Banking in the 18th Century: A Case Study of a Poona Banker

In this paper an attempt is made to understand the banking system as it existed in the 18th century in Western Maharashtra. A large number of account books of a banking firm styled Dixit-Patwardhan are available with the Bharat Itihas Samshodhak Mandala, Poona. The documents give very valuable information about the growth of that banking house and the functions of bankers in the 18th-century Maharashtra, a subject about which our knowledge is extremely limited. In the past V. G. Kale, N. G. Chapekar and C. B. Joshi have made some attempts in throwing light on this subject.