The History of Calicut - Essay Example

The experiences of Da Gama’s voyage to India mentioned in Roteiro characterized Calicut as a city rich in spices, which had a great demand in the East and the West. The valuable natural resources of Calicut are mentioned by Ibn Battuta, a traveller, in his memoir, ‘A Gift to Those who contemplate the wonders of cities and the marvels encountered in travel’. Battuta, in his experiences in Calicut, is amused by the quantity of trade carried out by the merchants from the Arab and China with a large number of ships resting at the shore. The Roteiro illustrates why the Portuguese wish direct overseas access to the rich markets of India and beyond. It was mainly because of the numerous duties and profit margin placed on spices. The invasion through the sea by Vasco Da Gama was because of the closure of land routes and expected to make more than 600,000 cruzados per year that the Sultan of Egypt enjoyed. Calicut was a commercial emporium; it was also an important centre of gemstone production. The richness in its resources bought merchants from most of the Islamic world and China which were observed by Ibn Battuta and Ma Huan. The city was largely connected to different parts of the world due to its gaining recognition as rich in spices and gems (Andrea and Overfield, 8).

Apart from its commercial activity, Battuta mentions the hospitality of Samudra Raja, honour accorded to the agents in charge of the Chinese ships who came for the purpose of trade and whose ships were resting at the harbour. It can be understood from the experiences of Battuta, the Chinese invested heavily in commerce with Calicut not only because of its resources but for the kind of protection it received from the King of Calicut. Customer satisfaction, which is considered the most important tool for the success of business in modern times, is identified by Ma Huan’s expeditions to Calicut. The ruler of Calicut understood the importance of customer satisfaction in the prosperity of their city (Andrea and Overfield, 9)

While Roteiro defines the relationship of Calicut to other parts of the world as purely commercial, Ma Huan depicts a friendly relationship between the ruler of Calicut and foreign merchants, who used to be greeted with the great ceremonial procession. The rulers of Calicut maintained a policy on religious toleration with regard to their dependence on Muslim officials and merchants during the period when bitter wars were fought between Muslim dominated sultanate of Delhi and Hindu Vijayanagara which is an example of their belief in customer satisfaction. The sources also provide evidence of peaceful business transactions taking place with the intervention of officials commissioned by rulers and often worked well. Ma Huan, further, supports the contents of Roteiro mentions that pepper production was a major staple of Calicut’s economy (Andrea and Overfield, 9).

During the periods between the 14th and 15th centuries, Calicut, a prominent trading centre, maintained good relations with its foreign traders. It is evident from the fact that though Muslims waged war against the neighbouring Vijayanagaram, they maintained cordial relationships with the rajas of Calicut where they were received well with due respect. This respect was in agreement to not hurt the religious sentiments of either religion and not to engage in any such practice which included eating the flesh of ox or pig. It is noteworthy to mention that Calicut received attention from all parts of the world due to its immense quality resources which had great demand in Europe and it was for this reason that Vasco Da Gama invaded India in 1498. Vasco Da Gama’s Roteiro, Ibn Battuta’s travel experience and Ma Huan’s expedition of Calicut identify one thing in common with Calicut i.e. the prominent trading centre and its rich resources (Andrea and Overfield, 8).

Calicut is characterized primarily as the commercial centre of India which helped the city to interact actively with other parts of the world. It was because of its trading activity that ships landed at Calicut and developed relationships with the Arabs and the Chinese apart from the Muslims, some of whom were also present in the administration of the city. Thus during the 14th and 15th centuries, Calicut emerged as a commercial centre, developed a cordial relationship with other parts of the world and faced wars from the rules of Cochin and Portuguese.