Economy of the Kingdom of Mysore
The
The peak of Mysore's economic power was under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan in the post-Mughal era of the mid-late 18th century. They embarked on an ambitious program of economic development, aiming to increase the wealth and revenue of Mysore.[1]
Early history
The economy of the Kingdom was based on agriculture, due to the majority of its people being villagers. Ownership of land was considered a prestige and people from all trades aimed to own a piece of land, whether they were directly involved in cultivation or not. The agrarian population consisted of landlords (
Under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan
A bond existed between the landlords and his labourers who were called panial or padial. In this system, when work ceased to exist in a land, the labourers were free to find employment elsewhere, but were bound to come back whenever required by the landlord. This had a mutual benefit in that it ensured regular employment to the landless and prevented their starvation. Landlords, however, were not required to increase labour rates during times when labour was in demand. Instead, they judiciously gave loans and presents to the labourer during times of need such as marriages and other family ceremonies. These loans bound the labourer to the estate who was not charged with interest on the loan. Instead, the labourer was required to pay back the principal amount only if he wished to free himself permanently from his bond to the landlord and seek employment elsewhere.[7]
Silk industry
The Mysore silk industry was first initiated during the reign of Tipu Sultan.[8] Later it was hit by a global depression, and competition from imported silk and rayon. In the second half of the 20th century, it revived and the Mysore State became the top multivoltine silk producer in India.[8]
British rule
This system changed under the British, when tax payments were in cash, and were used for the maintenance of the army, police and other civil and public establishments. A portion of the tax was transferred to England and called "Indian tribute".[9] Unhappy with the loss of their traditional revenue system and the problems they faced, peasants rose in rebellion in many parts of south India. The construction of anicuts and tanks helped alleviate problems in some areas of the peninsula, though there were variations in living conditions in different regions.[10]
After 1800, the Cornwallis land reforms came into play. Reade, Munro, Graham and Thackeray were some administrators who improved the economic conditions of the masses.[11] However, the home spun textile industry suffered during British rule, due to the manufacturing mills of Manchester, Liverpool and Scotland being more than a match for the traditional hand woven industry, especially spinning and weaving.[12] Only weavers who produced the very finest cloth not manufacturable by machines survived the changing economy. Even here, the change in the dressing habits of the people, who adapted to English clothes, had an adverse impact. Only the agricultural and rural masses with their need for coarse cloth sustained the low quality home industry.[13] Also, the British economic policies created a class structure consisting of a newly found middle class. This class consisted of four occupational groups; the trading and merchant class consisting of agents, brokers, shopkeepers; the landlords created under the Zamindar system and Janmi system of land tenure; the money lenders; and the white collared lawyers, teachers, civil servants, doctors, journalists and bankers. However, due to a more flexible caste hierarchy, this middle class consisted of a more heterogeneous mix of people from different castes.[14]
The 19th century brought about the so-called "backward classes movement", a direct result of the hegemony in employment (in educational and government sectors) by the wealthy few and the loss of jobs across southern India due to the
See also
Notes
- ISBN 978-1-139-49889-0
- ^ Sastri (1955), p297
- ^ a b Chopra et al. (2003), p123, part III
- ^ M.H.Gopal in Kamath 2001, p235
- ^ Kamath (2001), p235-236
- ^ Kamath (2001), p236-237
- ^ Chopra et al. (2003), p129-130
- ^ ISBN 978-8131300879. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
- ^ Chopra et al. (2003), p124
- ^ Chopra et al. (2003), p129
- ^ Chopra et al. (2003), p130
- ^ Kamath (2001), p286
- ^ Chopra et al. (2003), p132
- ^ Chopra et al. (2003), p134
- ^ Kamath (2001), p285
- ^ Kamath (2001), p287
- ^ Kamath (2001), pp288-289
References
- Kamath, Suryanath U. (2001) [1980]. A concise history of Karnataka : from pre-historic times to the present. Bangalore: Jupiter books. OCLC 7796041.
- Pranesh, Meera Rajaram (2003) [2003]. Musical Composers during Wodeyar Dynasty (1638-1947 A.D.). Bangalore: Vee Emm.
- Chopra, Ravindran, Subrahmanian, P.N., T.K., N. (2003) [2003]. History of South India (Ancient, Medieval and Modern) Part III. New Delhi: Chand publications. ISBN 81-219-0153-7.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - Sastri, Nilakanta K.A. (2002) [1955]. A history of South India from prehistoric times to the fall of Vijayanagar. New Delhi: Indian Branch, Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-560686-8.