Guild or Shrenis in India

IRJC
International Journal of Social Science & Interdisciplinary Research

Vol.1 Issue 9, September 2012, ISSN 2277 3630
GUILD, THE INSTITUTIONAL ECONOMIC BASE OF ANCIENT

INDIA
SANTANU MAHAPATRA*
*Assistant Teacher in History,
Kanaidighi Deshapran Vidyapith,
Contai, West Bengal,
India.
ABSTRACT
Guild, the industrial and mercantile organization of ancient India took a predominant role in
and through the long periods of the Indian history and restored the socio-economic progress
during the ages. The article attempts to draw out a brief picture of its source, origin,
periodical developments and finally its decaying condition in India with several reasons. It is,
nevertheless to say that the concept of global economy of the 21th century upholds the similar
role and impact in its modernized colour in and through the developing nations like India.
Aspiration and achievements fall short its balance of progress in the socio-economic fields
undoubtedly.
KEYWORDS: Guilds, its Origin and Evolution.
________________________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION
165
There are several terms, frequently occur in the Vedic literature, Sreni, Gana, Puga,
Vrata, and Naigama, which denoted co-operative organization in ancient India. The exact
meaning and nature of each of them is difficult to determine in view of the fact a single term
does not have a strict consistent connotation through the ages. The term Sreni is
conspicuous by its presence in abundance in Sanskrit, Buddhist and Jain literatures,
epigraphs, seals and sealing all like. It seems that the term was used in the literatures as a
form of industrial and mercantile organization (Basham, 1967, p. 219), in the typical sense
of a guild of artisans and craftsmen. Besides, the term Naigama occurs frequently in
literature, epigraphs, coins, seals and sealing. In the Buddhist and Jain texts, naigama is used
in the sense of the commercial town center inhibited by many tradesmen. Dharamakosa (ed.
Joshi, 1945), refers to naigama as a group of merchants of different castes going together to
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Harappan Culture can be said to be the first developed civilization in India. It is known for its
careful thought-out town-planning, use of baked bricks in architecture, fairly developed art
and crafts, and flourishing trade and commerce. So, it is accepted that there were economic
organizations in the Harappan period, our knowledge of such organization remains nebulous
for lack of documentary evidence in this regard. By the later Vedic period significant changes
had taken place in socio-economic life. The center of Aryan activity shifted from the northwestern region of India to the Ganga planes (north-eastern India), the region which provided
immense potentialities for the expansion of agriculture and exploitation of mineral and other
resources (Ghosh, 1973, p. 4). So some socio-economic, religious and political conditions
had now become favorable for the emergence and growth of guilds.
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foreign lands for trade. The modern scholars are sharply divided in taking the term either as
denoting a market town (Majumdar, 1926, p.44) or a guild (Mookerji, 1958, p.112).
It seems that originally merchants were designated as naigama. After gaining
affluence through trade they installed their settlements in the towns and later on their
settlements also come to be known as naigama. Because of their allied nature with sreni and
better status in society, they began to exercise some control over srenis or craft guilds
generally inhabiting the villages.
ORIGIN OF THE GUILDS
The places near the sources of raw materials and with convenient approach to markets
through land or water, as also those that were important political or administrative centers,
developed into town and cities (Ghosh, 1973, p. 15-16). Urbanization was an important factor
in leading to the growth of guilds. Obviously, the introduction of writing system, use of iron
and coins in about the sixth century B.C played a significant role in the development of the
economy. In one hand the coinage economy provided a great impetus to urbanization, which
166
People residing in a particular area and following the same occupation naturally cooperated with one another to achieve common objectives. So, generally, the crafts were
localized which helped in creating better understanding amongst craftsmen residing in the
same area. Besides, the turning of professions as hereditary had the advantage that a child
could easily learn from his father and other elder of the family the crafts of its family. The
experience of the previous generation thus came to be utilized, and this also made sizeable
number of trained craftsmen available to different guilds. Thus localization of crafts and
hereditary nature of professions were also helpful to craftsmen in keeping their safety,
separate identity and making their organization more compact with their own conventions
and usages. Besides, by organizing themselves into guilds, the artisans and traders could
negotiate with the state authorities with greater force to make their voice heard and
grievances redress. Organizing into guilds was also deemed very helpful for providing safety
and security of craftsmen and traders and their merchandise from dangers of robbers and
irregular troops. It is, therefore, prescribed that guild should make a compact for prevention
of calamities and for performance of duties.
The root of Indian guilds to some extent lay under the ancient Varna system, which is based
on the functional division of the society. The Brahmanas engaged in learning and teaching
and performing religious rites, and the Kshatriyas constituting the warrior and ruling class,
while Agriculture, Cattle rearing and trade & commerce - the three main occupations of the
Vaisyas, in course of time, led to the formation of three separate occupational groups and
later several sub-groups were formed. The function of the sudras in the traditional Varna
system was to serve the three higher classes. Since the performing of menial tasks as also
work involving manual labour came to be shunned by the higher Varnas, the manual arts and
crafts also were left to the Sudras. Besides, a number of non-Aryan tribes come to be
naturalized within the Varnas system by being placed mostly in the sudra class. They formed
their own occupational groups. Thus arose various occupational groups of the Vaisyas and
the Sudras, which were engaged in the processes of production, distribution and exchange.
The Vaisyas and the Sudras were dominated and even exploited by the higher varnas
(Sharma, 1958, p. 65-66) and they were subjected to social and legal discrimination. Under
such circumstances the Vaisyas and the Sudras engaged in various professions would have
realized the advantage of forming guilds for safeguarding their interests.
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accelerated the growth and development of industry, trade, and commerce. On the other hand
written records and accounts played an important role in the field of commercial economy.
The rise of large territorial states and the consequent stable political condition led to
improvement in road transport crossing regional boundaries. As a result of long distances
trade, traders become well posted about the goods in demand as also about the source of raw
materials even in distant regions. The increased demand for manufactured articles of
necessity and luxury in both indigenous and foreign market could be met only by a sizeable
number of specialized and adequately trained labour forces, and this is what the guilds were
designed to provide.
Above all, the spread of Buddhism and Jainism would have helped the development
of various business activities. As the followers of Buddhism and Jainism free from expensive
rituals like Brahmanical religion, it could be available for investment in crafts, trade and
commerce. Besides, they could undertake long journeys without being inhibited by the fear of
getting polluted as a result of mixing with people of lower varnas. Thus Buddhism and
Jainism seem to have provided better environment for further advancement of guilds and they
seen to have develop more particularly in areas where these two religions flourished
(Hopkins, 1902, p. 26).
EVOLUTION OF GUILD
The position of guild can be explained in different five stages doweling from 600 B.C. to
1200 A.D. in the perspective of socio-economic environment of ancient India.
I.
II.
Pre-Mouryan Period (600 320 B.C.)

