Henry Thomas Colebrooke was another admirer of Indian culture and heritage.
He also studied Indian languages and translated Sanskrit and Persian works into
English. William Jones together with Colebrooke and Nathaniel Halhed
set up the Asiatic Society of Bengal. They more... 
As you can see in the picture given above, Surat was
an important port on the western coast of India. Also, it had important
industries like textiles and iron and steel. It clearly shows that crafts and
industries flourished in India before the British came to India. India was exporting
its goods across the world. Indian rulers patronised crafts and large demands
for handicrafts came from royal courts and urban aristocrats. Cotton
from Dacca, Gujarat and Masulipatnam; the silk fabrics of Murshidabad, Lahore
and Agra; woollen shawls and carpets of Agra, Lahore and Kashmir, etc.,
were in high demand; both in India and abroad. Indian handicrafts industry had
reached a high level of excellence and enjoyed a worldwide reputation. India
enjoyed extensive trade on handicrafts, within the country and with other
countries of Asia and Europe. The reason for India's favourable foreign trade
was its excellence in local production. Surat in Gujarat on western coast was
one of the important ports of Indian
Ocean Trade.
The British initially came as traders to India. They
bought Indian goods and sold them at high prices in Europe and made huge
profits. However, the scenario changed with the Industrial Revolution in
Britain. The British now saw India as a supplier of cheap raw materials for its
industries and a market for its finished products. This had a deep impact on
the Indian industries. In this chapter we will focus on the effect of colonial
rule and the Industrial Revolution on Indian industries, particularly the
textile and iron industry.
History Reveals
According to Robert Clive, India was a country of inexhaustible
riches and the one which could not fail to make its masters the richest
corporation in the world.
THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY IN INDIA
The Indian artisans were famous for their skills all
over the world. Towns like?Dacca, Murshidabad, Surat, Ahmedabad, Lucknow,
Chanderi, Bangalore, Aurangabad, Vishakhapatnam and Coimbatore were nourishing
centres of the textile industry.
OTHER more... 
MUGHAL CAPITAL?SHAHJAHANABAD
Shahjahanabad, the seventeenth century city of Delhi,
was built by Shah Jahan between 1639 and 1648. It was the seventh city of
Delhi. The city was enclosed by about ten kilometer long wall. It spread out
over a large area along the banks of river Yamuna. The city had fourteen gates
only four of which exist today.
Q. why
do you think Shahjahanabad was built near the River Yamuna?
The walled city included broad avenues with water
channels, markets, mosques, gardens, houses of the nobility, and the fortified
palace known as the Red Fort or Lal Qila. Built of red sandstone, the Red Fort
constituted more... 
MEANS OF TRIBAL LIVELIHOOD
The economy of most tribes was subsistence oriented.
They survived mainly on hunting, gathering and fishing. Even those tribes which
depended on agriculture, had to supplement their income with hunting and
collecting forest products. Different tribes had different means of livelihood.
Hunters and gatherers
Many tribes depended on forester sources for their survival.
The Khonds of Orissa and the Baigas of Central India were hunters
and gatherers. They lived by hunting wild animals, fishing and gathering wild
plant foods. They shared the meat of the hunt among their community. They
collected forest products like?honey, fruits, nuts, firewood and medicinal
herbs for their daily needs. They even extracted oil from sal and mahua trees.
They sold these products in the local market. They also made ropes and baskets
and sold them for other things that they required. They lived in tiny temporary
huts made out of the materials available in the forest.
The forest was their home and they felt secure in the
forests. Moreover, they did not take more than their requirement from the
forest. They got supplies of food grains by bartering forest produce.
Sometimes, when there was scarcity of forest products, they even worked as
labourers in the nearby villages. They even worked in fields or carried loads.
They bought their necessities from whatever money they earned. Sometimes, the
tribals had to borrow money from moneylenders to buy essential commodities from
traders. The money lenders charged very high rates of interest. The tribals often
found themselves in a never ending cycle of debt.
Herding and Rearing
Many tribes lived by herding and rearing animals like
sheep and cattle. They were pastoralists and moved about in search of pasture
lands. They exchanged animal products like-milk, butter and wool for other
things that they required, e.g. Gaddis of Himachal more... 
WHY DID THE EAST INDIA COMPANY NEED FUNDS?
The
primary function of the East India Company was to buy spices, cotton, indigo
and other raw materials and sell them at huge profits in the European markets.
The Company needed money to invest in buying these commodities.
Initially
they brought gold and silver from England but later on, they thought of
financing its trade from India itself. It required money to maintain huge army
to fight wars against other European powers and Indian rulers. Also, it had to
send money to England in order to pay dividends to the shareholders of the
Company. Another major expense of the Company was paying the officers of the
administrative set up in India.
