF iWasiter of |Pf)ilo2(opi)p IN HISTORY BY ASALAMSHER UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF Dr. Rashmi Upadhyaya CENTRE OF ADVANCED STUDY DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY ALIGARH (INDIA) Sh. 2010 DS4229 (i>E(Diai'M^ Loving (Parents Wfiose Stessings have sustained me througfi this wor^ CENTRE OF ADVANCED STUDY Department of History Aligarh Muslim University AUgarh-202 002 |th RASflMI UPADHYAYA Dated: 4'" November, 2010 Assistant Professor Certificate This is to certify that the dissertation entitled "// Study of Towns in Northern India (c. A.D. 800-1200f is the original work of Mr. Asalam Sher completed under my supervision and is suitable for submission for the award of the degree of Master of Philosophy in ffistory. (Drrfashml \J jadhyaya) Supervisor Telephones: (0571) 2703146; Fax No.; (0571) 2703146; Internal: 1480 and 1482 JLc^owtedgements In the name of Almighty 'Allah' who is more benevolent and merciful made me capable to complete this task. Thanks to Almighty 'Allah', who offered me health, courage and patience to utilize my energies and labour in this direction. I would like to express my deep sense of gratitude to my supervisor Dr. Rashmi Upadhyaya for giving me every possible help and guidance. She happened to be more like a guardian than a supervisor, who helped me to unfold my energies, discussing with me the minutest details of the topic and clearing me of the various doubts in the process. 1 feel shortage of words to acknowledge Prof. B.L. Bhadani, chairman and coordinator of CAS, Deptt. of History A.M.U., for his excessive moral support and co-operation at every stage. I must thank him for extending to me the necessary facilities of department and seminar library whenever needed to make my research exercise sail smooth. Special thanks to Prof. M.D.N. Sahi, an eminent archaeologist and retired Professor of C.A.S., Department of History, A.M.U., Aligarh, who has always been helpful to me throughout my research work. He has been a source of constant encouragement and guidance and always kept his doors open for me despite his busy schedule. His wife has also been a source of constant moral support and affection to me. I am indebted to be associated with Dr. Kamala Jain of Jesus & Marry College, Delhi University. My teachers of Deptt. of A.1.H.C.& Archaeology, B.H. U. and Prof Shahabuddin Iraqi, Dr. Sumbul Haleem Khan, Dr. Israt Alam, Dr. Parvez Nazir, Deptt. of History, A.M.U., will remain unforgettable for their inspiration and affection. I am grateful enough to U.G.C. for granting me the fellowship that really helped me to devote my energies fully into the research work. The staff of the Maulana Azad Library, AMU, Central library, J.N. U. also needs to be acknowledged for providing cooperation in the collection of literary data. Similarly, I am very much thankful to the Directors of Archaeological Survey of India, National Archives of India and the A.S.I, library staff. New Delhi. I am extremely pleased to express my heartfelt thanks to the whole staff of research library, Deptt. of History, A.M.U. Aligarh for making me available the necessary research material and facilities in order to carry out my work smoothly. I feel fortunate have to seniors like Farced Ahmad, Amita singh, Noorain Khan, Athar Husain, Syed Akhtar Hasan, Moin Ahmad Nizami, Fatima Mariyam, Attaulla, and Habib Manzar who shared their affection and research experiences with me. I should not forget to acknowledge my batch mates who always remained with me during my research work. I am thankful to Nikhat, Safia, Sadaf Tuhina, Tahira, Tahira Bi, Nazia, & Nahida. Some of my juniors like Sujit Singh, Lokendra, Sumit, Gaffar, Showket, Tariq, Inayat, Anas, Seema, Saba, Subiya, Syeda Sadaf Nazia, Afshan, Lucky & Fatima, contributed me much during my research work. I must acknowledge the contribution of my friends, who have been around me all time with whom I shared eveiything, my joy, sorrow, ecstasy, freedom, desires, and emotions. Thanks are also due to Faiz, Asgar, Varun, Sagir, Sadan, Nafeesh, Aruna Karunabh. The contribution of my best friend Puja Rai who always helped me to make this dream true shall also unforgettable forever. / am also thankful to my younger brother Anshal Tiger to carry out the computer processing with much efficiency. The maps have been prepared by Mr. Faiz Habibfrom the cartography laboratory. Last but not the least I feel privileged to acknowledge the tremendous contribution of my family members and relatives specially my father Mr. Muhammad Hameed, and mother Madina Begam, younger brothers Arshad, Anshal, Anjul, and cousin brother Md. Haneef all of whom supported me at every extent. Asalam Sher til CONTENTS Page Nos. Acknowledgements i-iii Abbreviations iv-v Preface vi I. Urbanisation: Definition and Debate 01-13 II. Classification of Towns 14-87 