A History of Agriculture in India v2.c84.s2.2

v2.c84.s2.2

Transport of foodgrains, sugar, salt and ghee was the monopoly of a nomadic trading community known as banjaras. They drove enormous herds of pack-laden bullocks. They lived with their families in camps or tandas. A large tanda might contain as many as 600 or 700 souls and up to 20,000 bullocks, which would have carried something like 2,700 tonnes. On occasions such as when a large army had to be supplied, the banjaras could collect a hundred thousand bullocks or more.⁴