SST PROJECT

DIFFERENT TYPES OF CITIES IN INDIA

TEMPLE TOWNS

•Thanjavur is also an example of a

temple town. Temple towns
represent a very important pattern
of urbanisation, the process by
which cities develop.
•Towns emerged around temples
such as those of Bhillasvamin
(Bhilsa or Vidisha in Madhya
Pradesh), and Somnath in Gujarat.
Other important temple towns
included Kanchipuram and Madurai
in Tamil Nadu, and Tirupati in
Andhra Pradesh.
•Pilgrimage centres also slowly
developed into townships.
Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh) and
Tiruvannamalai (Tamil Nadu) are
examples of two such towns
ADMINISTRATIVE CENTRE
Administrative Centres and Towns
•The best example is Thanjavur.
•During the reign of Chola Dynasty (King
Rajaraja Chola), its capital was Thanjavur.
•Architect Kunjaramallan Rajaraja
Perunthachchan built Rajarajeshwara
Temple.
•Besides the temple, there were palaces
with mandapas or pavilions. where kings
hold court here and issue order to
subordinates.
•The Saliya weavers of Thanjavur and the
nearby town of Uraiyur were busy
producing cloth for flags to be used in
the temple festival, fine cottons for the
king and nobility and coarse cotton for
the masses.
•Some distance away at Svamimalai, the
sthapatis or sculptors were making
exquisite bronze idols and tall,
ornamental bell metal lamps.
PILIMIGRAGE CENTRE
Tirumala, the adobe of Lord Sri Venkateswara (also
known as Balaji – an incarnation of Lord Vishnu), is
situated in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.
Tirumala Balaji Temple is one of the most celebrated
pilgrimage sites in India and it attracts millions of
devotees every year. The Tirumala Tirupati Balaji
Temple is situated atop the Tirumala Hills which
consists of seven peaks known as Sapthagiri at an
altitude of 3,200 feet. The temple of Lord
Venkateswara was built by the Tamil king
Thondaimaan. It is considered as the world’s richest
temple with an estimated annual income of over 300
crores.

The Tirumala shrine is a masterpiece of Dravidian

architecture. The main sanctum contains 2 m high
standing idol of Venkateswara on a lotus flanked by
his consorts Bhudevi and Sridevi. The most striking
feature of the awe-inspiring black idol is its fabulous
diamond crown, which is said to be the most
precious single ornament in the world. The
Sanctorum ‘Ananda Nilayam’ has a glittering gold
covered Vimana and gold covered gates. Apart from
the main temple, other tourist places on Tirumala
hills include Akasa Ganga, Srivari Padalu, Chakra
Theertham, Papavinasam, Shilatoranam, etc. There
are several attractions in Tirupati town along with
Kanipakam, Srinivasa Mangapuram, Tiruchanur,
Talakona Falls, Srikalahasti, etc.
PORT TOWNS
Surat
•It was an emporium of western trade
during the Mughal period along with
Cambay (present Khambat).
•Surat was the gateway for trade with
West Asia via the Gulf of Ormuz. Surat
has also been called the gate to Mecca
because many pilgrim ships set sail from
here.
•In the 17th century the Portuguese,
Dutch and English had their factories
and warehouses at Surat.
•The textiles of Surat were famous for
their gold lace borders (zari) and had a
market in West Asia, Africa and Europe.
•Decline factors: the loss of markets
and productivity, control of the sea
routes by the Portuguese, competition
from Bombay where the English East
India Company shifted its headquarters
in 1668.
Commercial town
Vidisha, Bhilsa or Besanagar:

Situated on the western bank of the river

Bctwa in Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh,
Vidisha or Besanagar finds frequent mention
in ancicnt Indian literature and foreign
accounts.

Its economic prosperity was due to its

advantageous location on the cross-roads of
two important trade routes -one of which ran
from Pratishthan to Mahismati, Ujjain and
Kosambi, while the other connected
Bharukach­chha and Suparaka on the Arabian
Sea to Mathura via Ujjain.

Substantial merchandise used to be carried

over on these routes, which gradually made
Vidisha one of the richest cities of ancient
India. The economic prosperity of Vidisha
was retained till the days of the imperial
Guptas, be­cause Kalidasa in his Meghadoot
refers to Vidisha as a place where everybody
gets wealth to his heart’s content.