185
RESUME
The preceding six chapters have shown that a
highly developed form of corporate l i f e existed in the
Deccan in the period of our study.
Guilds in their
simplest form were associatio ns or corporations of
trad ers,
artisan s and merchants.
These bodies were
formed primarily to protect the trade interests of
these groups.
But i t is certain that guild s went much
beyond the economic functions of trade and commerce.
They developed into multi-faceted bodies that had a
d i s t i n c t i n d i v id u a l i t y of their own and attained a high
degree of perfection in their organisation and fu n c tio n ­
ing,
thus occupying a p riv ile g e d p o sitio n in the society
of the Deccan.
Liter ar y and epigraphical evidence has
been used to make a d e ta ile d study of a l l aspects of
g u ild l i f e .
An an aly sis of the various in s crip tio n s in the
Deccan has shown that they had a well-developed o rga n i­
sation which contributed largely to their successful
working.
Members were governed by a set of rules and
regulations covering such aspects as membership, appren­
ticeship,
punishment,
use of in s ig n ia and fin a n c e .
A
study of g u ild organisation reveals the democratic
s p i r i t that permeated the g u i l d s .
O f f i c i a l s were given
186
a lot of powers but at the same time checks were imposed
on them to prevent any misuse of the same.
a system of meetings,
an early stage,
There was
quorum and assem blies.
Even at
g u ild s seem to have developed democratic
in s t i t u t i o n s and procedures.
The Deccan guilds also had th eir own seals and
i n s ig n i a such as the f l a g ,
umbrella,
the s t a ff and the white
in d ic a t iv e of the important p osition they
enjoyed in society.
The "Pattanasvami"
• •
and the
"Vadda-
vyavahari" were the important o f f i c e r s of the Deccan
guilds and they enjoyed imjnense powers.
They are
mentioned often in i n s c r i p t io n s .
We have also discussed the sources of revenue
and expenditure.
The former included g i f t s from k ings,
exemptions from taxes,
trading a c t i v i t i e s ,
fin e s and banking a c t i v i t y .
fees and
The latter included paying
taxes to the Sta te, making grants in cash and k in d,
s a la rie s and day-to-day adm inistration c o s ts.
An outstanding feature of the Deccan guilds
was th eir generosity in making g i f t s and grants.
We
have copious evidence pertain in g to the grants they
made for re lig io u s and secular purposes.
They also
maintained grants and carried out such functions as
erecting temples,
annointing d e i t i e s ,
feeding p r i e s t s ,
m aintaining flower o ffe r in g s and lamps,
celebratin g
187
fe s t iv a ls and the l i k e .
The picture in this respect
shows a fa sc in a tin g variety of functions performed by
guilds.
This must have d e f i n i t e l y won them the favour
and trust of the people at la rg e.
The State too gave
guilds the r e s p o n s ib il it y of looking a f t e r temples and
maintaining terms of gran ts.
This non-economic aspect
of guilds in the Deccan is an important part of this
study.
Yet another important feature is the c o lle c tiv e
r e s p o n s ib i li t y of g u i l d s .
Members worked together for
the common good of the g u i l d .
Members who f a i l e d to
carry out th eir ob ligation s or those who caused d i s s e n ­
sions were severely punished.
Any grant made by guilds
or work undertaken by them had the support of a l l mem­
b ers.
Their working indicates an ass o ciativ e s p i r i t ,
a s p i r i t of unity and co-operation that bound them
to g e th e r.
The period of our study seems to have been one
of intense a c tiv ity where g uild s and corporations were
concerned.
I t is amazing to see the wide range of
trade and c r a ft g u i l d s .
These have been studied using
the abundant epigraphical d ata.
g uilds of weavers, p o tters,
We have come across
co n fectio n er s,
hydraulic engine makers, b r a z i e r s ,
tects and corn- dealers.
shepherds,
oil-merchants, a r c h i­
The vast number of guilds
188
that existed has important im p lica tio n s .
