Volume 2 Issue 3 | 2025 | View PDF
Paper Id:IJMSM-V2I3P103
doi: 10.71141/30485037/V2I3P103

The Rise and Fall: An Inside Look at Odisha’s Trade and Village Economy

Sonali Panigrahi

Citation:
Sonali Panigrahi, "The Rise and Fall: An Inside Look at Odisha’s Trade and Village Economy" International Journal of Multidisciplinary on Science and Management, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 20-28, 2025.

Abstract:
Orissa, being situated on the shore of the Bay of Bengal from time immemorial, had her reputation as a sea-faring country. This privilege in the field of maritime activity gave life to the trade and industries of Orissa and her people established their supremacy in field of trade and commerce. This development in the field of trade and commerce compelled the merchants of Orissa to search for a market. At last, they were able to establish markets in Java, Sumatra, Siam, Burma and some other places, then colonized these places. This maritime trade with Indian archipelago and other islands brought huge amount of wealth to ancient Orissa which helped the trade and industries of Orissa to a great extent. By the time the Mughuls conquered Orissa, the Europeans were laying the foundation of their trade centre in this country. The Europeans who first had their trading settlement on the coast of Orissa were the Portuguese. They obtained a permission from Pratapamdradeva to trade in Orissa in 1514. This paper shows how The Maratha Government used to collect a good deal of revenue from the zamindars as well as from salt-traders and the introduction of salt monopoly by English in Bengal highly affected the export of salt from Orissa to Bengal. Salt in Bengal had an adverse effect on the economic life of the Maratha territories of Orissa. During the period of the Marathas created a crisis in the indigenous industries and disrupted the village economy of Odisha.

Keywords: Manufacture, Money, Monopoly, Ports, Revenue, Salt trade, Village economy.

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