Mouryan Period (320 -200 B.C.)
III.
Post-Mouryan Period (200 B.C. -300 A.D.)
IV.
Gupta Period (300 - 600 A.D.)
V.
Early Medieval Period (600 1200 A.D.)
167
The sixth century B.C. is unique in ancient Indian history for emergence of the sixteen
mahajanapadas which led to the transformation of loyalty from tribal organization to
politico-geographical units (Ghosh, 1973, p. 4). The use of writing helped in the codification
of laws and in accountancy, and the introduction of coin-age, in the collection of taxes,
payments of wages and also in the development of trade and commerce. The large scale use
of iron tools and implements contributed to a considerable development in agriculture
production, and transport. Second urbanization brought about improvements in the socioeconomic conditions of traders and artisans. Gradually, cultivators, herdsmen, moneylenders, traders, and artisans had come to from their own organizations to which the state
gave recognition, and their spokes men wielded considerable authority, and were consulted
by kings (Majumdar, 1926, p. 27, 74).
PRE-MOURYAN PERIOD (600 320 B.C.)
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As a result of close association with the king and organization of crafts into guilds
there was greater specialization in different branches of industry, e.g., gold, copper, silver and
iron objects, earlier manufactured by the same smith, become specialized fields of different
smiths. This led to the development of crafts, trade and commerce. According to Nigrodha
jataka (tr. Rouse, 1901), some state control over guilds is known from the appointment of
Bhandagarika, with judgeship over all guilds, and also through sreshthis, some of whom
were guild heads and visited the kings court in official or semi-official capacity.
MOURYAN PERIOD (320 -200 B.C.)
This period witnessed the establishment of a vast and fairly well-knit empire with quite a
uniform and efficient system of administration. The Mouryan state regulated trade and
commerce and brought under its monopoly the mineral resources of land and controlled to
quite some extant the economic activities of production and distribution. The Arthasastra
(ed. & tr. Samasastry, 1961) fixes rates of profits on indigenous and foreign goods,
meticulously listed dutiable articles and prescribes punishment for violation of rules
including artisans, default in the delivery of goods in time. Government officials were to keep
records of trades and crafts and related transactions and conventions of the guilds (Majumdar,
1977, p. 349).
Instead of such restrictions, some facilities were granted by the state. The long
distance high-ways (mainly from Pataliputra to Pushkalavati, via Taxila) constructed and
maintained largely by the state facilitated greater mobility of the people, and easy
transportation of goods and surplus production from one region to another. The state provided
the guilds with separate areas in the town for running their trades and crafts. The guilds could
make deposit with the competent agencies, which they got back in the time of financial
distress, and they also advanced loan to merchants, as per evidence of the Arthasastra side
by side, during this period the state collected revenue in cash or kinds. In addition to taxes in
cash, the artisans, many of whom must have been members of the guilds, also paid taxes in
the form of labour (Adhya, 1966, p. 82).
India was the main exporter of the luxury items to the Roman Empire and earned
huge profits. A large number of coins of this period those of the Indo-Greeks, Sakas,
Parthians, Kushanas, indigenous rulers and tribal republics, cities and guilds have been found,
some in hoards (Kosambi, 1956, p. 254). It indicates a greater circulation of money-economy
and fairly advancement of bricks trade and commerce, in which guilds must have played a
significance role. Milindapanho (ed. Trenckner, 1880) refers to a number of occupational
guilds, their number being much greater than the early periods.
168
In this period north-western and western part of India controlled by the Indo-Greeks, Sakas,
Kushanas, and Parthians. The Mourya Empire disintegrated into a numbers of kingdoms and
tribal republics. This led to the slackening of state control over administration and economy
and the guilds assumed more power and influence that developed the closer commercial
contact with the Roman Empire (Warmington, 1928). The discovery of the north-eastern
monsoon, ascribed to Hippalus, in C. 46 A.D. (Srivastava, 1968, p. 105) gave impetus to midsea voyage, reducing the time of journey, minimizing the danger of piracy and also obviating
the need of the service of middlemen in Indo-Roman trade. Then Indian mercantile activity
also extended to central Asia and China.
POST-MOURYAN PERIOD (200 B.C. -300 A.D.)
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Epigraphs from Sanchi, Bharhut, Buddhagaya, Mathura, and sites in Western Deccan
refer to a number of donations by various kinds of merchants. These donations indicate to the
prosperity and status of the donors who were most likely the members of the guilds, and
some of them also their heads or representatives. Besides, guild also functioned as one of the
ordinary courts of law for judicial authority of its members. Yajnavalkyasmriti (tr. Dutt &
ed. Joshi, 2006) refers to executive officer of the guild, to their qualifications, and powers and
discusses rules regarding vocational apprenticeship. According to Yajnavalkya, guilds rules
were to be followed by the members like state rules. So, the guild system had much more
developed form in the time of Yajnavalkya than in the Manu (Thaplyal, 2001, p. 31).
GUPTA PERIOD (300 - 600 A.D.)
The age of the Guptas was conducive of the development of internal and external trade and
commerce. Though, after the decline of Roman Empire, the Indo-Roman mercantile relations
became almost closed. There was, however, increase in trade with the other lands,
particularly the countries of South-East Asia (Maity, 1957, p. 120). But the arts and crafts as
well as internal trades prospered considerably, during this period.
The Amarakosa (ed. Oak, 1913) lists the names of several metals, testifying to their
use in the manufacture of different kinds of articles. So, metallurgy had reached a very high
stage of development. Guilds must have contributed in a large measure towards such
developments. Various literary and epigraphic evidence of this period bears witness to the
prosperity of the guilds and their increased activities. In the preceding period, guild continued
to function as banks, and courts, and made religious and charitable donations. The chief of
artisans and traders guild acted as members of advisory board of the district administration
(Prakash, 1977, p. 22). Actually guild came to acquire considerable autonomous power. In
view of ample testimony to the power and privileges the guilds enjoyed the Gupta age.
But, no guild coin has been found for the Gupta period, either guilds of the period did
not find it worthwhile to issue coins, or by that time the state come to assert itself as the only
authority to have right to their issues. So, in the time of Guptas, guild power and status appear
to have altered but little certainly show no advance over those of the earlier periods (Maity,
1957)
Due to weak successors of Gupta Empire, there found the rise of a number of
independent powers and of disturbed political condition. Though, under the rule of
Harsabardhana, only for period of 41 years, the integrating units were brought under the
central authority. But there was complete absence of any powerful central authority after
Harsabardhana which could unify the whole of northern India under its sovereignty. The
period witnessed constant conflicts between regional rulers and feudal lords. The condition
169
During this six hundred century the guilds, which had played an important role in the
industrial organization above all economic background of states of the early centuries of the
