India - Empire of Spirit



Today the share of India in global world is only 2%. In history it was 20% of world trade.  If you had stood at the famous port of Muziris in Kerala 2000 years ago, you would see a ship arriving laden with gold.
Trading by ships in ancient India
Every day a ship from the Roman empire landed in a south Indian port whee it piked up fine Indian cottons, spices and luxuries. But Indians did not care for what the Romans brought, since accounts had to be settled with gold and silver. Back home Roman senators grumbled that their women used too many Indian luxuries, spices, cottons and two thirds of Rome's bullion was being lost to India.

 Fifteen hundred years later, the Portuguese had the same problem complaint: their gold and silver from South America was being drained in the trade with India.

 The British parliament echoed this refrain in the 17th century.
British Parliament
Indian textiles and spices changed culinary tastes and clothing habits around the world. European began to wear underwear only in the 17th century when they discovered soft and affordable Indian cloth brought by the East India Company.

 In antiquity, the flowing togas of upper class Romans were made from Indian cloth.
Punjabi khatris in Multan led caravans across the Himalayas from the 16th century to 19th century, changing the lifestyle of people all  the way to Russia.

 With 5000 mile coastline, India has historically  been a great trading nation. It always had a positive balance of trade with the world until the Industrial revolution in 19th  century England when mills of Lancashire made our handloom textiles technology obsolete.

 After Independence, we forgot our trading past and closed our borders in the name of bogus idea called "Import substitution".  India opened up in 1991.

 India's power has always been "soft" not expressed through military conquest but in the export of goods and ideas.

 The Historian Micheal Wood, summed it up well : "History is full of Empires of Sword, but India alone created an Empire of the Spirit."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Delhi's Introduction

Image
the delhi map New Delhi is the capital of India, the third largest city in the country. The sprawling city is divided into two parts - Old Delhi and New Delhi. If you will stay here for few days, you will experience that India's capital is filled with glittering gems like historical monuments, majestic museums, bazaars, modern skysscrapers, bustling commercial complexes and some of the sub-continent's yummiest places to eat. The city, a major gateway hub, is als notorious for its maddening traffic and huge crowds. The tout menance is also quite annoying. If you are a "take it easy" visitor, you will never be disappointed for having come to delhi, a truly multidimensional metropolis. Geography  Delhi lies just in the central part of the Indian sub-continent, 300 meters above sea level, in between the Aravallis and the Himalayas. Topographically the city consists of three separate regions, the yamuna flood plain, the plains and the Ridge. History  Wh...
Read more

Jaipur - Places of Interest

Image
The city of Jaipur is not only the largest city, but also the capital. Jaipur is perhaps an ideal destination for those interested in going on historical tours to Rajasthan. This rustic city abounds with forts and monuments that remind you of its ancient glory and Rajput rulers. The city is also known as 'the Pink City' of India. Travelers should take into consideration the extreme temperatures while planning a tour to this city. Places of  Interest Hawa Mahal                      Built in 1799, by Maharaja Sawai singh, Hawa mahal is the most prestigious monument of Jaipur. The five storied amazing semi-octagonal monument stands testimony to Rajput architecture with its 152 windows and exquisite protruding latticed balconies. These balconies were meant for the royal ladies to watch and enjoy processions on the street below. Now it houses a museum with a good collec...
Read more

Agra Fort

Image
Agra fort with Sandeep Agra has remained an important business center and capital from ancient time. John Dilayat said that Agra mint had Rs four hundred million.  Peacock throne Shahjahan’s Peacock throne cost was sixty million (6 crore). Read more Agra was founded long before the invasion of Mughals in India . Later with the time Agra lost its glory First time we hear about this Fort in history was 10 th century AD(1099-1115) when the town was then ruled by Rajput chief Jaipal. The description of this fort is given in a book Qasida, composed in the praise of Ghaznavid prince Mahmud bin Ibrahim. Read more  Agra  was ruled by King Badal Singh so fort was also known as Badal garh (Cloud Fort)  in 1545 century AD. read more .... Later in 1503, SikandarLodhi, shifted his capital to Agra to keep an eye on Rajput kings. Sikandar lodhi constructed his palace inside the Agra Fort. First Mughal King Babur in 1526 a...
Read more