Manigiramam, or manigramam, typically refers to a medieval merchant guild, organised by itinerant ethnic Indian traders, primarily active in south India.Noburu Karashmia (ed.), ''A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations.'' New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2014. 136-144. Along with the ainurruvar (the Ayyavole Five Hundred) and the anjuvannam (the anjuman), the manigiramam played a major role in the commercial activities of the region.Noburu Karashmia (ed.), ''A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations.'' New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2014. 136. Unlike the anjuvannam which was confined to the port-towns of south India, the manigramam is found both in the port-towns and in the hinter-land trade centres. A body of merchants known as "the Vaniggrama" or "Vaniyagrama" attest its presence in north India as early as first century BC. They appear in a Karle inscription (first century BCE), a charter of king Vishnusena from

Kathiawad Kathiawar () is a peninsula, near the far north of India's west coast, of about bordering the Arabian Sea. It is bounded by the Gulf of Kutch in the northwest and by the Gulf of Khambhat (Gulf of Cambay) in the east. In the northeast, it is ...

(6th century CE) and in a Sanjeli charter of king

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(6th century CE). Records of activities of manigramam in South India are visible from the 5th century CE. The first reference to manigiramam is found in two copper plate grants from south Karnataka (from Melekote, Tumkur and from Hassan district), both datable to the 5th century CE. The Melekote charter records a grant of land to a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

shrine. The

Quilon Syrian copper plates Kollam/Quilon Syrian copper plates, also known as Kollam Tarisappalli copper plates, or Kottayam inscription of Sthanu Ravi, or Tabula Quilonensis record a royal grant issued by the chieftain of Kollam (Ayyan Adikal) to a Syrian Christian mer ...

, of 9th century CE, also attests the presence of the manigiramam representatives.Narayanan, M. G. S. ''Perumāḷs of Kerala.'' Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 277, 278 and 295. It seems that by the 9th century the manigramam had become interested in ocean trade too and collaborated with the anjuvannam (the anjuman) on the western coast. A Tamil inscription from

Takua Pa Takua Pa ( th, ตะกั่วป่า, ) is a district (''amphoe'') in Phang Nga province in south Thailand. Geography The district is on the Andaman Sea coast. To the north of the district is Si Phang Nga National Park. The southern part ...

(9th century CE) in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

refers to a manigiramam guild.Noburu Karashmia (ed.), ''A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations.'' New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2014. 136-138. From the early 10th century the ainurruvar (the Ayyavole Five Hundred) expanded as the superior guild of merchants of south India. The manigiramam and anjuvannam were incorporated later into the ainurruvar. The ainurruvar, in and after the 12th century CE, acted as an "umbrella organization" to cover all other merchant guilds.{{Cite journal, last=Y. Subbarayalu, date=2015-06-01, title=Trade guilds of south India up to the tenth century, journal=Studies in People's History, language=en, volume=2, issue=1, pages=21–26, issn=2348-4489

References

Society of India Guilds in India Economic history of India Indian merchants

See also

References