Christian era, were no longer equally effective all over India. The north-eastern Indian guilds
were would seem in general not to be in a position of wild effective control over their
members. The bonds which united the craftsmen or artisans of any particular industry in any
area appear to have slackened. The reasons for this degeneration of the guild in the early
medieval India can be summed up at follows.
EARLY MEDIEVAL PERIOD (600 1200 A.D.)
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was further worsened by the foreign invasions of Hunas and, later on Ghaznis. It is very
likely that in such an atmosphere of confusion and chaos the trade and industry suffered
setback to a great extent. All this political disturbances must have kept the people busy in
moving from one place to another for safety and security and so also to the tradesmen and
craftsmen. As a consequence, peoples confidence in these institutions must have waned.
There prosperity and affluence an account of which they commanded social status must also
have diminished. Thus political upheaval exercised its worst effect on the guild organization
(Jain, 1976, p. 301).
The sixth century A.D. witnessed the ascendancy of the landed aristocracy in the
forms of Samantas over the nigamas and srenis (Majumdar, B.P., 1966 p. 67-68). Therefore,
Samantas replaced srenis and nigamas in the political administration of the sixth century A.D.
In view of their past glory and importance, the artisans and merchant classes forming the
urban bourgeoisie must have put in a hard struggle to safeguard their rights and privileges.
Some of the inscription of this period throws light on this aspect. The Dudhapani rock
inscription of the 8th century A.D. tells us that three merchants become master of three
villages in the Hazaribagh district of Magadha. Since they were encumbered with the
management of villages, they could not give full attention to their trade and commerce. The
Indo-Roman trade of earlier period vitally affected the guild of silk-weaver in Gujarat who
had to move away into the interior of the country (Maity, 1957, p. 138). So the scope for trade
and industry was slackened and adversely affected the guilds in early medieval India.
In early medieval India, the temples stood in competition with the ancient institution
of guilds serving the society as banks. As it was an age of constant warfare, rulers of early
medieval India always stood in need of money for war and for defensive operations. For this,
the guilds were commanded for their disposal or otherwise to be seized by the kings by some
diplomatic means. If the deposits of the guilds were lost through an act of God, or seized by
170
The traders and merchants were sighing under the border of additional taxes in this
period. The merchants, in general, were asked to pay some dues by custom house in each
cartload of goods passing through the roads. Arthuna inscription of Parmara Camundaraja,
dated 1079 A.D, also gives a list of taxes levied on different trade and crafts. On the account
of these taxes, the guilds of merchants and traders were loosing prosperity in the preceding
centuries. This prevailed from their donations which clearly give the impression that they
were poorer. To keep up their old reputation of donations and defraying there expenses views
of a region federated themselves and pooled their resources. Though the guild representatives
were admitted in the administrative board for the safeguard their interests, it would not be
reasonable to suppose that they were forced to pay the charities (Majumdar, 1966, p. 71).
But, it is certain that the merchant guilds were very much bereft of their affluence in this
period on account of constant bickering load of taxes on them.
Thus the feudalization of merchants turned them into some kind of landed
intermediaries. The dominant power of these feudal lords in the rural economy of this period
was a great retrogatory factor. They had to collect taxes from peasants and pay the same to
the government. All this adversely affected the conditions of the peasants as they had to pay
rent to landed intermediaries and also provide labour. They had to fulfill the demands of the
state as well. Thus all possibilities of surplus production were eliminated under this system
(Jain, 1976, p. 303). So the growth of feudalism with its emphasis on rural and self-sufficient
economy can also be expected to have had an adverse impact upon the fortunes of the guilds.
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the king or stolen by thieves, the guilds or any concern was not bound to return the deposits.
To avoid such risk, it was consider safer to deposit money in the temples. A Siyadoni
inscription records that, in 912 A.D., Nagaka, a merchant withdrawn his amount from the
guild and he deposited the money in the temple. As a result, the temples became gradually the
richest institutions of the time greatly affecting the guilds finance and prestige.
Consequently, the guilds lost their grounds to the temples during early medieval India.
It appears from Medhaththi (tr. Jha, 1999), a 10th century A.D. commentator of the
Manusmrti, that there was a tendency in the period for the members of the guilds to refer
their disputes to the king. The guilds did not like this because it gave the kings officers an
opportunity to interfere in their work. The executive officers of the guilds were losing their
control over the members and they could not effectively carry out their decisions against
members who had lost faith in their justness. The executive officers were also not powerful
enough to enforce their decisions with full authority. Therefore, to keep up the compact
authority of the guilds, the concern executives devised to rule out the compulsion of
agreement and sureties, to maintain the competing members in their any disputes. Mutual cooperation and confidence were the basic ideas of a corporation like a guild which seemed to
be disappearing from the organization (Jain, 1976, p. 304).
171
On account of these aforesaid reasons, the guilds lost their grounds in the early
medieval India. But this does not imply their complete disappearance from the scene.
Although their picture was changed, yet their existence and functionaries remained all over
India. The literature and inscription adequately inform us about their modified form, the
guilds had assumed, but no numismatic records of this period are available. The fact to be
noted is that the institution did not die out an account of the political instability, prevailing
confusion and chaos, although it made no significant advancement in the long duration of
early medieval India from 600 to 1200 A.D. Its organizational solidarity and cohesion was
fast vanishing. The rapid invasion of Islam in India broke down the vast organization of trade
and industry. As a result of these blows the curtain drew down, for sometimes, on the history
of guild organization in India. The flag-post that earlier used to hold aloft the colourful
banner of the guilds turned to be used as a post for tying animals in early medieval northeastern India (Ray, 1946, p. 541).
The decline of guilds was also the result of their being consolidated into sub-castes. In
early medieval India, the guilds mostly appear to have fossilized into sub-castes (Basham,
1967, p. 217). Within these sub-castes however some sort of social control over members and
the instinct of co-operation which was at the route of all their successes in the beginning, was
rapidly disappearing. This change, therefore, appears to be one of the important factors which
contributed to the degeneration of guilds. Although, it was a major cause of the decline of
guilds, in the early medieval India, yet it was not the only cause. It merely accelerated the
process of their degeneration in this period (Gopal, 1965, p. 84).
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10
Graphical Presentation of Guild in North-Eastern India

