indian shopping arcade in Astrakhan, 17 century

by Katrina Peshakova

Once Indian Street (now Volodarskiy Street) in Astrakhan capivated the local citizens, bringing them into an unknow world, filled with odour of incenses and spices, with silk, gold, gems.... The Indian men are hot-tempered and noisy, their Tatar wives – dressed in expensive sari, jingling with bangles, and resembling the Indian women so much.... There also were the Armenians as well as the Persians, but the Indians, who created their own microworld, their own small Universe in a foreign country, attracted more than the others. To walk along the rows of stalls with exotic fruits, bright garlands, expensive utensils, decorated by hand with intricate tracery; to look into the eyes of women, changed after they began to be dyed with antimony; to listen to the story of a Tatar women about the playful children and about unusual pagan ceremonies of her Indian husband, who worships his foreign deity in the morning and in the evening, - this is, what attracted not only merchants, who wished to resell the strange goods a guick as possible and at a higher price, but also ordinary people to this place.There is no common point of view on the time when the Indians appeared in Astrakhan. In specialized literature one can see the date 1615-1616 more often. However, anoher opinion exists: this even should be related to the 60-s of XVI century. In any event, instead of wooden rows of stalls, yet existing in XVI century, in 1625 “The Persians, the Armenians and the Indians built.... shopping arcades: Armenian, Persian and Indian ones, made of stone according to the Asian tradition, not far from the Spasskiy cloister”, as the Kluycharevskaya chronicle narrates. The shopping arcades were on the territory of Beliy town.The Russian goverment encouraged in every possible way the arrival of Asian merchants in Russia, creating favourable conditions for them. So, they had the right to be sued according to laws of their country, they had freedom of conscience and freedom of religious rites. The Indians settled in Astrakhan substantially. They paid the smallest rent – 12 rubbles a year from each store, they were released from any other dueties and obligations. They brought goods from Persi, Bukhara, India. It was silk, cotton fabric, furs, copper, leathers, carpets, wool, gems, fruits, wines, frunkincense, gold and silver. The Indians traded not only in Astrakhan but also in oter cities of Russia. From Moscow, Yaroslavl, Kazan they brought goods to East.Solidarity, resourcefulness and commercial streak of Indian people contributed much to their success in trade. They owned more than a half of stores in Astrakhan, which constituted an indivisible ebterprise. Some were busy with money-lending. However, according to information, in 1746 out of 76 Indians only 2 were money-lenders. 60 Indians were merchants, 12 were paupers-ascetics. For example, Lazharam Bindrabanov, Narinov’s son, who “is not a merchant, and takes his food like a beggar from his Indian brothers”. To the total number we shall also add a clerk, the “cooks” and a Brahmin Baliba Mingaraliev.In its time an architect Digbiy from Astrakhan described the Indian shopping arcade: along the trade stores on its territory there were situated a “vazhnya” (a room for weighing the goods), barns, sheds, stockrooms, stables, cow-sheds, kitchens, dining rooms, bath-houses, and “Their church, which is called kumirnitsa”.No doubt, most mercants, who came from India were the Hindu. Not only evidence of a historian Yan Polotsky, who visited Astrakhan in 1797, tells about this fact (“Most of Indians, living in Astrakhan came from Multan. They have Brahmins, the repentant, water from the Gang, in one word, everything that is related to their religion. I saw them praying to Vishnu.There is some external magnificence in their divine service, how only place and circumstances may lat.... They often buy birds and release them, feed dogs, running along the streets, and in general they show great attachment to animals..... They are think happy, if they have a dress of darc green or scarlet colour, the two colours they like greatly. When they die, their bodies are committed to the flames, the ashes are sent to India”), but also the archive documents mentioning among the Indians only one Moslem – Mammet Abubecov in 1746.It shoul be mentioned, that not all Hindus after in 1683 cremation was allowed managed to transport ash to the motherland – in most cases it was buried ih the eastern outlaying district of Kulskovskiy mound. Today this mound has a name of Parobichev and is situated in the center of the city. There is no even trace left from its faraway there.It is known that during Stepan Razin’s rebellion in 1671-1672 the stores of the Hindus were ravaged. The lical citizen – Tatars saved them from death. In Tatar villages the Indians had been living for about two years and already then mixed marriages began to appear. Coming single in Astrakhan, the Indians married local women – Tatars. Children born in such a union got the name – agrizhanskie Tatars. Some Indians took out Russian citizenship. According to the data of 1746, out of 53 people 6 had been living in Astrakhan for more than 20 years, 12 people – for more than 10 years. Others like Mamed Volaev, Kurban Aliev adopted Christianity. In 1760 the head of the Indian shopping arcade Lachiram Gulabriev reported in provincial chancellery, that 4 Indians lived in the Tatar jurts with their families and are Russian citezens.Agrizhanskaya sloboda where descendants of the Indians and Astrakhan women lived was formed at the end of XVII century. Some of them were merchants when the others just