Inland Trade
Realm 86: Banjara Caravans, Riverine Veins, and the Rahdari Tolls
WORLD M — MEDIEVAL ECONOMY
MICRO-REALM 01
Market Integration
- Subcontinent tightly linked economically.
- Prices standardized across vast distances.
- Qasbas (small towns) linked to big cities.
- Robust monetized exchange network.
MICRO-REALM 02
Banjara Networks
- Nomadic transporters of bulk goods.
- Tandas (caravans) of 100,000+ bullocks.
- Moved grain, salt, and sugar overland.
- Vital for imperial army logistics.
MICRO-REALM 03
Riverine Trade
- Ganga and Indus as massive arteries.
- Cheaper than overland transport.
- Flat-bottomed boats carried heavy loads.
- Lahore, Agra, Patna, Bengal connected.
MICRO-REALM 04
Coastal Shipping
- Vigorous intra-Asian coastal trade.
- Malabar pepper to Gujarat/Bengal.
- Bengal rice/sugar to Coromandel.
- Small Dhows navigated monsoons safely.
MICRO-REALM 05
The Sarrafs
- Indispensable money-changers.
- Tested coin purity on regional borders.
- Issued and discounted Hundis.
- The backbone of long-distance credit.
MICRO-REALM 06
Rahdari (Transit Duties)
- Tolls collected at road/river crossings.
- Formally abolished by emperors often.
- Locally enforced by Zamindars illegally.
- Increased final cost of inland goods.
MICRO-REALM 07
Sarais & Highways
- Sher Shah's Grand Trunk Road legacy.
- Walled inns built every few kos (miles).
- Provided security for merchants at night.
- Facilitated the Dak (postal) relay.
MICRO-REALM 08
Commodity Flows
- Massive rural-to-urban transfer.
- Peasants sold harvest to pay cash taxes.
- Grain flowed steadily into capital cities.
- Cities depended on these fragile supply lines.
MICRO-REALM 09
Luxury Goods Transit
- High value-to-weight ratio.
- Silks, spices, musk, pearls, bullion.
- Carried by specialized armed caravans.
- Highly profitable for elite merchants.
MICRO-REALM 10
Security & Bima
- Highways plagued by bandits/thugs.
- Bima (insurance) covered transit losses.
- Charans/Bhats hired as sacred guards.
- Killing them incurred profound social stigma.