Main objective is to highlight the features of ancient trade routes and important trade routes of indian sub-continent.

1. Trade Routes in Ancient
India
DR. RAJIV KUMAR JAISWAL
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DEPT. OF AIHC & ARCHAEOLOGY
VCW, KFI, RAJGHAT, VARANASI

2. Introduction
Trade was one of the great upbuilders of the economic well being
of the country and right from the days of the Indus Valley civilization,
trading with distant lands was a features of the Indian economic life.
Ancient India had all types of inland and foreign trade. The
merchants had an honored position and an important place in the
national economy of the country.
Trade is a natural sequel to industry since industrial product must look
for markets for its disposal.
The industrial advances was accompanied by the development of
an intensive inland and foreign trade as well as by the rise of
overseas trade.

3. Cont…..
India’s maritime trade activities are as old as the Indus Valley
followed by the maritime activities of the Vedic Panis (प ण). The
Vedic Panis were a trading people.
Indian inland and overland as well as overseas trade must have
been a very powerfull factor in linking up race to race, nation to
nation, country to country and culture to culture.
Exchange of goods bound the country into a close economic
unity.
The Epics give a vivid description of the traders and the articles of
trade which they carried.
The volume of internal trade was greater than the foreign trade.

5. There had been a movements of goods in different parts of the
country with a rich variety and dimensions of productions.
Different state had trade relations with each other and there were
various trade routes inside the countries of the east and the west for
purpose of trade.
Kautilya and Manu have discussed the nature and importance of
inland and foreign trade
Trade was an integral factor of national prosperity.
Manu has given directions for morality in trade and has insisted on
the cardinal principles of sound trading.
Cont…..

6. Trade routes
Transport is the lifeblood of trade and industry. Means of transport
and communications are the nerves of National organism.
 a verse in the Rig-Veda refers to the necessity of different forms of
transport and the maintenance and protection of public highways
as one of the duties of the king.
Chariots, Carts, Pack animals (Yak, Goat, Horses, Camels and
Elephants) were used in different regions according to
convenience and royal roads and national highways were to be
maintained.
Roads were classified according to use and destination. Rivers also
served as medium of transport

7. The improving condition of trade is seen not only in the greater
attention devoted to the roads and market but in the intelligent
appreciation of the relative values of different trade routes.
Kautilya’s remarkable list of agricultural, manufacturing and other
products of different regions of India gives an idea of the extent of
internal trade.
Mauryas controlled not only all important internal trade routes but
also most of the land and sea routes leading outside the country to
East and the West. Friendship with Hellenistic states also favoured
the expansion of india’s trade with Western world.
Cont…..

8. Cont….
In Buddhist text we’ve stories of different kinds of people must have
travelled along broadly similar routes and the accounts of their
journeys give an idea of the routes of travel, communication and
trade. Archaeological evidence also helps identify trade routes and
interactions.
The two major trans-regional routes of the ancient India were known
as the:
• Uttarapath
• Dakshinapatha
 These routes had a long and enduring history extending over many
centuries.

9. Cont….
Uttarapath: the Uttarapath (“The Great Northern Trade Route”) was the
major trans-regional trade routes of northern India. It stretched from
the North-West, across the Indo-Gangetic plains up to the port of
Tamralipti on the Bay of Bengal.
The Ashtadhyayi mentions various kingdom located along it.
Details of the route can be worked out on the basis of references in
the Vinaya Pitaka and jatakas.
The Uttarapath had a northern and southern sector.
• The Northern Sector: Northern sector ran through Lahore, Jalandhar,
Saharanpur along the Gangetic plains to Bijnor, and then through
Gorakhpur, towards Bihar and Bengal.

10. Cont….
• The Southern Sector: Southern sector connected Lahore, Raiwind,
Bhatinda, Delhi, Hastinapur, Kanpur, Lucknow, Varanasi and
Allahabad, and then moved on towards Pataliputra and Rajagriha.
 There were many feeder routes connected to the main artery of
the Uttarapath. For instance, one connected with it Rajasthan (and
important source of metal and minerals), another with Sindh, and
yet another to the Orissa Coast.
 The Uttarapath was a land-cum-river route. Buddhist text refer to
the riverine movement of traders and goods along the Ganga. The
distribution of many ancient cities along this river and its tributaries –
especially the Yamuna, Ghaghara and the Sarayu suggest that
rivers formed major communication routes.

