Normative Approach to the Study of Periodic Markets in South India

In his review article of Indian village studies, the author put stress on the significance of the study of hierarchial nesting of life worlds in rural India. Periodic market areas form one of the significant intermediate stages of this nesting between the village at the lowest and the nation at the highest levles. The present article aims at estimating periodic market areas and examining the related research topics mentioned in the above sub-title. The data were collected through field research carried out in 1982 and 1985 in Bangalore and its surrounding districts, in the south-eastern periphery of Karnataka State, South India. The area covered by field research is about 15, 600km2.Number of market places: In the study area, 118 periodic market places are confirmed by field research. 121 periodic markets are held at these market places in the seven-day market cycle. The same kinds of information are also obtainable from two published sources, the Census District Handbook and 1/50, 000 Survey of India Maps. If we compare their descriptions in the study area with the research results, the former contains rather false and unreliable data, although many studies are based on it. We can get more accurate information from the latter source.Spatio-temporal integration: In most of the studies, spatio-temporal integration has been investigated by examining the relationship of spatial (linear distance) spacing and temporal (market day) interval between a set of the nearest neighbour periodic market places without taking into account the so-called boundary problem. In the present article, Thiessen polygons are drawn around each market place in order to avoid boundary problems and to fix the market place whose nearest market place can be confirmed within the study area. The degree of spatio-temporal integration is measured at different levels of examination, namely: 1) adjoining market places which have a common edge of Thiessen polygons, 2) adjoining market places sharing a common edge and connected by major roads within four steps, and 3) the nearst neighbour market places measured by road distance. By changing the levels of examination, principles underlying the spatio-temporal integration in the study area could be examined at both topological and real contiguity levels. The percentage of neighbouring periodic markets held on the same day of the week is as low as 5.3, 2.3, 2.5% in 1), 2), and 3) respectively. On the basis of these findings, we can say a guiding principle in spatiotemporal integration in the study area is a rule of mutual avoidance of the same market day between the neighbouring periodic market places. Peculiarity of the study area is found in the nearly complete realization of the rule, which suggests the presence of some institutional control over the apportionment of market days among periodic markets. It is said that the periodic market system is highly spatio-temporally integrated if there is an inverse relationship between spatial spacing and temporal intervals among the nearest places. The study area shows another peculiar characteristic in this aspect, that is, spatial distance is independent of the increase of temporal intervals. Spatio-temporal integration is examined through the M (market integration) coefficient devised by Henkel (Erdkunde, 38, 1984, pp. 167-68) as well. The value of the M coefficient measured by linear distance in the study area is 0.4609. The figure is the 9th highest out of the total 52 cases cited by Henkel, which means the periodic market system in the study area is highly spatio-temporaly integrated.Estimation of periodic market area: Generally, in the previous studies, the size of market area is measured by dividing the total population by the number of periodic market places located in an administrative unit. In the present article. a market area is assumed to be equal to the area of a Thiessen polygon drawn around each market place.