Towns,Traders and Craftspersons

Mulla Abdul Ghafur and Virji Vora were prominent Indian merchants who owned large fleets of ships and traded extensively during the 17th century.

The competition between the Dutch and the English East India Companies to control the textile trade in Masulipatnam actually led to the decline of the town as trade shifted to other centers.

Mir Jumla was a powerful merchant and official who played the Dutch and English companies against each other to serve his own interests in the region.

In 1668, the English East India Company shifted its headquarters from Surat to Bombay (Mumbai) after the British Crown acquired the island.

Masulipatnam, also known as Machlipatnam, is located on the delta of the Krishna river, which provided access to the sea for trade.

Surat was a major trading port on the west coast, and it faced significant competition from the rising port city of Bombay (Mumbai) as the English shifted their operations.

Surat was a global trade hub, and its hundis (bills of exchange) were recognized and honored in major international markets, including Cairo, Basra, and Antwerp.

John Ovington was an English traveler and chronicler who visited Surat in 1689 and provided detailed accounts of the city's trade and life.

Masulipatnam is located on the Coromandel Coast in the modern-day state of Andhra Pradesh.

The Anantraj Sagar dam was constructed by the rulers of the Vijayanagar empire to provide water for irrigation and the city of Hampi.

The walls of Hampi were constructed using a technique of interlocking stones, where the stones were wedged together without the use of cementing agents like mortar.

Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagar empire, located in the fertile Krishna-Tungabhadra basin.

During the colonial period, the British established separate residential areas for themselves, often referred to as 'White Town', while the local population lived in 'Black Town'.

The Dutch established a fort at Masulipatnam to control the textile trade in the region.

Hampi was a center of trade, but it was not a port city; it relied on other ports for maritime trade. The statement is false.

Devadasis were temple dancers who performed rituals and dances in the temples of the Vijayanagar empire.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, cities like Ahmedabad and Murshidabad grew in importance as centers of trade and administration, while older cities like Hampi declined.

Fort St. William was a major British fortification built in Calcutta (Kolkata) to serve as the headquarters of the East India Company in Bengal.