Urban settlements are densely populated areas with developed infrastructure where people live and work. Economic opportunities, administrative duties, trade, and social or cultural significance all contribute to their emergence. Public institutions, housing, markets, transportation networks, and organized layouts are all common features of urban settlements. As centers of innovation, governance, trade, and education, they are essential to the growth of the region. Urban settlement development over time is a reflection of broader shifts in the economy, society, and technology.

A significant portion of the UGC NET History syllabus covers India's social and economic history, and each year's exams include one or two questions from this section. So, In this article, we will look into the meaning and examples of Urban Settlements for the UGC NET History Exam.

In this article the readers will be able to know about the following:

• What Is Urban Settlement?
• Early Medieval Indian Urban Settlement Patterns
• Characteristics of Urban Settlements

What Is Urban Settlement?

Gordon Childe's "Urban Revolution" concept is among the earliest attempts to define urban settlement. The presence of such people who were not involved in food production (rulers, artisans, and merchants), as well as the cultivation of art, science, and writing, were cited by him as important characteristics to designate an urban settlement. Furthermore, Childe strongly emphasized craft experts' existence and agricultural surplus's contribution to support non-food producers residing in urban settlements.

A new socioeconomic structure based on land grants emerged during Early Medieval India. During the seventh and the twelfth centuries, the progressive expansion of agriculture and the agricultural economy through land grants affected the development of urban settlements. The pattern of the creation and expansion of urban settlements varies greatly across regions in a large country like India. 

Let's talk about some significant variations.

Transformation From Rural To Urban Settlements

The Brahmadeyas and devadanas, regarded as significant contributors to the formation of rural-urban settlements in the early medieval period, served as the foundation for urban development. The villages of Brahmans and temples were grouped in certain agriculturally productive locations. Those centres, which were initially rural, developed became hubs for the metropolitan economy.

Instances of growth of urban settlement may be found in South India and date to the eighth and ninth centuries. Between the ninth and twelfth centuries, the Chola metropolis of Kumbakonam (Kudamukku-Palaiyarai) evolved from rural to multi-temple urban settlements. Another prominent example of such an urban settlement is Kanchipuram.

Trading and Market Centres

As markets and trade centres (fairs, etc.) that served as major hubs of the exchange network, urban settlements of relatively modest size also began to appear in the early medieval centuries. 

Remote agrarian and regional commerce hinterlands were among the hinterlands with which these centres interacted. Some organizations also operated outside of their local borders. However, the early medieval urban settlement was largely anchored in their regional contexts. The nagaram of South India, for which Tamil Nadu provides significant supporting evidence, and the existence of nakhara and nagaramu in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, respectively, serve as the finest examples of this.

For the nadu or Kurram, an agricultural or peasant area, the nagaram served as the market. Due to the Nadu's need for exchange, some of them developed. All of South India's regions share the characteristic of having a sizable number of such centres founded by ruling families or were formed with royal approval and given their rulers' names. These centres ended in pura or pattana.

The Nagarams, situated along major trade routes and at their intersections, became a more significant trading and economic hubs. The itinerant merchant organizations and the royal ports were eventually integrated into a domestic, international, and intra-regional commerce network. 

Peninsular India constantly grew in this direction between the tenth and the twelve centuries. During these centuries, South India was integrated into the larger commerce network, eventually including South Asia, Southeast Asia, China, and Arab nations. 

The nagarams connected the ports and the inland political, administrative, and craft centres. Nagarams began to develop in Karnataka more as trade hubs than as traditional marketplaces for rural areas. But one thing that all of these nagarams have in common is that they all gained a basic agricultural hinterland for the non-producing urban groups that reside there. The nagaram assembly, commanded by a chief merchant called Pattanasvami, managed the markets in these centres.

Rajasthan and the western regions of Madhya Pradesh have experienced a comparable development of trade and market centres. The exchange centres were situated near the bases of agricultural output or in areas with concentrations of rural hamlets. These centres served as sites of intersection for different types of traffic in Rajasthan, creating a certain level of hierarchy. 

The network was further developed with successive generations of well-known merchant families expanding during the eleventh and twelve centuries. They bear the names of their home countries, for example, Osawala (Osia) and Shrimalis (Bhirimal), Khandelvalas and Pallivalas, etc. The growth of these merchant families allowed for the integration of resource bases, major resource movement routes, and exchange hubs. 

The main trade routes between Gujarat, Central India, and the Ganges valley were supplied by Rajasthan. Such connections were kept up through cities like Pali, which linked Central and North India with seashore cities like Dvaraka and Bhrigukachcha (Broach).

