About hampi,surat and masulipatnam

Surat:

1. Surat, in Gujarat, is situated on the bank of River Tapti. It was an important port and trading town during the medieval period.
2. Surat was a commercial town. According to Duarte Barbosa, ships from many countries docked at Surat.
3. During the reign of the Mughals, Surat became a very important commercial city, famous for all types of textiles, particularly cotton textiles. Fine cotton with ‘Zari’ borders were produced by the craftsmen. These were exported to the markets in West Asia and Europe.
4. The English set up a trading post in Surat in 1612. They were followed by the Dutch and the French
5. The location of Surat also helped it to prosper. Ships carrying Haj pilgrims to Mecca set sail from here.
6. Realizing its importance, the Portuguese merchants tried to control trade in Surat.
7. Surat enjoyed great prosperity between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. Shivaji plundered it twice, in 1664 and 1670.
8. With the decline of the Mughal Empire and the rise of Bombay (now Mumbai) as a major port and administrative centre, Surat declined in importance. Today Surat is a major centre of diamond trade.

Masulipatnam is situated on the bank of river Krishna. It was founded in the fourteenth century. It was a port town. It was also called Machilipatnam because the gateway to the town was decorated with the eyes of a fish (Machili).

1. Masulipatnam was a production centre of the fine chintz, which was in much demand in the markets of South-east Asia.
2. Masulipatnam was and even today is famous for its Kalamkari work. The word Kalam means pen and Kari means work. It refers to a method of painting with natural and vegetable dyes on to cotton and silk fabric with a bamboo pen.
3. Masulipatnam was a major trading center for Kalamkari textiles. These textiles were exported to the Safavid Empire in Persia.

Hampi an important town:

1. Hampi is situated on the bank of River Tungabhadra, in Karnataka. It was the capital of the mighty Vijyanagar Empire. It was chosen as the capital because of its strategic location. Hampi had Tungabhadra river on one side and was surrounded by cliffs on the other three sides.
2. Hampi was an important centre of the cotton and spice trade.
3. In fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, European merchants used to buy these goods from the rich markets of Hampi.
4. Hampi also traded with Persia, Arabia, Burma (now Myanmar), China and numerous islands in Indian Ocean.
5. Traders from faraway lands visited Hampi from time to time to buy and sell goods.
6. Hampi was well fortified city. It also had many beautiful temples. The rulers used the money from trade to build temples.
7. After the battle of Talikota, Hampi fell into decline. Trade continued but the town lost its importance.