Manigramam

{{For|the village|Manigramam, Tamil Nadu}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}

{{Infobox organization

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| formation = c. 5th century CE

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| type = Merchant guild

| purpose =

• Hinter-land trade
• Indian Ocean trade

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| main_organ =

| parent_organization = Ainurruvar (in and after the 12th century)

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| region = South India (primarily)

| membership = Itinerant ethnic Indian traders

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Manigiramam, or manigramam, typically refers to a medieval merchant guild organized by itinerant ethnic Indian traders, primarily active in southern India.{{Cite book |url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/a-concise-history-of-south-india-9780198099772?cc=us&lang=en& |title=A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-19-809977-2 |editor-last=Karashima |editor-first=Noboru |pages=136 - 144 |chapter=}}{{Cite journal |last=Subbarayalu |first=Y. |date=2015 |title=Trade Guilds of South India up to the Tenth Century |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2348448915574403?download=true&journalCode=sipa |journal=Studies in People's History |language= |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=21–26 |doi= |issn=2348-4489}} Along with the ainurruvar (the Ayyavole Five Hundred) and the anjuvannam (the anjuman), the manigiramam played a significant role in the commercial activities of the region.{{Cite book |url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/a-concise-history-of-south-india-9780198099772?cc=us&lang=en& |title=A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-19-809977-2 |editor-last=Karashima |editor-first=Noboru |pages=136 |chapter=}} Unlike the anjuvannam, which was confined to the port-towns of southern India, the manigramam operated in both port towns and hinter-land trade centers.

A body of merchants known as "the Vaniggrama" or "Vaniyagrama" is attested in northern India as early as the first century BCE. They are mentioned in a Karle inscription (first century BCE), a charter of king Vishnusena from Kathiawad (6th century CE), and in a Sanjeli charter of king Toramana (6th century CE).

Records of the activities of the manigiramam in southern India can be traced back to the 5th century CE. The earliest references appear in two copper plate grants from south Karnataka (from Melekote, Tumkur and from Hassan district), both datable to the 5th century CE. The Melekote charter records a grant of land to a Buddhist shrine.

The Quilon Syrian copper plates from the 9th century CE also attest to the presence of manigiramam representatives.{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://archive.org/details/1_20200409_20200409_1359 |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |pages=277, 278 and 295 |chapter= |orig-year=1972}} By this time, it appears that the manigiramam had become involved in maritime trade and had begun collaborating with the anjuvannam (the anjuman) on the western coast. A Tamil inscription from Takua Pa (9th century CE) in Thailand also references a manigiramam guild.{{Cite book |url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/a-concise-history-of-south-india-9780198099772?cc=us&lang=en& |title=A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-19-809977-2 |editor-last=Karashima |editor-first=Noboru |pages=136-38 |chapter=}}

From the early 10th century onward, the ainurruvar (the Ayyavole Five Hundred) emerged as the dominant merchant guild in southern India. The manigiramam and the anjuvannam were later incorporated into this larger organization. By the 12th century CE, the ainurruvar functioned as an umbrella organization encompassing all other merchant guilds. The manigiramam was fully subordinated to the Ayyavole by the 13th century.{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Upinder |title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India |date=2024 |publisher=Pearson |isbn=978-93-570-5618-2 |edition=2nd |pages=1593-94 |orig-year=2008}}