Thus,
to fulfil its requirements for money, the East India Company turned its
attention towards agriculture which was the chief source of income. The Company
introduced new revenue policies (settlements) in agriculture. All the policies
were intended to increase their profits, even if those policies harmed the
peasants.
Q.
why did the East India Company need increasing amounts of funds?
THE PROBLEM WITH REVENUE COLLECTION
The
East India Company was a trading concern but it had acquired the right to
collect revenue. The Company did not want to set up a system of revenue collection.
Its main objection was to maximise revenue collection. However, the economy of
Bengal was facing a decline. Farmers were unable to pay their dues. Artisans
could not earn their livelihood because they had to sell their goods at lower
prices to the Company. Agricultural production was also declining.
Also,
Bengal was hit by a devastating famine. The terrible famine in which one-third
of the population perished. It was caused mainly due to lack of insight on the
part of the officials of the East India Company. The officials of the Company were
only interested in revenue collection.
History
Reveals
The
Bengal famine and the devastation caused by it were the subject of Bankim
Chandra Chatterjee's novel Anandamath.
THE NEED TO more... 
The English East
India Company was chartered by Queen Elizabeth in 1600 for developing trade with
Asia for a period of 15 years. The Company had sole rights to trade with the
east. The Company wanted to trade in commodities like pepper, cinnamon cloves,
cardamom, cotton, silk, indigo, saltpetre, tea and opium. These goods were very
popular in European markets and the Company would make huge profits in the
trade. Since it was a mercantile trading company, it had exclusive rights to
this trade without any competition and thus it could make huge financial gains.
History Reveals
Among the European
powers, the Portuguese were the first to reach India after they had circled the
whole of the African continent. Vasco da Gama arrived in Calicut on May 20th,
1498.
Soon other European
trading companies arrived on the scene. The Portuguese set up a trading post
in India. They later founded settlements at Goa, Cochin, Daman and Diu.
Subsequently, other European powers like the Dutch and the French also
established posts. The Dutch East India Company was established in 1602. The
French East India Company was formed in 1642.
The British ships first
arrived in Surat, India in 1608. In 1612, they set up a trading post at Surat.
In 1615, Sir Thomas Roe was more... 
A Wedding ring of 1870's. This itself shows that dates
are important even for a common man
However, it is not right to fix a date for changes which
have happened over time. This is because the change is gradual. It is a process
and not a sudden event. We cannot point a fixed date on which the Mughal period
declined. This is because it did not declined in a day. It was a gradual
process which happened over a period of time.
SELECTION OF DATES
Which dates are important? How do we choose and
categorise important dates? The criteria for choosing a particular set of dates
as important one, depends largely on the topic in focus. If the subject in
focus changes, then another set of dates become important. For instance, in the
medieval period, the literature available was written by the historians who
were supported by the rulers themselves. But during the British period, the
rule of each Governor-General was important. So, the dates are arranged in a manner
where period of each Governor General has been described in terms of their
policies and achievements. The British historians have glorified the rule of
the East India Company.
Thus, a new format is required for writing the history
of this period.
Thus, history is divided into chapters. The focus of
each chapter is different, and consequently, different dates are important in
each chapter. For instance, if the focus of the chapter is on political changes
during British rule, the dates of the wars won by the British against the
Indian rulers will be important. In the other chapter, the focus is on
socio-cultural changes during British rule, and then the dates of the policies that
affected Indian society will be important.
PERIODISATION IN HISTORY
The demarcations of time into different periods more... 
CAUSES OF THE REVOLT
Many causes cumulatively started this revolt. Though this revolt broke out suddenly, it did not take shape in a day. There were many deeper reasons that are discussed here briefly.
POLITICAL CAUSES
The British policies of annexation caused resentment among the Indian rulers. The Subsidiary Alliance and the Doctrine of Lapse were just means of annexing the territories of the Indian rulers. You have already learned about them in the previous chapter. The rulers and the nawabs lost their powers because of the British residents stationed in their courts. This created a feeling of panic and insecurity among the rulers of the other states.
The British did not recognise adopted sons as heirs and the disposed rulers were refused pension. Many rulers tried to negotiate with the British but in vain. Rani of Jhansi had adopted a son and wanted the British to accept him as the heir to the throne. The last Peshwa, Baji Rao's adopted son, Nana Sahib was deprived of the pension his father was receiving.
? The British abolished titles. In 1849, Governor General Dalhousie announced that Bahadur Shah Zafar's successors would not be allowed to stay in the Red Fort or use the title of 'King'. The Company also stopped inscribing the Mughal king's name on the coins minted by it.
? The promises made with the princes were ignored by the British as the Company became confident of its military and political powers.
? Awadh had accepted the Subsidiary Alliance and more... 
You need to login to perform this action.
You will be redirected in
3 sec
