Notes-Chapter 2 Kings, Farmers and Towns Early States and Economies
- After the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization, many significant changes took place in the Indian subcontinent.
- The Vedas (Rigveda, Samveda, Yajurveda, and Atharveda) and other religious and literary works are an invaluable source to know the history of that period.
- In the 1st century BCE, many changes took place regarding the last rites of the dead in central and south India. In this period, dead bodies were buried in graves, and these graves were surrounded by big stones called megaliths.
- In the 6th century BCE, sixteen big kingdoms known as Mahajanapadas came into existence. Among these sixteen, Magadha, Koshala, Vatsa, and Avant were the most powerful.
- In the 5th century BCE, the powerful Mahajanapadas turned into powerful empires. Magadha was the most powerful Mahajanapada. There were several causes responsible for it.
- Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the Mauryan Empire. He founded the Mauryan Empire by defeating the last ruler of the Nanda Dynasty, Mahajanapadas.
- Megasthenes’s Indica and Kautilya’s Arthashastra provided valuable information about the Mauryan Empire.
- After the death of Chandragupta Maurya, his son Bindusara became the next ruler who ruled from 298 to 272 BCE.
- After Bindusara, Ashoka occupied the throne in 272 BCE and ruled till 231 BCE. After the Kalinga War, Ashoka gave up the policy of war and expansion.
- Inscriptions of Ashoka are the most relevant sources to know about the Mauryan period. These inscriptions are written in the Brahmi (Prakrit) script.
- After the downfall of the Gupta Dynasty, many new dynasties came up and ruled in many parts of India. Some of the dynasties were the Satvahanas, the Shakas, the Pandyas, the Cholas, Cheras, and Kushanas.
- With the emergence of the Gupta, a new age started in ancient Indian history. The founder of the Gupta Dynasty was Srigupta. He founded this dynasty in 275 CE and ruled till 300 CE. After his death, his son Ghatotkacha ruled from 300 CE to 320 CE.
- Ghatotkacha’s successor, Chandragupta I, sat on the throne in 320 CE and assumed the title of Maharajadhiraja. He ruled till 335 CE.
- Sumudragupta is one of the greatest rulers of India and was the son of Chandragupta. He ruled from 335 to 375 CE. After his death, Chandragupta-II ruled till 415 CE.
- The Gupta ruler established a glorious empire with their untiring efforts. Their rule is called the Golden Age in Indian History. This vast Empire began to disintegrate at the end of the 5th century CE.
- After the decline of the Harappan Civilization, several developments took place in the Indian subcontinent, including the composition of Rigveda, the emergence of agricultural settlements, pastoral communities, and new modes of disposal of dead.
- In the 6th century BCE, various empires and kingdoms emerged, which gave a new direction to investigate early Indian political history, economic and social developments. In 1830, James Prinsep deciphered Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts used in earliest inscriptions and coins, most of which referred to a king as Piyadassi, meaning “pleasant to behold,” and a few inscriptions mentioned the king as Asoka, one of the most famous rulers known from Buddhist texts.
Mahajanapadas
- The earliest states emerged in the 6th century BCE, which were mentioned in the early Buddhist and Jaina texts. The earliest 16 states were known as mahajanapadas, with Vajji, Magadha, Koshala, Kuru, Panchala, Gandliara, and Avanti being the most important. The mahajanapadas had a capital city, which was often fortified. Brahmanas began composing Dharmasutras from the 6th century BCE onwards.
- Magadha became the most powerful Mahajanapada, with Bimbisara, Ajatashatru, and Mahapadma Nanda being the most ambitious kings. Magadha had its capital in Rajagaha (Rajgir), which was fortified, and later the capital shifted to Pataliputra (Patna).
Mauryan Empire
- The development of Magadha resulted in the emergence of the Mauryan empire founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 321 BCE. Besides sculptures, historians have used a variety of sources like written texts of Megasthenes, Kautilya (Arthashastra), Buddhist, Jaina, and Puranic literature, inscriptions of Asoka to reconstruct the history of Mauryan empire.
- Pataliputra, Taxila, Ujjayini, Tosali, and Suvarnagiri were the five major political centres of Mauryan empire, which was not controlled by a uniform administrative system. Asoka tried to hold his vast empire together by propagating dharma and appointed special officers, known as the Dhamma Mahamatta, to spread the message of Dhamma.
Asokan Inscription:
- European and Indian scholars compared different scripts to decipher Brahmi.
- James Prinsep deciphered Asokan Brahmi in 1838.
- Asoka was mentioned in the inscriptions as ‘Devanampiya’ and ‘Piyadassi’.
- Asokan inscriptions reflect the ruler’s anguish and change in attitude towards warfare.
- Limitations of inscriptions include missing or damaged letters and biased perspectives.
Emergence of Concept Kingship:
- Different rulers established their empires and new kingdoms, communities, and towns emerged.
