Industry:
The officials were paid according to their responsibilities, as shown by the aforementioned account. As a result, the lord of 20 villages received five times as much as the lord of ten villages. However, the concept of kula is unclear. It was most likely a large enough plot of land to support a family.
Larger businesses operated as well, though they were only managed by hired labor. During the Maurya Empire, for example, the state-owned not only spinning and weaving factories but also shops that produced arms and other military supplies.
A considerable number of craftsmen were hired daily for these worships. Individual farmers often engaged in large-scale manufacturing, and their products were well received.
The story of Saddalaputta, a potter who owned not only 501 potters workshops but also a fleet of boats in which he shipped his wares in the Gangetic valley, is told in Jain texts. Other references about large-scale output by individuals are also available, although the number of these references is restricted.
Workers’ cooperatives were potentially also present. Various founders specialized in different branches of these co-operatives, which were based on the concept of separation of labour. Specific co-operative partners were bound by a bond, and any breach of the contract’s conditions was punishable in various ways according to the law books.
The artisans sold their wares directly to the customer. Typically, each trade or craft was centred in a certain area, and products were sold from stalls set up in the home itself. These artisans also paid visits to the buyers’ homes to sell their wares. The guilds (sreni), a type of industrial organisation, governed and managed the prices.
These guilds set out the laws of labour and wages, as well as the conditions and rates for the goods that their members worked with. The rules set down by the guilds have been upheld by the King and the Parliament.
An individual who disobeyed the guild’s rules may be excluded from the guild and barred from practicing his ancestral trade. As a result, guilds played a significant part in economic control.
Against the fact that the guilds flourished during the time of the Buddhist scriptures, there are slight references to their presence in Vedic literature dating back to the Vedic period. These guilds were mostly found in India’s major cities and included nearly all trades and industries. It would be advantageous to have any knowledge of the guilds’ structure and roles.
The Guilds:
Since ancient times, India has had some kind of corporate or organized body of craftsmen and traders. These bodies were identified by different names, such as pain, vrata, Gana, and sresthi. Subsequently, they had come to be known as Sreni or the guild.
Some scholars have questioned whether such organized organizations existed during the Vedic period, claiming that the economic circumstances at the time were unsuitable for their proper operation.
During the Vedic period, civilization was very chaotic and dysfunctional, making it difficult for these associations of traders and craftsmen to function. It is thought that guilds arose in India sometime between the later Vedic era and the fifth century B. C., i.e. during the Dharmasutras period.
By that time, the various occupations had been organized and had formed their own rules to defend their interests. In early law texts, we find references to agriculturists’ guilds, merchants’ guilds, cattle rearers’ guilds, money-lenders’ guilds, and craftsmen’s guilds. It should be remembered, though, that there are no definitive pieces of evidence to support the guilds’ presence during this time frame.
The Jatakas have the most valuable facts about the early Guilds. The numerous Jataka tales are extremely useful in understanding how the guilds functioned at the time. According to the Jataka, there were 18 different guilds, indicating that the guild system was widely used at the time.
The Jatakas, on the other hand, only list three guilds: woodworkers, smiths, leather dressers, and painters. With the propagation of Buddhism and Jainism, the guilds grew in importance.
Both of these religious groups were heterodox sects that were in response to the Brahmans’ tyranny. Merchants and artisans, whose status under the Brahmans was precarious, lent their full support to these faiths.
The guild system was so well established in India at the time of the Arthasastra that it pleaded for special rights for them, such as reserved city quarters and special leave for guild members.
The guilds’ power can be gauged by the fact that the king lent money from them during times of austerity. Both Manu and Yajnavalkya emphasize the importance of the royal authority honouring and preserving guild rules.
Though the guilds’ primary duty was to defend their members’ rights, they also paid enough attention to the general good. The guilds established work and pay conditions, as well as the standards and prices for the goods that its members traded. The king and the government are responsible for enforcing the guilds’ rules.
A guild member who disobeyed the guild’s rules may be removed from the guild and barred from practicing his ancestral trade. In a nutshell, guilds played an important part in regulating economic activity.
It should be remembered that guilds were mostly found in India’s major cities and included nearly all trades and industries. Each guild usually had its seals with unique emblems. Many clay seals have been discovered in Basrah.
The guilds also served as bankers, accepting deposits and lending money to traders and others at profit. The guilds also served as trustees of religious endowments, supplying funds for various religious events.
Donations, membership subscriptions, and fees imposed on defaulting guild members were used to collect the funds needed to cover the expenses. Rich people sometimes left large sums of money to guilds to be used to carry out public utility works on their behalf.
One of the inscriptions found in Jannar, for example, mentions a devotee investing the proceeds from such fields with a guild for the planting of karnja and banyan trees, presumably to earn merit by assisting travellers. The ivory-carvers guild is also said to have dedicated one of the piers of the Southern Gate at Sanchi.