Hubli

Hubli grew into an important inland market on the western Deccan plateau. Under the rulers of Vijayanagara its merchants traded in cotton, saltpetre and iron. The town’s connections with Karwar on the coast later attracted the English East India Company, which maintained a trading house here. English merchants described Hubli as the inland market where much of the business of their Karwar factory was carried out.

In May 1673 a Maratha force under Pratap Rao raided the town during a campaign against Bijapur. The Company’s house was among the first places entered; its cloth was carried off and its merchants reported substantial losses. A Bijapur commander arrived with cavalry before the raiders could destroy the whole town. The attack illustrates both the value of Hubli’s commerce and the vulnerability of its merchants when armies crossed the plateau.