E
v
o
l
u
t
i
o
o
f
9
8
Position of Guild
7
6
5
4
G
u
i
l
d
3
2
1
0
600 B.C.
320 B.C.
200 B.C.
300 A.D.
600 A.D.
1200 A.D.
The Periods Of Ancient India
The Machiavellian policies adopted by Kautilya de-shaped the guilds organization

which had become quite powerful by then. Yet, Kautilya himself could not completely wipe
out their existence from the scene as they had come to have a hold on ancient Indian
economy. Actually the rigid regulatory control and interference in the affairs of the guilds by
the state in the Maurya period proved detrimental to some extent to their growth and
development. But with the break-up of Mauryan empire and the consequent weakening of
state control, the guilds gained their power, prestige and freedom of activity and became a
formidable economic force enjoying considerable judicial and administrative power and
reached their acme in the Gupta period.
172
The inborn tendency to come in close association with fellowmen was also an important
factor in the quick development and wide acceptance of the institution in ancient India. But,
economic pursuits always need a stable and peaceful atmosphere for their existence and
development. This fact is clearly borne out by the present study. Political conditions always
have their direct effect on the vicissitudes of trade and industry and consequently on guild
organization. Whatever India witnessed an era of peace and security, the trade and industry
flourished immensely in the period and in the same way the guild organization also implanted
its roots firmly.
CONCLUSION
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Therefore, the post-Gupta period of India was remarked by political unrest and mass
emigration for the sake of security, feudalization of merchants, imposition of additional taxes
on traders and artisans, competition between temples and guilds for economic benefits,
consolidation of guilds into sub-castes, above all scarcity of co-operation, confidence and
authoritative control of guilds over their members, all these were the major factors for the
guilds to their strives vigorously under the difficulties. Actually the root of degeneration of
guilds was generated a long prior to early medieval India. But it failed to draw the attention
of people (Chattopadhya, 1994, p. 152). In spite of the unfavourable conditions in early
medieval India, the guilds struggled hard to maintain their structure and social status intact,
but they ultimately failed and became almost irrelevant in socio-economic history.
Guilds, the socio-economic infrastructure of a long long past of India is now dead
indeed, still we are to admit that where the Ancient is the Past, prevailing reality is its hard
Present and the eminent target of a bright prospect is its Future, to be fulfilled. Now, if we
turn over our trip, with the concept of ancient guilds to the modern reality of a largest
democratic country of the world, i.e. India, what we observe that the nation is running on its
12th five years planning along with a lot of hard crisis of overwhelming population of 1.20
Crore, more than 2% short in growth of agricultural production, millions of unemployment,
ever growing suffering of the farmer families of the nation, imbalanced socio-economic
structure etc. Still the nation lies under the same sky of GLOBALIZATION, the modern
sigma.
Now, may we not correspond our ancient concept of guilds to the modern age of
liberal economy that puts emphasis on marketing trade & commerce and market based
manufacturing and its communications! Once, that was the ancient trends of trading business,
now it had been transferred into the liberal trade and commerce with its world-wide influence
in nation to nation. The picture of the same concept of guilds has come out in the present with
its international formation that shares the same fate raising the impact of dividing economy
among the class of population, common and uncommon. Lastly, let the journey stop here
with the saying - History Repeats Itself in and through the ages and it lasts a long.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
PRIMARY SOURCE
Dharmakosa, (ed. L.S. Joshi), Bombay, 1945.

