Roads and Sarais Reforms of Sher Shah

Roads and Sarais Reforms of Sher Shah

Sher Shah Suri

For the convenience of travelers and merchants, Sher Shah built some roads which connected significant parts of his empire with his capital. Qanungo has praised these roads “as the veritable arteries of the empire, diffusing new life into the hitherto benumbed limbs.” Besides making some new roads, he paid his attention to the repair of the old ones. He also planted shady and fruit trees on both sides of the roads for the benefit of travelers. The construction of roads added to the development of trade and commerce. The following four highways are well known :

The first ran from Sonargaon in Bengal through Agra, Delhi and Lahore to the Indus.
The second ran from Agra to Mandu.
The third ran from Agra to Jodhpur and Chittor.
The fourth ran from Lahore to Multan.

All these roads were constructed chiefly for defense and military purposes but it proved greatly beneficial for the merchants and traders. He made adequate facilities of water on roadside by digging wells.

He also built a great number of Sarais on the roads. These Sarais were the rest houses for the travelers and they were fully furnished and had all the facilities of a good kitchen. Both Hindu and Muslim cooks were kept in them. These Sarais also served the purposes of post offices and marketing centers. Royal Firmans were sent from one place to another through these Dak Chaukies. Sher shah appointed several news writers and news carriers in these sarais for the benefit of the subjects.

Milan Tomic

Hi. I’m Designer of Blog Magic. I’m CEO/Founder of ThemeXpose. I’m Creative Art Director, Web Designer, UI/UX Designer, Interaction Designer, Industrial Designer, Web Developer, Business Enthusiast, StartUp Enthusiast, Speaker, Writer and Photographer. Inspired to make things looks better.