ベンガル香料商人の変容 : 十六世紀の物語詩を中心に
スポンサーリンク
概要
- 論文の詳細を見る
This article inquires into the narrative court poem, Candimangal: Dhanapati upakhyan (Auspicious ballad of the Goddess Chandi: The story of a wealthy merchant), written by Mukundaram Cakrabarti at the end of 16^<th> century, which provides details about medieval trading activities conducted between Bengal and Sinhala by the gandhabaniks, a Hindu caste dealing in aromatics and other spices. The author begins by examining the title of the father figure in the poem and concludes that it corresponds with some mentions in the caste history of the gandhabaniks compiled in Bengal and Orissa around the latter half of the 15^<th> century focusing on a mythological theme suggesting their reorganization at the hands of a Hindu king. According to this history, the father may be identified as a high-ranking trader working for the Kesari kings. Although the story reflects the traditional plots of the mangalkabya (auspicious ballads) genre by having the father, a votary of Shiva, meet with many calamities, which his son overcomes through the protection of Chandi, it also lays emphasis on salvation by reciting the names of Vishnu. More importantly for this article, the poem provides a backdrop of scenes portraying trade routes in the Bay of Bengal during the 16^<th> century, which were influenced by the European powers and Gauriya Vaishnavas, a sect founded by Chaitanya. Secondly, attention is focused on the various trade goods mentioned, comparing them with goods traded during period dominated by Buddhism, especially such animals as horses, elephants and rare species. Through an examination of the trade routes, the author surmises that it was feudal lords who encouraged the gandhabaniks to expand their trading activities along the aromatic routes in order to obtain more prestige goods for themselves. However, the arrival of Portuguese traders and the rise of the Mughals during the 16^<th> century brought about significant changes in Indian Ocean commerce, causing a cessation of trade between Bengal and Sinhala. Finally, the dispute which arose within the gandhabanik community over dealing in saline earth suggests that despite their overall declining status, some gandhabaniks were still eager to pursue new commercial ventures.
- 2010-02-20