Medhatithi, (tr. Ganganath Jha), 1999.
Milindapanho, (ed. V. Trenckner), Londan, 1880.
Nigrodha jataka, (tr. by W.H.D. Rouse), 1901.
Yajnavalkyasmriti, (tr. Manmatha Nath Dutt/ed. K.L. Joshi), 2006.
173
Arthasastra, (ed. & tr. R. Samasastry), Mysore, 1961.
Amarakosa, (ed. K.G. Oak), Poona, 1913.
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SECONDARY SOURCE
Adhya, G.L., 1966, Early Indian Economy, Bombay.
Basham, A.L., 1967, The Wonder that was India, Calcutta.
Chattopadhya, B.D., 1994, The Making of Early Medieval India, New Delhi.
Ghosh, A.,1973, The City in the Early Historical India,Delhi.
Gopal, L.,1965, The Economic Life of Northern India, c. A.D.700-1200,Varanasi.
Hopkins, E., 1902, Ancient and Modern Hindu Guilds in India: Old and New, New York.
Jain, B., 1990, Guild Organisation in Northern India from Early Times to 1200 A.D., Delhi.
Jain, P.C., 1976, Socio-Economic Exploration of Medieval India, New Delhi.
Kosambi, D.D., 1956, An Introduction of the study of the Indian History, Bombay.
Maity, S.K., 1957, Economic life of Northern India in Gupta Period (300-500 A.D.),
Calcutta.
Majumdar, A.K., 1977, A Concise History of Ancient India, Calcutta.
Majumdar, B.P., 1966, Merchants of Landed Aristocracy in the Feudal Economic of
Northern India (8th -12th century A.D.), Calcutta.
Majumdar, R.C., 1926, Corporate life in Ancient India, Delhi.
Mookerji, R.K., 1958, Local Government in Ancient India, Delhi.
Prakash, B.,1977 Aspects of Indiana History and Civilization, Delhi.
Ray, N.R., 1946, Bangalira Itihasa (Adiparava), {Eng. Tr. (1994) History of the Bengal
People},Calcutta.
Thaplyal, K.K., 2001, Guild in Ancient India, Delhi.

