Twilight of the Sultanate c17.s8.51

c17.s8.51

But, as seen above, the balance of trade was throughout in India's favour, and Indian States possessing the sea coast gained immensely. True, as Moreland suggests: "At this time Delhi was cut off from the sea coast for a century and adequate supplies (of precious metals) could be obtained (only) through the sea ports"¹⁶⁶ of Gujarat, Bengal and the south. But there is no evidence of "lawlessness along the roads" to which he points.¹⁶⁷ On the contrary the treasure trove discovered in Madhya Pradesh, referred to above, as well as the testimony of Bābur clearly indicate that India was carrying on trade and commerce with many foreign countries by the land route and her gains were immense. Bābur gives many interesting details about it. "On the road between Hindustan and Khorasān," writes he, "there are two great marts; the one Kabul, the other Kandahar.... This country lies between Hindustan and Khorasān.¹⁶⁸ It is an excellent market for commodities. . . . From Hindustan every year, fifteen or twenty thousand pieces of cloth are brought by caravans.¹⁶⁹ The commodities of Hindustan are slaves, white clothes, sugar-candy, refined and common sugar, drugs and spices. There are many merchants that are not satisfied with getting thirty or forty on ten (i.e. three or four hundred per cent). The productions of Khorasān, Rūm, Irāk and Chīn may all be found in Kabul, which is the very emporium of Hindustan".¹⁷⁰ According to Yahyā Sarhindī also a large number of foreign (Khurasānī) merchants lived in Delhi and some of the best mansions in "that prosperous city" belonged to them.¹⁷¹ Surely Indian goods had a good market abroad and Indian merchants made huge profits. And since coins at this period, especially in foreign trade, "were not regarded as fixed standards of value, but rather as a form of merchandise",¹⁷² the Indian merchants obtained good quantities of gold and silver from foreign trade. In short India was eager to sell every kind of produce for these precious metals,¹⁷³ and Bābur was impressed by the "masses of gold and silver" in this country.