ABSTRACT
This chapter concentrates on small merchant communities under the Marathas to explore small merchants in towns and their relationship with political authority. It considers the role of merchant communities in the local economy of western India. The chapter discusses Uchapat, lending and financial support for the local government and also Qasba Indapur's commercial, agricultural, financial and cultural undertakings. Artisans and traders in Qasba Indapur were divided into three groups. The first group was that of the traditional twelve servants called bara-balutedars, who paid balute. The second group consisted of artisans other than these twelve servants, who paid mohtarfa for their professions as artisans. The third group was made up of merchants, who paid mohtarfa for their commercial activities. Gujars, wanis and weavers kept shops in the rural area. It is found from the accounts that wanis, gujars and weavers were merchants in the rural area of Qasba Indapur.
