An Analysis of Trade and Trade Routes in Jammu and Kashmir with Focus on Dogra Ruling Period

Abstract

Trade since century’s weather it is land route or sea route has been an important means for a state not only to export goods and earn hard currency but also to connect with people of other places and regions. For this purpose, routes play an important role in facilitating the system of trade. Since, Jammu and Kashmir is a land locked region, only land routes were used to facilitate its trade with other regions. Due to its mountainous topography, the availability of such routes traversing these difficult terrains were in large number for conducting both inter and intra-regional trade. Traders and caravans through these routes exported and imported varied number of good ranging from salt, sugar, saffron, shawls, rice, walnuts, raw silk, oil, poppy etc which were in a great demand in these regions like in major towns and cities of Srinagar, Jammu, Anantnag, Leh, Gilgit etc. Therefore, our research intends to study it and the important patterns followed weather it is regarding the use of important routes, popular goods exported and imported during the reign of the Dogra rulers.