- Cholas, Cheras, and Pandyas emerged in the South.
- Satavahanas and Shakas derived revenues from trade, Kushanas considered themselves as God.
- Histories of Gupta rulers reconstructed from literature, coins, and inscriptions.
Emergence of New Communities:
- Agricultural advancements led to the emergence of different communities of people.
- Early Tamil literature and Pali texts mention categories of people like Gahapati, Vellar, Uzhavar, and Adimai.
- Inscriptions gave details about land grants to Brahmanas and Peasants.
Emergence of Towns and Trade:
- Urban centers emerged and people traded artifacts like pottery, ornaments, and tools.
- Guilds or Shrenis procured raw materials and marketed finished products.
- Trade extended beyond the sub-continent, and successful merchants became rich.
- Indo-Greeks issued the first coins with ruler’s names and images.
- Gupta rulers issued spectacular gold coins.
Time Line:
- 600-500: BCE Emergence of Mahajanapadas
- 544-492: BCE Reign of Bimbisara
- 492-460: BCE Tenure of Ajatsatru
- 269-231: BCE Reign of Ashoka
- 201: BCE Kalinga war was fought
- 335-375: BCE Reign of Sumudragupta
- 375-415: CE Reign of Chandragupta-II
- 1784: Asiatic Society (Bengal) was founded
- 1810: Colin Mackenzie collects over 8,000 inscriptions in Sanskrit and Dravidian languages.
- 1838: Brahmi script James Prinsept deciphered.
- 1877: Alexander Cunningham published a set of Asokan inscriptions.
- 1886: First issue of Epigraphia Camatica, journal of South Indian inscriptions.
- 1888: First issue of Epigraphia Indica.
- 1965-66: D.C. Sircar published Indian Epigraphy and Indian Epigraphical Glossary.
MCQs on Chapter 2 Kings, Farmers and Towns Early States and Economies
- Which of the following is an invaluable source to know the history of the period after the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC)?
A. The Vedas (Rigveda, Samveda, Yajurveda, and Atharveda) and other religious and literary works
B. Megasthenes’s Indica
C. Kautilya’s Arthashastra
D. The last ruler of the Nanda Dynasty
- During which century were dead bodies buried in graves surrounded by big stones called megaliths in central and south India?
A. 1st century BCE
B. 6th century BCE
C. 5th century BCE
D. 4th century BCE
- How many big kingdoms came into existence in the 6th century BCE, known as Mahajanapadas?
A. Six
B. Eight
C. Twelve
D. Sixteen
- What are the most relevant sources to know about the Mauryan period?
A. Inscriptions of Ashoka written in the Brahmi script
B. Kautilya’s Arthashastra
C. Megasthenes’s Indica
D. Vedas (Rigveda, Samveda, Yajurveda, and Atharveda)
- Who founded the Gupta Dynasty?
A. Srigupta
B. Chandragupta Maurya
C. Chandragupta I
D. Ashoka
- What is the era of the Gupta Dynasty known as in Indian History?
A. The Dark Age
B. The Golden Age
C. The Renaissance Age
D. The Post-Independence Age
- What is the significance of inscriptions as a historical source?
A. They provide a complete and unbiased account of historical events
B. They are a reliable source of information about the social and economic life of people
C. They provide insights into the perspectives of the people who commissioned them
D. They are a primary source for the reconstruction of ancient art forms
- What were the different categories of people mentioned in early Tamil literature and Pali texts?
A. Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras
B. Gahapati, Vellar, Uzhavar, Adimai
C. Satavahanas, Kushanas, Shakas, Cholas
D. Northern Black Polished Ware, gold, silver, copper, bronze
- What were the different urban centres that emerged in the sub-continent from the 6th century BCE?
A. Cholas, Cheras, Pandyas
B. Kushanas, Satavahanas, Shakas
C. Guilds, Shrenis
D. Northern Black Polished Ware, gold, silver, copper, bronze
- What were some technical limitations of inscriptional evidence?
A. Faintly engraved letters
B. Damaged letters
C. Missing letters
D. All of the above
- What does the term “Janapada” refer to?
A. The people belonging to a clan or tribe
B. The officer appointed by Ashoka to spread his Dharma
C. The land which Brahmanas got as land grants
D. Stone structures built by some communities of South India over the grave of the dead
- Who was a “Dhammo Mahanatta”?
A. The officer appointed by Ashoka to spread his Dharma
B. The big zamindars
C. The people belonging to a clan or tribe
D. The land which Brahmanas got as land grants
- What does the term “Matriliny” refer to?
A. Stone structures built by some communities of South India over the grave of the dead
B. The officer appointed by Ashoka to spread his Dharma
C. The land which Brahmanas got as land grants
D. Descent traced through the mother
- What was “Tamilakam”?
A. The land which Brahmanas got as land grants
B. The big zamindars
C. The name of the ancient Tamil country
D. Stone structures built by some communities of South India over the grave of the dead
