Local Government in Ancient India c9.87

c9.87

There seems to have been also a considerable localization of trades and crafts. Suburban villages grew up to serve the cities where certain crafts were exclusively localized; e.g. smith villages of 1,000 families (*Jāt.* III. 281-6); villages of woodwrights numbering 500 (*Jāt.* II. 18. 405; IV. 208) and sometimes towns (*Jāt.* IV. 159) containing 1,000 families; and villages famous for potters (*Jāt.* III. 376. 508). There were also crafts localized in special quarters of the cities; e.g. the ivory-workers' bazaar in the city of Benares (*Jāt.* I. 320; II. 197), the localities of dyers, perfumers, and florists (*Jāt.* IV. 81. 82); the cooks' quarters in Sāvatthi (*Jāt.* III. 48.) Sometimes the crafts were associated with special streets named after them in the cities; e.g. the washermen's-street (*Jāt.* IV. 81) in Asitañjanā, the Vaiśya-street and quarter (*Jāt.* VI. 485).