Merchants often had strong community or kin ties and were organized into their own caste-cum-occupational bodies. In western India, these groups were called as:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Mahajans
In western India the caste-cum-occupational bodies of merchants were called mahajans; their chief was the sheth, and in cities such as Ahmedabad the chief of the whole merchant community was the nagarsheth.
NCERT (2025-26): “6.2 A more complex social reality … Merchants often had strong community or kin ties, and were organised into their own caste-cumoccupational bodies. In western India these groups were called mahajans, and their chief, the sheth. In urban centres such as Ahmedabad the mahajans were collectively represented by the chief of the merchant community who was called the nagarsheth.…” |