The Age of the Imperial Guptas c6.38

Language: English

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The deeds of transfers of land on the Damodarpur plates brings us to another interesting subject, ordinary civil contracts. The seals discovered by Bloch at Vaisali contain 274 specimens bearing the legend, *Śreṣṭhi-Sārtthavāha-Kulika-Nigama*, which was correctly translated by the discoverer as “the corporation of bankers, traders (*and*) merchants.” These seals are found in combination with two, three or even four others. In these cases the same lump of clay bears two three or even four impressions. The word *Nigama* means a corporation or guild and the name is to be found as early as the first century B.C. on Guild-tokens described by Cunningham.¹ But in the Nasik cave inscription of the year 42 and 45 the terms used for guilds are *Śreṇī* and *Nikāya*. It should be noticed that the same inscription also contains the word *Nigama-sabhā* which was been translated by Senart as "the town's hall."² In the case of a Bharhut inscription Lüders translates the same term as a town.³ But it is extremely difficult even to conceive a town of merchants, traders and bankers only. *Nigama-sabhā* seems to have corresponded to the Guild-Halls of Modern Europe. The interest attached to the seals of this corporation of merchants, traders and bankers lies principally in their occurrence jointly with seals of other officials and private persons. In the majority of cases one separate seal contains an invocation to some deity;

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"Victorious be the lord Ananta with the goddess Ambā," "victory to god" "adoration to Paśupati" or "adoration to him." On the same lump, on which the seal of the Corporation and the seal bearing the invocation are to be found, we find other seals bearing the names of officials and one or more private persons. One such lump bears on it the seal of the office of a *Kumārāmātya* equal in rank to the younger princes. In many cases the names of more than one person are to be found on one and the same lump of clay. The seals of Mātr̥dāsa and Satyāśrita are to be found on the same seal on which are to be seen the invocation, *namastasmai*, and the seal of the Corporation of merchants, traders and bankers. That such guilds were not confined to Vaiśālī or Tirabhukti is proved by the discovery of a seal with an almost similar legend at Bhita in the Allahabad district. In the case of the Bhita seal the legend was wrongly translated by Dr. Vogel, who regarded the term *Kulika* as “a special tribe employed as captains of mercenaries.”¹ On this Spooner very pertinently observed, “the expressions ‘Bankers, traders and merchants’ is a homogeneous and consistent compound; ‘Bankers, traders and captains’ of mercenaries would seem to involve an incongruity.”² From a distance of fifteen centuries it is very difficult to understand what this combined corporation of bankers, traders and merchants was.

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After the destruction of all guilds and corporations in Northern India during six centuries of Musalman rule it is not possible even to guess what they were like. It is not possible even to apply the analogy of such institutions in Gujarat where some such have survived. In old cities like Ahmadabad there are guilds and its office-bearers. The *Nagara-śreṣṭhin* of Ahmadabad is still called *Nagar-seth* but the rank is now hereditary according to Prof. A. B. Dhruva, Pro-Vice-chancellor of the Benares Hindu University, who is an inhabitant of that city. According to the same authority Gujarat guilds are now styled *Mahajans*. The *Nagara-śreṣṭhin* of a city like Vaiśālī was probably the president and the chief executive officer of the great corporation. Under this great corporation there were three separate guilds for Bankers, traders and merchants. The seals discovered at Vaiśālī by Spooner prove that there was at least one separate guild of *Śreṣṭhins* or Merchants in that city, while Marshall’s Bhita finds prove the existence of a separate guild of *Kulikas*. The term *Kulika* is perhaps better suited for translation as bankers than the term *Śreṣṭhin*. Spooner discovered several seals of the *Śreṣṭhi-nigama*,¹ at Vaiśālī and he observes that “it is noticeable that this seal is never impressed alone;

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some personal seal impression always accompanies it.” The seals discovered by Bloch and Spooner at Vaiśālī contain the seals of a number of Chief *Kulikas* such as *Prathama-Kulik-Ograsiṅha* and *Prathama-Kulika-Hariḥ*.² The existence of *Prathama-Kulikas* at Koṭivarṣa in Northern Bengal and at Vaiśālī proves that this office was also a regular institution in North-eastern India if not in the whole of Northern India. The distinction between a *Prathama-* *Kulika* and ordinary *Kulikas* is evident and many of seals of ordinary *Kulikas* were discovered at Vaiśālī. With regards to the *Sārthavāhas* we do not possess any evidence of the existence of any guild or organisation. Spooner discovered an unique seal of another *Nigama* but he could not read the legend definitely. According to him it reads *Makkupali-Nigamasya*.¹