Question

What made the city of Masulipatnam populous and prosperous?

Answer 1

In the 17th century, Masulipatnam was a busy town. The Dutch and English East India Companies tried to control this city, which was the most important on the Andhra coast. The Qutb Shah rulers of Golconda monopolized the sale of textiles, spices, and other goods to prevent the East India Companies from dominating the trade. This caused heated competition between Golconda lords, Persian merchants, Telugu Komati Chettis, and European businessmen. This made the city wealthy and populous.