Firstly,
these gu ild s imply an advanced stage of economic pro­
gress and development.
o rg a n isa tio n .
Men were aware of techniques of
They had a knowledge of economic and
legal procedures.
They were able and e f f i c i e n t enough
to use this knowledge to form corporate units for each
trade or p r o fe s s io n .
Secondly,
these guilds are proof
of a very developed stage in the economy of the Deccan.
It is only with economic progress that sp e c ia lis a t io n
of labour or d i f f e r e n t i a t i o n of occupation is p o s s ib le .
These trade and merchant guilds seem to have been at
the base of economic org a n isa tio n .
The study has also thrown lig h t on one of the
most famous guilds of the time - the Ayyavole g u i l d .
This g u ild had it s headquarters at Ayyavole
(Aihole)
and i t s branches spread to a l l parts of the Deccan
and South I n d i a .
the working,
In s c r ip tio n s are f u l l of d e t a il s of
the o rg a n isa tio n ,
the c o n s t itu e n ts ,
the
wealth and generosity of this g u i l d .
The guild-state re la t io n sh ip has been an impor­
tant feature of th is study.
I t has been seen that
guilds were a formidable factor in state p o l i t i c s .
They played an important role in local a dm in istra tio n ,
helped the state to co lle c t taxes and looked a f t e r
p ublic works.
The guilds generally enjoyed considerable
189
autonomy but in some cases they co-operated with the
state.
The administrative functions of guilds must
have been to educate and train members to take part
in the a f f a i r s of the local government.
This was
h elpfu l to them in their own o rg an isation,
drawing up of rules and regulations,
and meting out punishment.
in the
enforcing laws
These functions of guilds
are also in d ica tiv e of a keen c o llec tiv e sense of the
members.
They were interested in working for public
w e lfa r e .
Th is is clearly reflected in their social
and re lig io u s functions,
in the grants they made and
in the p ublic works they carried out.
The s p i r i t was
sim ilar to that of a modern welfare state,
the functions
shared by the guilds and the state a l i k e .
One of the most important functions of the
guilds was that of banking.
cash and kind,
Acceptance of deposits in
investing them in areas of trade and
commerce, was a p ro fita ble venture for guilds serving
at the same time the banking needs of the people.
This role of the guilds can be traced to as early a
period as circa 120 A . D . ,
have shown.
The various guilds like those of potters,
jewel merchants, b r a z i e r s ,
from k in g s,
as the Nasik cave inscrip tio ns
e t c .,
accepted deposits
queens and commoners a l i k e ,
indica ting
how firmly entrenched were these guilds in society.
Their functioning was accepted and trusted by the people,
190
It is also i n d ic a t iv e of the banking knowledge already
possessed by the people of the Deccan.
I t further
underlines the advancement of the society and economy
which required such banking p r a c t ic e s .
The f i n a n c i a l
knowhow they needed was a v a ila b le with g uilds which
thus became the main support of the f i s c a l system.
They also b u i l t up a reputation for fi n a n c i a l integrity
and soundness - a fact borne out by the numerous depo­
sits made with them by the people from a l l walks of
life.
The guilds also played an important role in the
judicial
l i f e by functioning as courts of law.
system consisted of the kula
(gu ild c o u r t ),
court.
the puga
The
(family c o u r t ) , the sreni
(assembly)
and the k i n g 's
Guild courts tried the cases and dispensed
justice.
The king upheld th eir judgements.
The need
for security and protection for traders and their goods
resulted in the formation of m ilita ry g u i l d s .
These
m ilita r y units were often hired by other guilds espec­
i a l l y when crossing long routes and fo r e s t s .
Such
guild s often came to the aid of the State in times of
emergency.
A ll this makes it clea r that guildsmen were not
simply traders or craftsmen pursuing only th eir pro­
fession.
They had varied i n t e r e s t s ,
an awareness of
191
life,
and a ctiv ity in other f i e l d s .
