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Trade as Depicted in Jain Texts
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to the distant places but also purchased commodities from those places to be carried to home town for sale. The difficulty in organising a sartha too frequently must have prompted the sārthavāhas to take full advantage of the trip and make business in each movement. Sarthavahi : Women as caravan leaders
There is mention of a woman caravan leader, Bhadra Sātthavāhi in Anuttaropapatika Dasa Sutram, the 9th Anga of the Jaina canonical literature. It refers to the reference, "tattha nam Kagandie nagarie Bhaddā gamam sātthavāhi parivasai"11. Bhadra lived in a town named Kākandi.
She was well-versed in the art of trade and business. was very rich and led an affluent life (addha java aparibhua).12 She got thirty two big buildings constructed for her son, Dhanya Kumara and thirty two wives.13
This shows that women in ancient India took active part in business and were not far behind their male counterpart.
Kinds of Sattha' or 'Sārtha'
Though the term 'Sattha' commonly meant caravan of trade we also find mention of different kinds of caravan which too, were known as Sārtha. The texts describe five kinds of Sārtha. (i) Ghathdi Sartha - These were caravan of traders
who carried their commodities to different centres, carts or wagons for trading
purpose. 14 (ii) Bahilaga
This Sartha used camels, mules, bullocks, etc. for
carrying goods. (iii) Bharavaha
The merchants of this kind of Sartha carried their load by
themselves. (iv) Odariya
It was a caravan of job-seekers
