Page 33 - Lohgarh

Lohgarh : The Largest Fort of the World w 33

kingdom he had built Lohgarh Fort and many Fortresses in this area).
Lakhi Rai Vanjara had more than fifty thousand bull-carts, three to four
hundred thousand camels, elephants, horses, oxen and mules and other
livestock and he had a number of youth as his workers. Lakhi Rai Vanjara
used to deal in livestock like camels, elephants, horses, oxen, buffaloes,
goats and mules as well as grains, lentils, salt, spices, clothes (especially
silk), wool, fleece, building construction material (stones, marble, lime,
etc.), defense goods (weapons, armors, saddles, stirrups) and bills of
exchange (for State, rich people, traders). It is believed that these tandas
(trade caravans) used to transport 1.5 million tons of goods in one round.
The Mughal currency and system, both were used for business purposes
by him. 6 His trade caravan used to travel between Sri Lanka and
Samarkand and Yaarkand (Central Asia). This trade caravan used to be
in movement through out the year around (except hot summer and
rainy days). He constructed hundreds of drinking water ponds & wells
in Uttar Pradesh & Central India.
In the seventeenth century, the Mughal Empire became the richest
economy of the world and the GDP of the Indian sub-continent reached
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the highest level and it controlled 24.4% of the world’s economy. The
Vanjaras being trading community played a significant role in raising
the economic status of Mughals and being a trading community also
helped in developing new market of products. Moreover the Vanjaras
were nomadic and travelled through the country for the supply of goods.
Their knowledge and trading skills helped in increasing their trade and
gradually the Vanjaras became the richest community in the nation.
The Vanjara had disowned Varna system long ago and class category
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was established in tanda’s management system. A man was classified
on the basis of duties performed and the prescribed status was not
given any importance in the Vanjara culture.
Lakhi Rai Vanjara had eight sons: Nigahia, Hem Chand, Haarhi, Heera,
Pundia, Bakhshi, Bala and Jawahar. All of them were a part of the army
of Guru Gobind Singh and Banda Singh Bahadur. From among these
Jawahar (later Jawahar Singh) embraced martyrdom in the battle of
Fategarh Fort, Anandpur (on 30 August 1700), Hema (later Hem Singh)