The merchant aristocracy of medieval Telangana
In the medieval inscriptions of Telangana, the title Setti (alternately spelled Sethi, Setty, or Chetty) refers to a powerful merchant and trading class. Far from ordinary traders, the Settis dominated economic life through organized guilds (Nakara), funded massive irrigation works, built temples, and held direct control over trade taxes.
1️⃣ Trade guilds & community leadership
The Settis operated through powerful assemblies known as Nakara or Samasta-Pekkamdru [119, 1408, Vol-I]. These were not just mercantile bodies — they held judicial, military, and ceremonial authority.
- Chief of the Nakara (1067 CE): In Chilkur, Polisetti is recorded as the chief of the town's merchant guild [119, Vol-I].
- The Assembly of 500: The famous itinerant “Five-hundred Nanadesis” trade corporation was often headed by prominent Settis like Manikara Bammisetti [388, Vol-I].
- “Hero inscriptions” (1299 CE – Alampur): A remarkable record mentions Settis including Mummadi Brammi-setti and Siriyala-setti as “obtainers of a hundred and five hero-inscriptions” — underscoring their elite socio-military standing [1407-1408, Vol-I].
2️⃣ Civil infrastructure: tanks, canals & wells
Recognizing that agriculture depended on water, Setti merchants personally financed kereya (tanks) and canals, transforming arid landscapes into fertile zones.
- Chimchamasetty’s Tank (1012 CE): One of the earliest references — a flower garden stood west of this tank [161, Vol-I].
- Kolanupaka Tank (1046 CE): Kalimayya setti along with other officials constructed a tank west of Suvvipake [182, Vol-I].
- Mudimanikyamu Tank (1336 CE): Malli Setti (son of Mallu-lemka) built a major tank named after his son Vasulemka [1841-1842, Vol-IV].
- Narasimhasetti’s Canal (1290 CE): This merchant funded the excavation of a canal at Amarabad, later gifted by a local chief [1379, Vol-III; 1681, Vol-II].
3️⃣ Religious patronage & temple construction
Settis were prolific temple builders — both Shiva and Jain shrines. Their donations ensured rituals, perpetual lamps, and new chaityalayas.
- Jain chaityalaya (1125 CE): Bammisetti of the Virabalanjiga community constructed a temple for PΔrΕvanΔtha at Gangapura [366, Vol-I].
- Crest jewel of the Vaisya family: Nabisetti installed an image of the 16th Tirthankara, ΕΔntinΔtha [1168, Vol-II].
- “Setti” shrines (1228 CE) at Mattewada: Rangala-Manni-setti and his son Enni-setti established the Salesvara temple (named after weavers’ guild) and Ganapatesvara temple (named after the Kakatiya king) [837-838, Vol-II].
- Perpetual lamps: Many Settis donated gold (gadyanas) or livestock to maintain nanda-divige (eternal lamps) in shrines — examples include Nagisetti and Mallisetti [268, 280, 325, Vol-I; 891, Vol-IV].
4️⃣ Trade privileges & Setti-sumka (merchant tolls)
The Settis held administrative rights over market levies. Inscriptions mention specific taxes called Setti-sumka, granted directly to merchant chiefs.
- Kolanupaka privileges (1064 CE): A minister under King Somesvara I granted trade rights in the amgadi (market) to Kalapasetti [230-231, Vol-I].
- Setti-sumka (1074 CE): King Somesvara II granted the Setti-sumka (tolls collected by the merchant chief) of Kolanupaka to Trailokyamalla Rebbi Setti [253, Vol-I].
- Tax exemptions for military service (1323 CE): Attena (son of Loki-setti) received tax exemptions for his trade activities as a reward for military service to the merchant guild [1593, Vol-II].
π Key Setti inscriptions (chronological overview)
“Six Settis” — Gifted income from salt levies (lavan-agamu) for tank upkeep [185, Vol-I]
Modisetti / Aayyana setti — Regulated social codes at residents’ request [326, Vol-I]
Pidiya Sankara setti — Granted land to a Jain Basadi [329, Vol-I]
Kesava setti — Provided for rituals and the “loin cloth” of a Saiva teacher [391, Vol-I]
Ganni-setti — Constructed a stone sluice for a major tank [437, Vol-I]
Vaitama Setti — Constructed a tank and field bunds for the merit of King Ganapatideva [793, Vol-II]
Nijaramgala-Malli-Setti & Venni-Setti — Established three Shiva temples (Salesvaradeva, Ganapatisvara, Sakalesvara-devara) on behalf of the saliya (weaver/merchant) community. Granted two visas of the dagede of saris sold by them as vritti (endowment).
⚠️ Penal clause (as inscribed):
“Anyone who declines to pay this was to be excommunicated from the Samayam; and he, as well as the person who would obstruct this, was declared a Siva-drohi (traitor to Shiva), and as one who kills a cow on the banks of the Ganges.”
Anni setti / Potama Setti — Donated 30 cows for temple ghee offerings [891, Vol-IV]
π️ Community legacy: beyond commerce
The Settis were not merely traders — they acted as state-builders. By endowing tanks, temples, and market regulations, they fused economic power with religious merit and political influence. The inscriptions reveal what might be called a “merchant gentry” that collaborated with Kakatiya rulers and local chiefs while preserving their own guild autonomy.
— Based on Vol-I to IV, inscriptions 119, 366, 1407, 1841
✍️ Sources: Epigraphical records (Telangana inscriptions) — Vol-I, II, III, IV cited as per the original document. References: Nakara guilds (119, 1408), tank constructions (182, 1841), hero-inscriptions (1407), Setti-sumka grants (253). The Nagunur inscription (189) is from Karimnagar district, dated 2 March 1228 CE.
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