MISCELLANEA BURHANPUR Notes on the History of an Indian
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MISCELLANEA BURHANPUR Notes on the History of an Indian City in the X VIItb Century ' The economic history of XVIIth Century India is of exceptional interest for two reasons. First, it saw the rise of a great number of manufacturing and trading centers under the aegis of the administrative unity and comparative peace of the Mughal empire. Secondly, it also saw the early phases of the penetration of the Indian economy by new European commercial interests, the English and the Dutch and, to a lesser extent, the French. The economic history of the Mughal empire has been very ably discussed in a number of works 1). These attempt to draw large and general pictures; either the entire subcontinent (Moreland) or India north of the Vindhyas (Habib and Naqvi) being comprehended in the scope of their studies. The basic unit in these studies is the region which formed an economic unit and the time span used is a century or more across which economic conditions are measured and dis- cussed. Another and perhaps equally fruitful approach could be to attempt urban histories of selected cities as case studies in economic change. Such studies may amplify aspects of the pictures presented in the larger studies and on occasions may further support or present significant variations on the general themes in the more comprehensive works 2). The present paper attempts to examine the history of Burhanpur through major parts of the XVIIth century. Burhapur is of exceptional interest for several reasons. Unlike Surat, Ahmadabad, Agra, Delhi or Lahore it was a medium-sized city and was located on a great trade route connecting Agra with Surat thus making transportation a significant feature of its economic activity. Like the other cities of central and western India it also was subjected to a continuous impact of military activities, it being the Mughal base of operations against the Deccan powers from the time of Akbar to that of Aurangzeb ( 1 6 j 8- 1 707). Like the other cities it also witnessed penetration of Western mercantile interests though to a much lesser extent. Its case-history, then, may have relevance for the history of similar centers in the century under review. II Burhanpur is located in the Nimar district of Madhya Pradesh and has a population of over ioo,ooo. It lies on the north bank of the Tapi river and is 27? miles northeast 1) See W. H. Moreland, India at the Death of Akbar (Delhi, 1962) and From Akbar to Aurangzeb, A Study in Indian Economic History (London, 1923) ; 1. Habib, The Agrarian System of Mughal India (Bombay, y63); and H. K. Naqvi, Urban Centres and Industries in Upper India (New York, 1968). 2) I have made such attempts elsewhere. For Surat see B. G. Gokhale. "Some Aspects of Early English Trade with Western India (i6oo-i65o)" and "English Trade with Western India i65o-i7oo)" in Journal of IndianHi.rtory, XL, II, pp. z6g-286 and XLII II, pp. 329-342; also "Ahmadabad in the XVIIth Century" in Journal of the Social and Economic History of the Orient, XII-II, pp. 18 7-197;"Broach and Baroda" and "Capital Accumulation in XVIIth Century Western India" in Journal of the Asiatic Societyof Bombay,43-44 (NS), pp. 142-1 j4 and 39-40 (NS), pp. 317 of Bombay. The city has had a very interesting and turbulent history. Burhanpur was founded around A.D. 1400 by Nasir Khan (1399-1437) of the Faruqi dynasty of Khandesh and was named after the Muslim Saint Burhan-ud-din. It became the chief city of Khandesh and consequently figures prominently in the history of the kingdom and its relations with Gujarat, Ahmadnagar and the Mughal empire. Akbar (I j j 6-I 60 j ) conquered it in i 60o and subsequently it became the provincial headquarters of the Mughals and a base of military operations against Ahmadnagar which continued through the reigns of Jahangir (I605-I627) and Shah Jhan (i6z8- 1656). With the extension of the Mughal wars against the kings of Bijapur and the Marathas under Aurangzeb Burhanpur continued its military role until the end of the XVIIth century. It was considered to be so important to the Mughal political and military strategy in central and south India that the post of the governor was invariably given either to a prince of the imperial family or a leading nobleman related to the imperial family by ties of marriage. Thus in 1610 Prince Perwez was sent to Burhanpur along with Asaf Khan with a contingent of 1000 ahdis. The rise of Malik Ambar (I j46?-1626) the able Abyssinian administrator of Ahmadnagar, posed a serious challenge to the. Mughal ambitions in the Deccan. In i 6zo, for instance, the Mughal armies were pursued into Burhanpur which was laid under seige by the Deccanis for some six months and was relieved only when the future Shah Jahan arrived with a large army from Agra. In 1621Prince Khusrav was murdered by Shah Jahan and two years later Malik Ambar sent the Abyssinian Yaqub Khan toward Burhanpur and the Deccani army lay encamped at Malkapur some ten kos from Burhanpur. In i 6 z Shah Jahan, in his rebellion against his father, joined Malik Ambar and beseiged the Mughal Army in Burhanpur and Prince Perwez and Mahabat Khan had to be sent to relieve the city. In 1636 Shah Jahan himself arrived in Burhanpur to lead his armies against the Deccan powers and Aurangzeb spent some 13 years in the region during his two terms (1636-1644; 1653-1657) as viceroy of the Deccan. In 1670 Shivaji's armies plundered Bahadarpur, a suburb of Burhanpur and again in 1 68 Sambhaji, the son and successor of Shivaji, looted the suburbs of Burhanpur for three days (February Jean-Baptist Tavernier, the French traveler to India during the reign of Aurangzeb, refers to Burhanpur as a much ruined city and by the turn of the century Burhanpur had lost most of its political and commercial importance. The XVIIth century, therefore, is really the great period for Burhanpur as a political and economic center. During its prosperous days, Burhanpur had a number of fine buildings. Some of the earliest buildings were the large palace and a group of tombs and mosques. The city had a spacious sarai and the Mughals made several noteworthy additions in- cluding a water works built by Jahangir primarily for military use. At the height of its prosperity the city covered some five miles 1). Abul Fazl describes it as "a large city three kos distant from Tapti. It lies in latitude 20°-40' and is embellished with many gardens and the sandlewood also grows here. It is inhabited by people of all countries and handicraftsmen ply a thriving trade. In the summer, clouds of dust fly, which in the rain turns to mud". The revenue of the subah of Khandesh is given as Rs. i i, 382, 333-12-9 during Akbar's time 2). 1) See W. Foster, (Ed.), The Embassy of Sir Thomas Roe (Nendeln/Lichtenstein), 1 967, I, p. 89, note 4. z) H. S. Jarrett and J. N. Sarkar, (Edrs.), Ain-I-Akbari (Calcutta, 1 949),II, pp. 23 I, 233. .