11. Cont….
The Ashtadhyayi and jatakas mention ferries. But movements
across land were clearly also important . Buddhist texts
frequently talk of caravans of traders moving along land routes
and Buddhist monks too moved mainly on foot.

12. Cont….
Dakshinapath: Dakshinapath (“the Great Southern Trade Routes”) is
mentioned in the Arthashahtra, but from operational from the early
historic pd. It stretched from Pataliputra in Magadh to Pratishthan
(Paithan) and was also connected to Ports on the western coast.
Although there are several references to trans-vindhyan regions in
Buddhist texts, and more so in the Mahabharat and Ramayan.
Buddhist texts refer to merchants travelling from Pataliputra and
Kaushambi to Pratishthan. The Sutta Nipat tells the story of Bavari, a
teacher of Koshala, who built a hermitage on the banks of the
Godavari in Assak and sent his disciples on a mission to meet the
Buddha. They travelled through Pratishthan, Ujjaiyini, Vidisha and on
to Shravasti.
The Physician Jivaka moved along the Dakshinapatha on his way
to Avanti.

13. Cont….
The Vindhyas provided iron, copper and various types of stone to
settelments in the Ganga Valley, and these raw materials must have
moved along the northern sector of the Dakshinaptha. Trade and
interaction along this route increased in subsequent centuries.

14. Cont….
 Buddhist texts talks of caravanas with 1,000 carts moving from one
Janapadas to another, passing through described areas. There is
mention of caravanas paying tolls and taxes to the King’s men.
Customs officials (kammikas) levied taxes on merchandise.
 There are stories of robbers who waylaid traders and monks moving
along the roads that connected the big cities. It was the job of
royal officials known as rajabhatas to safeguard the lives and
property of such travelers.
 During the Mauryan pd, roads were marked with sign-boards
nothing turnings and distances at intervals.

15. River Trade Routes:
 Rivers routes were also very popular. Ganga, Yamuna, Saryu, Son,
Gandaki, Koshi, Krishna, Tungabhadra, Mahanadi, Godavari and
Kaverietc. were also utilized for trade and navigational purposes.
 there were important river ports in the country. Heavy transportation
was carried only mainly through rivers. During Mauryan pd, Chunar
sand stone pillars were transported through rivers. The river ports were
connected with trade centres on the land.
 Panini mentioned about various type of Boats and ships. Navigation
was in a highly advanced stage during Mauryan pd. as well as
Gupta pd. Ganga was the most important inland water way.

16. External Trade Routes:
 The internal trade routes joined the external routes, which linked the
subcontinent with other areas. Overland routes connecting Taxila
with north Afganistan and Iran were important for obtaining raw
materials such as silver, gold, lapis-lazuli and jade. There may have
been a long-distance trade in fine wood between India nad
Mesopotamia.
 The central Asia route had been important from Neolithic times
onwards. The route via the Bolan pass and through north Afganistan
was also important. Cities such as Taxila and Charsada were an
international trade centres and established commercial relation
between India and the Western world.
 The routes into India from the north-west were followed not only by
traders but also by invading Persian and Macedonian armies as
well as central Asian tribes.

17. Cont….
 The route from Bengal to Myanmar was also probably important,
and jade may have been an import from the latter region.
 Sea travel and trade are mentioned in the Pali canon. The
Anguttar Nikaya refers to sea merchants who had a bird abroad
their ship to sight land. The jatakas contain many account of sea
voyages. Maritime time trade with south-east Asia also began in
the early historic period.
 Expansion of trade led to the emergence of traders as an
important urban group. It was no doubt because of their
economic affluence that Buddhist texts describe vanijja (trade)
as one of the high occupations.

18. Major Trade Routes in
Ancient India

19. Trade Routes in South
India

20. Major Routes Connecting Asia, Europe and Africa

22. Travel route of Xuanzang,
Xuanzang travelled China
to India, through Trade
routes