Early historic ports or emporiums like Bhrigukachcha (Broach) continued to thrive as centres of trade in the early medieval periods in Gujarat, which was still the main commercial location of Western India due to the predominance of Jain merchants. Another notable town in Rajasthan was Bayana, a junction for several distinct routes.

Kerala established agreements with Western nations and international traders like Jews, Christians, and Arabs, who were granted trading cities under exclusive royal charters. Coastal towns like Kolikkodu, Kollam, and others developed as hubs for South Asian trade. The Anjuvannan and Arab horse traders, two such commercial groups, were situated nearby, which increased the significance of coastal towns in Kerala and Karnataka.

Weaving centres were established in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu due to interregional trade. Several early historic urban phase craft and commercial centres persisted into the early medieval era. It was included in re-urbanization processes that connected them to fresh socioeconomic institutions like the temple.

Religious Centres

Due to the growth of the Bhakti religion during the early medieval era, the concept of pilgrimage to religious sites emerged. The network of pilgrims was occasionally limited to the particular cultural area where a cult centre attained an exalted status. Nonetheless, such cult centres later evolved into sacred tirthas and drew followers from many places.

• Due to a migratory pilgrim population, trade, and royal sponsorship, both pilgrimage centres developed urban traits. Historians are now widely acknowledging the contribution of rising markets to the expansion of tirthas.
• Pushkara, in Rajasthan, close to Ajmer, was a revered tirtha with significant local Vaishnava associations.
• Due to its higher antiquity and significance as a Brahmanic religious centre, Kasi (Banaras) developed a pan-Indian character. Kanchipuram became a part of an all-Indian network of pilgrimage centres, whereas Srirangam (Vaishnava), Chidambaram (Shaiva), Madurai (Shaiva), etc., evolved as regional pilgrimage centres in South India.
• Jain pilgrimage centres were established in Gujarat and Rajasthan, where merchant and royal patronage encouraged the growth of Jain temples collectively in cities like Osia, Mount Abu, Palitana, etc.
• Two different types of urban settlements related to temples can be seen in South India. In the first, a single huge temple was the focus, as in Srirangam and Madurai. The second form entails the development of several temples belonging to various religions, including Shivaism, Vishnuism, and Saktism.

Royal Centres

In early medieval India, royal centres—the residences of the reigning families—represented a significant type of urban settlement. Some of them, such as the Janapadas in North India or the old polities in South India, had served as the centres of royal authority even in the early stages of history. 

Royal dynasties also built their ports, the principal entry points into their countries and connected them to global trade. As a result, the financial requirements of royal centres led to the development of new trade and communication channels and closer ties between the royal centre and its agricultural hinterlands or resource bases. Major examples include Khajuraho of the Chandellas, Dhara of the Paramaras, Kanchipuram of the Pallavas and more.

Characteristics of Urban Settlements

Urban settlements are intricate human habitats that stand out due to their developed built environment and dense population. They act as hubs for social interaction, culture, governance, and economic activity. Understanding the features of urban settlements is crucial to comprehending how cities operate and change, as well as helping to distinguish them from rural areas.

High Population Density

Compared to rural areas, urban areas have a substantially higher population density. High-rise structures, compact housing, and a greater need for infrastructure and public services are frequently the results of this population density. Additionally, it promotes cultural exchange and a variety of social interactions.

Developed Infrastructure

Transportation, electricity, water supply, sewage networks, and communication technologies are examples of the advanced infrastructure that distinguishes urban settlements. The high demand and intricate requirements of city life are supported by well-planned roads, public transportation, and utilities.

Economic Diversification

Industry, trade, services, and finance are just a few of the many economic activities that take place in cities. This diversification stimulates economic growth on a regional and national level and generates job opportunities in a variety of industries.

Social and Cultural Diversity

People from different linguistic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds congregate in urban areas, creating a lively social atmosphere. This diversity fosters tolerance, cultural innovation, and the development of vibrant urban lifestyles.

Formal Administrative and Legal Systems

Organized administrative organizations that oversee development, manage resources, and enforce the law typically oversee urban settlements. These systems coordinate urban growth, maintain order, and offer public services.

Environmental Challenges

Urban areas face environmental challenges like pollution, waste management, and pressure on natural resources because of their size and activities. Environmental regulations and sustainable urban planning are needed to address these issues.

Conclusion

In the few centuries following the Guptas' arrival, urban settlements that had fallen into despair were given a new life. Numerous towns and cities had sprung up in various parts of the Indo-Iranian subcontinent due to the revival of trade, development of new markets, distribution of political authority, and consolidation of economic power by religious establishments, with only minor variations in the relative importance of the causal factors.

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