TRADE AND COMMERCE IN MEDIEVAL INDIA: A CASE STUDY OF PORT OF LAHARI BANDAR WITH ESPECIAL REFERENCE TO EUROPEAN TRAVELERS' ACCOUNT

Ports are the vehicles par excellence for transactions. Since time immemorial, ports have been gateways for the exchange of goods, people and ideas. River routes facilitated trade between different parts of the country. Boats carrying goods used to ply on the Indus and the Ganges. Some of the merchants had their own large boats. Maritime history is connected with the actions linked to the oceans and seas, for several eras’ right from the earliest times till date. Maritime history of India has been really very important in the development of trade enriching the economy of the country. The effectiveness of a port is important in international trade since a seaport is the nerve of foreign trade of a country. The sea ports of Sind played a key role in its history. They not only broke isolation of the country and brought it in to contact with remote countries but also promoted its business activities, developed its trade and industry, and provided opportunities to soak up the foreign culture.