Coastal trade flourished with Europeans
By Pramod Sangar

A CURSORY glance at the records shows that India prosecuted a flourishing trade in the 17th century. There was considerable internal and external trade as the goods produced in various part of the country were sent through river traffic consisting of native boats and smaller ships, especially designed for internal or coastal trade. With the coming of the Europeans, the coastal trade got a boost and the number of small indigenous crafts or boats pressed into service, increased manifold. Ships and boats were the principal means of water transport.

Boat-making and ship-building industries were found in India since ancient times. In the Vedic period, sea was frequently used for trade purposes. The Rig Veda mentions "merchants who crowd the great waters with ships". The Ramayana speaks of merchants who crossed the sea and bought gifts for the king of Ayodhya. Manu legislates for safe carriage and freights by river and sea. In some of the earliest Buddhist literature we read of voyages ‘out of sight’ of land, some lasting six months or so.

With the discovery of the sea route to the east, India became the centre of trade for several European nations. We find that there was considerable intercoastal commercial activity during the 17th century. The advent of the English and Dutch on Gujarat coast introduced an element of competition both in the coastal and foreign land. In the first quarter of the 17th century, the Europeans concentrated more on the western coast. There was considerable interaction between the foreign and native merchants and the former immensely benefited by the new service which they found to be both cheaper and safer.

By the middle of the 17th century, the English company at Surat adopted the practice of getting constructed the small vessels required for its needs in India itself. Surat and Balasore became important ship-building and ship-maintenance centres due to availability of dockyards and raw material needed for ship-building in western and eastern India. Abbe Carrie, an English merchant, declared that during 1670-77 most of voyages conducted from Surat were by vessels built or bought at Surat. Another interesting feature was that a number of the Englishmen were engaged in private trade and were employing their own ships, which was quite detrimental for the English company and its trade. The English, who had quite a small fleet of country-built ships and frigates, conducted their coastal trade in these boats and collected goods at various small seaports of Gujarat. The goods were later transported to England in larger vessels, that came out yearly from England to Surat.

J. Ovington, an English chaplin who visited Surat in 1690, was impressed by the skill of the Indians in ship-building and found that they even outshone Europeans. The timber used by the Indians was so strong that it would not ‘crack’ even by the force of a bullet so he urged the English to use that timber ‘to help them in war’. Indian Teak stood firmer than the English Oak, remarked Ovington.

Thomas Herbert, a traveller who visited Surat in 1627, has given an interesting account of the arrival, loading and unloading of ships through small boats at Swally marine (Sohaly), a few kilometres away from Surat. He remarked that between September and March every year, the port of Sohaly presented a very busy and noisy scene for there came many ships from foreign lands. The merchants (baniyas) erected their straw huts in large numbers all along the sea coast, making the whole place thus look like a country fair. The merchants sold various commodities like calicoes, ivory, agates, etc. Many small boys engaged by the merchants were seen running about doing odd jobs. The English found that the small boats used and constructed by the natives could be of immense use. This was a definite gain for both nations. Boats and rafts were used as a means of conveyance for loading and unloading ships. There were about 4200 big and 4400 small boats. There were large-sized boats that could carry even elephants. The boats used by kings and nobles were designed to look artistic. Abul Fazl writes about the "wonderfully fashioned boats with delightful quarters and decks and gardens". Babar in his last campaign in 1529, made a bridge of boats at the junction of the Ganga and Ghagra and won a tough naval battle. Humayun invented Jasr-i-rawan (movable bridge). It served both as a bridge and a boat. Several boats were joined together with hooks and iron chains. Whenever the king undertook a river journey, the bridge was divided into several parts and steered on the water.

Among the primitive Indian boats, the cattarmaran comes first. It consisted of three logs and three spreaders and cross lashings. The centre log was the largest, and pointed towards one end. Mainly fishermen used the cattarmaran for fishing. A little more skillfully made is the musoola boat, which has no iron fastening. It was mostly used in the Coromandel coast. Dr John Fryer says, "It is possible that the name musoola may be connected with Masulipatarn where boats seem to have been in use".

Another boat made in an indigenous manner was known as dingy. It was hollowed out from a single trunk. Lower down the Ganga, the name was applied to boats half-decked, half wagon-roofed and built of planks.

Purqoo was another type of boat described by Thomas Bowery. It plied between the Hooghly and Balasore. These boats were made very strong to carry ‘sufficient load’. They were also used for loading ships. they could remain in water for a long time without getting damaged.

As compared to the purqoo, boora was a ‘lighter boat’ which rowed with 29 or 30 oars. These boats were also used for carrying saltpeter and other commodities.

The English, by the 17th century, succeeded in establishing their factories at various coastal areas of the country. They also founded new places like Calcutta, Madras and Bombay with the discovery of the new coastal areas.