The Śilāhār Story - A Sequel

As the kāṭhīyāvāḍī chaadd’ddi gained control of the trade and established their hegemony over the ports, a new future unfolded for them. Their fortunes grew and some of them became śreśṭhī (very rich ship owning merchants) or nāuvittaka (one whose vitta, meaning wealth, is derived from nau, meaning ship). [Chakravarti, 2000 : Nakudas and Nauvittakas : Ship Owning Merchants On The West Coast, in Journal Of The Economic And Social History Of The Orient, vol. 43, no. 1, 37] This seems to have triggered a quantum change in their status and in their role; besides in their wealth. To understand the reason behind this, we need to visualize how the internal and external trade (which included shipping) is likely to have functioned at that time. The trade and shipping was driven and funded by private initiative; most probably the local Merchants’ Guilds. Very likely the ports too were developed on the same model. This is the impression one gets from the Pūrṇa story as well as the Śilāhāra inscriptions. But the ships and sailors entering the ports paid a tax to the local ruler. This meant that the ports earned significant revenue for the rulers. In addition, the śreśthī contributed generously for the economic and social activities in the kingdom. It was only natural therefore, that they came to wield political power. Soon this political power seems to have been formalised. Khārēpāṭaṇa plates of Anantadēva I (1995 CE) record the exemption from certain customs duties and other concessions granted by him to two merchants of Baḷīpaṭṭana, namely Bhābhaṇa Śreśthīn, who held the rank of Mahāpradhāna, and his brother Dhanāma Śreśthīn,who was the Mahāsāndhivigrahika (Minister Of External Affairs ?), when their ships and sailors entered the North Konkan ports such as Ṭhāṇā, Sōpārā and Chaul. According to Chakravarti, these positions were hereditary; Bhābhaṇa and Dhanāma Śreśthīn’s father, Durgā Śreśthīn was a Mahāpradhān; Bhābhaṇa and Dhanāma Śreśthīn’s sons and grandsons were also designated as śreśthīn, and enjoyed the same privileges. [Chakravarti, 2000 : 42] We see here how some śreśthī rose to hold important administrative positions under rulers of the time.