Trade and State Craft in Medieval Andhra : A Reappraisal (600-1600 AD)

Contents: 1. Introduction. 2. Land and people. 3. Emergence of trade groups and guilds their organisation and inter-relationship. 4. Trade and state craft in medieval Andhra Pradesh. 5. Conclusions. Bibliography. Appendices 1 to XII.

The medieval Andhra ruled by the famous dynasties successfully, namely, the, Eastern Chalukyas (624-1076 A.D) the Kakatiyas (1000-1323 A.D.), the Velamas (1324-1485 A.D.), the Reddis (1325-1420 A.D.) and the Rayas of Vijayanagara (1324-1565) was chosen for this study because of wealth of inscriptional records that they have left behind them. Inscriptions of the medieval kings, particularly those of from the 10th and 11th centuries, were commonly dated in the regional years of specific kings rather than by universal eras, after used by other Indian dynasties. It would be tedious and fruitless to repeat and discuss about the political history and geography of all kings and dynasties and their names in this context for this study.

The works so far were conducted on socio-economic and politico-administrative aspects of the state on medieval Andhra emphasized on trade and commerce, guilds, agriculture, taxation, land tenures, casteism, social mobility, religion, etc., were viewed in isolation i.e. as independent entities. The political ideology and its reflections in framing socio-economic structure and its different policies of state, society and economy were lime lighted. The inter-relation between state formation and socio-economic and cultural spheres of land and people were explained. The role of trade and commercial activities in relation to society and economy in terms of state formation, trade and state craft were inter-related explained in this book.