III. Administrative Organisation 88-102 IV. Economy 103-126 Conclusion 127-129 Bibliography 130-144 Maps: • Northern India (c. A.D. 800-1200) Facing page 130 • Towns in Northern India Facing page 130 (C.A.D. 800-1200} ABBREVIATIONS AAR Annals and Antiquities ofRajasthan, by J. Tod ARRMA Annual Report Rajputana Museum, Ajmer ARSMJ Annual Report ofSardar Museum, Jodhpur ASC Archaeological Survey of India reports by A. Cunningham CCJM Catalogue of coins in the Indian Museum, Calcutta, I, Oxford, 1906 CII Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum CMI Coins of medieval India from the seventh century down to the Mohammedan conquest EI Epigraphia Indica GOS Gaikwad Oriental Series, Baroda HIED History of India as told by its own Historians by H.M. Elliot and J. Dowson lA Indian Antiquary MR Indian Archaeology A Review' IHQ Indian Historical Quarterly IHR The Indian Historical Review JASB Journal of Asiatic Society of Bengal JBBRAS Journal of Bombay Branch of Royal Asiatic Society JBORS Journal of the Bihar and Orissa Research Society IV JESHO Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient JNSI Journal of Numismatic Society of India JRAS Journal of Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland JUPHS Journal of the U.P. Historical Society KB KharataragachchhaBrihadgurvavali, ed. by Jinavijaya Muni,Bombay, 1956 PIHC Proceedings of Indian History Congress PPS Puratanprabandha Samgraha ed. by Jinavijaya Muni, PRAS, WC Progress Report Archaeological Survey, Western Circle Calcutta, 1936 PV Prithvirajvijaymahakavya, Ajmer, 1941 SJS Singhi Jain Series PERFACE The period from seventh to twelfth century represents a significant epoch in the history of India; marked by the estabHshment of territorial polity and the ascendancy of the Rajputs. The idea of'urban decay' as enunciated and developed by several scholars and the questioning raised out of it by others inspired me to indulge in the study of towns during this phase. The present work is an attempt to reveal that within a new pattern of production marked by agrarian expansion, while urban decay is viewed as an integral part, the exposure and springing up of many newly established towns as the capital cities of the Rajput states as well as the survival of some existing ones may not be regarded as oblivious in the light of extant literary and epigraphic data covering the seventh and twelfth centuries. A close scrutiny and in-depth inquiry of the contemporary' primary sources including the literary texts and inscriptions exhibit the whole history of the 'towns and cities' categorised as urban centres, representing not only the political but also the commercial and industrial activities at various places. Such evidences have been endeavored to be explained in the light of the earlier researches. I have tried to look at the topic from different angles in order to have a clear explanation of the concept of 'Third Urbanisation' during the early medieval period. The spellings of Sanskrit and of the Persian words used by me required diacritical marks upon them, which I would manage at the time of Publication. However, to clarify the names of sources, the regular use of diacriticals is made in bibliography. Though, every care has been taken to correct the proofs, the typing error ifany may please be subjected to forgiveness. Asalam Sher Date:4"'November,2010. Place: Aligarh. vi CHAPTER-1 UEBAlISATIOl: DEFIIITIOl AID DEBATE URBANISATION: DEFINITION AND DEBATE The study of towns in Ancient India has been a subject of attention and inquiry of scholars since the first half of the twentieth century. B.B. Dutta was the first to write a book on Ancient Indian cities.' Following him Stuart Piggot,^ G.S. Ghurye,^ Amita Ray/ B.N. Puri/ A. Ghosh,^ V. Gordon Childe^ and others have contributed extensive research works on early Indian towns. The process through which a particular region or area comes to have towns or cities is generally termed as urbanisation. Through such process rural areas become transformed into urban areas. With regards to the study of urbanisation in Ancient India scholars have generally used two terms i.e. city and towns as synonyms, without making any distinction in the use of them. It was indeed owing to the limitations of factual data regarding the area and population of places. ^ Town Planning in Ancient India, Calcutta, 1925. ^ Some Ancient Cities of India, Oxford, 1945. ^ Cities and Civilisation, Bombay, 1962. ^ Villages, Towns and Secular Buildings in Ancient India, Calcutta, 1964. ^ Cities of Ancient India, Meerut, 1969. ^ The City in Early Historical India, Shimla, 1973. '' Man Makes Himself, London, 1936; 'Civilisation, Cities and Towns', Antiquity, vol. 31,1957, pp. 36-37; 'The Urban Revolution', Town Planning Review, vol. 21, pp.03- 17,1950, also in Ancient Cities of the Indus, (ed.), Possehl, Gregory, L, Delhi, 1979, pp.