 Artists and craftsman operated as corporations ( guilds ) rather than as individual business . Inscriptions mention guilds of weavers , oilmen , artisans , basket and mat makers and fruit sellers . A Saundatti inscription refers to an assemblage of all the people of a district headed by the guilds of the region . Some guilds were considered superior to others , just as some corporations were , and received royal charters determining their powers and privileges . Inscriptions suggest these guilds had their own militia to protect goods in transit and , like village assemblies , they operated banks that lent money to traders and businesses . 
