Question

Short note on role of guilds in ancient India

Answer 1

This Thesis entitled 'Guilds in Ancient India: 500 B.C. to 500 A.D.' is a research on the conditions of the laboring class from the Vedic period to the Gupta age. It is divided into six chapters viz. (1) Introduction to Guilds, (2) Origin, (3) Growth, (4) Organization, (5) Functions and (6) Decline of the Guilds.

Answer 2

ncient Indian guilds are a unique and multi-faceted form of organisation, which combined the functions of a democratic government, a trade union, a court of justice and a technological institution. The trained workers of the guilds provided a congenial atmosphere for work. They procured raw materials for manufacturing, controlled quality of manufactured goods and their price, and located markets for their sale. Though seen through the Eurocentric blinkersthey have been misunderstood.