worked. Several agrizhanskiy families lived in Bukharskiy yard. By the middle of the XIX century agrizhansky Tatars flew together with gilyanskiy and buharskiy Tatars (desendants of Armenians and Persians). They started to have “common religion, language, customs and traditions”, everybody practiced Islam. They remained a special social group – “The Tatars of three arcades” – till the 60-s of XIX century. Their population by that time was 740 people. Later they assimilated with yurtovskiy Tatars, and now it is hardly possible to fined out their origin.While living in Astrakhan the Indians enriched the state treasure successfully, not always, however, keeping to the letter of the law. Up to now, there is kept a “Case about accusation of Indian merchants Diaramov M., Multaneev A. And others of selling false gems to Denibekov R” in the State Astrakhan archive. It lasted for 22 years (since 4 Desember 1767 till 25 October 1789) and included 450 pages. Often the cases discussed in court were finally solved peacefully and closed. So happened, for example, with “Case about the collection of money from an Indian Lagiramov to an Armenian Zurabov”: the plaintiff and the defendant “having talked to each other peacefully and without entering the court any more, become reconciled”. There are cases known when Indians acted as victims: “Case about collection of 1558 rubles according to the bill of exchange by an Indian merchant Multaneev from the kalmitskiy governor Albiev”, “Case about the collection of 50 rubles according to the bill of exhange by a Indian T. Razhirzmov from the Tatar Sh.Isaev”, “Declaration of an Indian merchant Makitaliev about the complaint to the Astrakhan merchant” and so on. In “Case about illegal collection of money by the Asian and Armenian court from an Indian merchant Mengradov” the following story is described. “Last 1760 year, when I was in Persia in the city Pashsn there happened to be the merchant Parvan there” – Armenian Mikhailov writes in his complaint. This merchant asked Mikhailov to lend him 400 rubles to buy goods and promised him to retern the money. Mikhailov found the money and gave ve Parvan, who having got money and having spent it for goods, forgot about his promise. Dieing Parvan left his property to the Indian merchunt Kishnadas Mengradov. Mikhailov demsnded from Kishanadas to pay the debt and brought an action against him. But court decided the demand of Mikhailov to be illegal.By the middle of XVIII century the shopping arcade had 78 stores, and the merchants mostly sold goods, bought in Kazan and Moscow.Active trade of foregin merchants began with time to infringe upon interests of growing Russian trade class. Displeased with such state of affairs the Russian merchants started to send complaints into state chancellery, saying that foreigners “hinder them in trade and offend them”. And by the middle of XVIII they managed to achieve some restrictions for the foreigners: since 1754 the eastern merchants had to pay 10% of duty beside the tax in case of trade outside Astrakhan. They were forbiddent to by goods anywhere in Russia except in Astrakhan.Political situation in Persia also plaeyd its role in the decrease of trade activity of Indian merchants. In the second part of XVIII century there started an internal war there. The economy of the country was undermined, trade bonds with other countries were weakend. This resulted in the drop of external trade scales, going through Astrakhan and in its turn it influenced welfare of Indian merchants. In their complaint in 1750 they wrote that as the trade between Persia and India was stopped, and as they were forbidden to trade inside Russia, they “lived in proverty, debts and pettiness”. They tried to achiev cancellation of this prohibition, but there was no reply to the complaint receved. There is a supposal, that having not received an official permission for internal trade, the Indian merchants made an attempt to renew it. But by the end of the XVIII century the scale of Indian trade constituted only one third of the volume characteristic for last years. Indian merchants lost their former positions, and their commercial activity was of limited character. By the first decades of XIX century the historical sources do not mention about the Indian merchants like about concurrent units, although the community yet exist. That time many of the Indians are busy with money-lending.In 1803 the government gives the trade house ti the Indians on conditions that they would build a new one. A two-storied shopping arcade was constructed for the means of Sabr Mogundasov, the rich merchant, who took out Russian citizenship. Some rooms were rented. This shopping arcade still exists in Astrakhan in the Volodarskiy Street. Nowadays the former Indian trade arcade is a dwelling house with numerous annexes. They changed completely the initial look of the building. Internal verandas with arched windows, as is customary in East, now look otherwise: balcony area disappeared, and the arch embrasure itself turned into a glazed window. The lower rooms, which, obviously, served as stocks are walled-up and turned into flats. Becouse of new constructions the yard is now much less than earlier, but like in former times it adjoins the Armenian trade arcade.The quanity of Indian merchants decreased progressively and after British domination was established in India they stopped coming to Astrakhan. In the Indian community the quanity of poor people increased and by 40-s of XIX century even they disappeared.Only about 5 Indians live today in Astrkhan, says one of hem, director of a large shop Malik Tushar Kanty. They keep with Indian diaspora in Russia only friendly relations.