Warmington, E.H., 1928, Commerce between the Roman Empire and India, Cambridge.
174
Srivastava, B., 1968, Trade and Commerce in Ancient India, Varanasi.
Sharma, R.S., 1958,Sudras in Ancient India, Delhi.

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IRJC

International Journal of Social Science & Interdisciplinary Research

GUILD, THE INSTITUTIONAL ECONOMIC BASE OF ANCIENT

Pre-Mouryan Period (600 320 B.C.)

Post-Mouryan Period (200 B.C. -300 A.D.)

Gupta Period (300 - 600 A.D.)

Early Medieval Period (600 1200 A.D.)

PRE-MOURYAN PERIOD (600 320 B.C.)

POST-MOURYAN PERIOD (200 B.C. -300 A.D.)

EARLY MEDIEVAL PERIOD (600 1200 A.D.)

Graphical Presentation of Guild in North-Eastern India

The Periods Of Ancient India

The Machiavellian policies adopted by Kautilya de-shaped the guilds organization

Dharmakosa, (ed. L.S. Joshi), Bombay, 1945.

Arthasastra, (ed. & tr. R. Samasastry), Mysore, 1961.

Amarakosa, (ed. K.G. Oak), Poona, 1913.

Thaplyal, K.K., 2001, Guild in Ancient India, Delhi.

Srivastava, B., 1968, Trade and Commerce in Ancient India, Varanasi.

Sharma, R.S., 1958,Sudras in Ancient India, Delhi.

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