Title Chapter 5 Kingdoms, Kings And An Early Republic.pdf ✅

HISTORY Chapter 5: Kingdoms, Kings and an Early Republic
(1) KINGDOMS, KINGS AND AN EARLY REPUBLIC 05 Kingdoms, Kings and an Early Republic The Powerful Kings The power of the kings increased during the late Vedic period. Though the ‘raja’ was chosen, his power increased and he came to be highly respected. Many kings who performed the ritual of ashvamedha or horse sacrifice became very powerful. In this ritual, a horse was let loose to pass through various kingdoms. Any king who stopped the horse in his territory had to wage a war with the raja performing the ashvamedha. If none of the kings stopped the horse, it meant that the king performing the ritual had supreme authority. He then organised a sacrifice which was performed by specially appointed priests. All the other rajas were invited to this sacrifice and brought gifts with them. Gifts were also brought by the ordinary people. ‘Shudras’, the people belonging to the lower castes could not participate in the sacrifices. The Caste System In the late Vedic Period, the caste system became rigid. There were many social groups in society such as farmers, herders, traders, warriors, craftsmen etc. The priests divided society into four castes or the ‘varnas’. • The first class was occupied by the Brahmins. They performed the rituals and imparted education to the people. • The second varna, the Kshatriyas, was that of the rulers who participated in the war and had the responsibility of protecting the people.
(2) KINGDOMS, KINGS AND AN EARLY REPUBLIC 05 • The third place was occupied by the Vish or the Vaishyas. They were farmers, traders and herders. • The last place was occupied by the Shudras. They did all the menial work and were treated as slaves. • The Kshatriyas and the Vaishyas could perform rituals and sacrifices. • Often women were grouped with the Shudras and were also not allowed to study the Vedas. • The caste system was based on occupation and was hereditary in nature. A son of a Brahmin automatically became a Brahmin. Simillarly a son of a Shudra was considered to be a Shudra. • The caste differences were sharp and acute in the Northern Indian Plains while in the north eastern part of the country, the social and economic differences were very few. Janapads and Mahajanpads Janapads Janapads were formed when many janas or tribes came together and settled in a land. The rajas that performed the horse sacrifices became the rajas of the janapads. Many janpad settlements have been found in the excavations at Purana Qila in Delhi, Hastinapur near Meerut and Atranjikhera near Etah in Uttar Pradesh. People lived in huts and grew crops such as rice, wheat, barley and pulses.