Karkhana and artisan system (1526–1707)

Agricultural productions particularly raw material helped in the growth of industry during the medieval period. The industrial organization was of two types. One was the artisan system and the other one was the karkhana system. In the artisan system an independent artisan supplied his own capital on a small scale level and prevailed in the towns only. In the State karkhanas, the materials were supplied by the state and mostly established in the big cities e.g. Delhi, Agra etc. Infect karkhanas worked on the lines of large scale industries in which the workshop, the raw materials, the tools, and the implements were provided by the state and they produced commodities according to the taste of the owner. The needs of the state were very large. The state maintained karkhanas were set up not only in the capital but also in the provincial headquarters. On the contrary, their existence depended on the choice and taste of the emperor and the state requirements. However, they produced some fine commercial commodities by employed labour even in the declining phase. The use of agricultural labour was widespread and it was practically forced labour. Different types of industry were situated here e.g. luxury goods, war auxiliaries, metal industry, textile (cotton, wool and silk), sugar, ghee, etc. There were small scale industries also in every corner of the region to cater the local demands. Textile industry was the most important industry. The cotton industry helped the Mughals to acquire an eminent and advanced position in the market of the contemporary world. Samana and Sunam were famous for the cotton textile industry. The native process of weaving was slow and the weavers were very poor. But the peculiar feature of various industries was that the industrial skill and profession passed on from father to son. All the clothes were manufactured on handloom. The cotton textiles were produced probably everywhere both for local consumption and distant markets. The most important subsidiary industry, however, was that of dye and printing due to rich production of indigo. Sugar industry was exclusively owned by the local people and produced the best quality of refined sugar. Ghee, produced in Hisar-Firoza was sent to Delhi for the royal kitchen. The small, indigenous and popular industries were the handicrafts. The weaver, the spinner, the shoe maker, the carpenter, the smith and the blacksmith, the potter and the worker in brass and copper were seen in every village and town. Metal resources were sufficient for the metal industry. The village pottery was as old as the country itself. Earthen wares were often used than that of brass ware. Ironmongery was limited by the high cost of the metal. Leather was not a prominent industry because shoes were less commonly worn than at present times. It was rather surprising that the cotton and the silk weaving as well as the other industries became wide-spread in every household and was persuaded during the vacations from the agricultural pursuit. Growth of industry led to the growth of trade and trading centers.