Richest businessmen in history: A merchant named Virji Vora was born in Surat in the Mughal Empire. East India Company factory records claim that, at the time, he was the richest merchant in the world. a significant amount of money at the time; His personal assets are listed at 8 million rupees (Rs 80 lakh). Various people have called him the “merchant prince” and “Dhanupati”.
richest man in the world
Indians have continued to play a prominent role in many historical events even though we got independence only in 1947. Indians have historically been very active in the business world, and the world has benefited from their many prosperous enterprises. One such merchant, Virji Vora, was named by the British East India Company as the richest man in history during the Mughal Empire. Vora was quite famous during that time. According to reports, Virji Vora played a key role in financing the East India Company between 1617 and 1670. Virji Vora did banking and money lending as well as wholesale trade. They monopolized some of Surat’s imports and traded in a wide range of products including gold, opium, bullion, coral, ivory, cardamom, pepper and lead. He served as a client of both the British and Dutch East India Companies and was an important source of credit.
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Virji Vora: Background
Although the East India Company often records Viraji Vora’s commercial transactions, little is known about his lineage or family. They have got the label of Muslim, Hindu and Jain respectively. Professor KH Kamdar wrote a research paper about him in 1968 based on data from Bombay archives and Jain letters from Surat and Baroda. According to this analysis, Virji must have been a Jain resident of Lokagachhiya. He must have been of Shrimali Oswal Porwal caste. He assumed the title of Sanghapati or Sanghavi, which is given to a lay leader who makes a significant contribution – for example, by building a temple or organizing an important pilgrimage – and is actively interested in religious matters.
Virji Vora: The sole monopolist
Virji Vora was a “sole monopolist” known for buying up the entire stock of a product before reselling it for a significant profit. Virji Vora regularly lent money to Englishmen who wanted to start their own small businesses. According to reports, when the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was having money problems while trying to conquer the Deccan region of India, he sent an ambassador to Virji Vohra in search of funds. When Shivaji Maharaj, the leader of the Maratha tribe, conquered Surat in 1664, Virji Vora was seriously hurt. On January 7, 1664, Maratha soldiers demolished his house and storage facilities.
Virji Vora’s business was spread across India as well as in the port cities of the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and Southeast Asia. During this period, Virji Vora had representatives in almost all important commercial centers including Vadodara, Baruch, Ahmedabad, Agra, Burhanpur, Deccan, Goa, Calicut, Bihar and Golconda. India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani would not have the same wealth as Virji Vora if inflation was adjusted as at present. Virji Vora was undoubtedly the richest businessman India ever had, thanks to the immense wealth he possessed.
