Question

examine why bernier described the mughal towns as 'camp towns'?

Answer 1

Around 15% of the total population during the 17th century lived in the towns. This figure (15%) on average was even larger than the proportion of people inhabiting urban centers in Western Europe during the same period. Bernier uses the term "Camp Town" to describe these urban centers; meaning that these towns owed their permanence and were dependent on the imperial camps. He argues that these camps (towns) emerged with the move in of the imperial court and declined with the move out of the imperial courts. Furthermore, he intimated that these camps did not have a viable economic and social base but were subservient on royal patronage.