The multi-faceted
nature of guilds comes through clearly in a study of
their fu nc tion ing.
of these g u il d s .
It demonstrates the v e r s a t ile nature
At no point were guilds limited to
functions of trade and commerce.
Even while pursuing
a purely economic function like banking,
alongside property and f i e l d s ,
they managed
fed Brahmins and provided
clothes and medicines to monks.
In a d d itio n ,
they
acted as courts of law and dispensed j u s t i c e .
played a role in the local government.
They
Their functions
covered a wide and varied range.
It is important to note two major contributions
made by guilds to the society of the time.
Firstly,
guilds contributed to the continuity of s o c ia l,
and cultural l i f e .
There were several p o l i t i c a l changes.
During the period of our study,
affected g u i l d s .
economic
these must have d e fi n i t e ly
But they seem to have maintained a
thread of con tin uity ,
functioning as economic u n its ,
courts and administrative bo d ie s.
It is possible that
they made some adjustments and changes w ithin their
organisation but continued with the functions without
a break.
Their e f f i c i e n t functioning and so lid ity
contributed to the continuity of social and economic
life.
As George Birdwood says^,
^In d u str ia l Arts of In d ia ,
p.
"In d ia has undergone
320.
192
more re lig io u s and p o l i t i c a l revolutions than any
other country in the world; but the v i l l a g e communities
remain in f u l l municipal vigour a ll over the pen in su la.
Scythian, Greek,
Saracen, Afghan, Mongol and Maratha
have come down from its mountains;
English,
and Portugese,
Dutch,
French and Dane up out of its seas and set up
th eir successive dominations in the land, but the
re lig io u s trade-union v il la g e s have remained as l i t t l e
affected by their coming and going as a rock by the
r i s in g and f a l l i n g of the t i d e . "
This may well apply to guilds in the Deccan,
so well did they withstand changes and adverse condi­
tio n s,
acting as a bulwark against the effe c ts of
drastic change.
Secondly,
the a c t i v i t i e s of guilds had an impor­
tant e f fe c t on the outlook of the people.
Trade a c t i ­
v i t i e s of the guilds crossed r ig id p o l i t i c a l boundaries.
Merchants must have travelled to d i f f e r e n t parts of
the country and come into contact with d i f f e r e n t cus­
toms,
usages and cu ltu r es.
Trade also meant i n t e r ­
mingling with people from d i ff e r e n t towns and v i l l a g e s ,
from d i f f e r e n t re lig io u s and cultural backgrounds.
This exposure to forces from outside th eir groups must
certain ly have broadened their horizons,
a more lib e r a l a ttitude to l i f e .
resulting in
W ithin the guilds
193
themselves,
d ifferen ces of caste,
were reduced.
class and wealth
The main idea was to work for common
interests.
In conclusion, we see that g uilds in Ancient
Deccan have had a long and varied h is to ry .
Their
organisation and functioning were influenced by ideas
contained in re ligious and legal t e x ts .
It has not
been p o ssible to get an absolute and continuous chrono­
logical history of guilds due to i n s u f f i c i e n t records.
But these gaps need not mean that guilds did not exist
in the Deccan then.
Guilds must have continued to exist
in some form or the other but we may not be able to
trace them at every point of time.
I t is not fe a s ib le
that a system evolves today, develops tomorrow and
dies out the day a ft e r .
It has to grow over a period
of time.
Guilds have given us a picture of the organised
economic a c t i v i t y ,
development in trade and commerce,
agriculture and a remarkable degree of economic s p e c i a l i ­
sation.
Guilds have also given us an idea of the d i v e r ­
sity of fu nctio n s,
and c r a f t s ,
the considerable development of arts
the people's demand for various goods and
services and the knowledge of economic and legal pro­
cedures .
194
It is hoped that th is study of g u ild s w i l l be
an u sefu l a d d itio n to the work already in existence
on the economic l i f e of the Deccan.