B.A. Social Notes

         Social Condition During Later Vedic Age Family life- Like in the Vedic Period the family was a significant unit during the Epic age. Each family or Kula comprised several members.The system of joint family was prevalent and the head of the family was known as kulapati . He may have been either the father or the eldest brother.' Aitreya Brahman ' reveals that father used to have the fullest command over the sons.However,the relation between the father and the son were cordial. Condition of Women- The condition of women as compared to the vedic age she was not honored and respected as the women of the vedic age. The chief reason of the decline in the condition of women was polygamy and polyandry. Dashratha,the king of Ayodhya,had three wives and Draupadi had five husbands.The birth of daughter was regarded as a source of misery and sorrow and women were supposed to be the root cause of evil.But it does not mean that they had no respect at all.There had been some

         Economic condition of Later Vedic Age The economic life of Epic Age was well organised. Atharvaveda and Satpath Brahamana are the chief sources of information regarding their economic condition. Agriculture-  People were live in village and their chief occupation was agriculture.They produced cotton,wheat,barley,rice and vegetables.Six to twenty-four oxen were used to ploughing the field.The plough must have been very heavy.It is referred to in the Mahabharta that the lands of Kisala,Vatsa,Matsya etc . were very fertile. Cattle-breeding- Cattle-breeding was the need of the day.Meadows were carefully looked after so that domesticated animals might not have any inconvenience in grazing.It is indicated in the Atharvaved that death sentence was awarded for cow slaughter.Thus the importance of livestock was felt and proper attention was paid to this occupation. Trade and Commerce- The chief professions were those of a carpenter,potter,charioteer, jeweler ,basket-maker,gol

          Social Condition of the Vedic Period Social life the Aryans was very simple ,scared and smooth.They live in village and lead a life of purity and chastity. Family Life- The Aryans was patriarchal.The father held the highest place in the family,and exercised the full control over it.If any case death of the father,the elder son took charge of the family. Generally,the behavior of the father towards every member of the family was polite and impartial,but we find references in the 'Rigveda' where the father punished the son or the member of the family for their wrongs.Father being the head of the family was known as ' Grihapati ' and 'Dampati '.He used to perform all the religious ceremonies along with his wife.The joint family system was prevalent in the early vedic society,and each house consisted of a fire place(Agnishala),a drawing room and apartments for the ladies. Position of Women- During this women were held in high esteem. In every spher

          Economic Condition of the Vedic Period The Rigveda Aryans were rural people,they lived in villages.Urban life was not much in evidence during the Vedic Period. Agriculture- The chief occupation of the Aryans was agriculture.The land fit for cultivation was called ' Urvara ' or 'Kshetra '.Wheat and Barley were main crops and canals were used for the purpose of irrigation.They were expert in all agriculture work such as tilling soil,cutting furrows,sowing seeds and cutting corns.They also knew the use of manures. Cattle-breeding- The other profession was cattle-breeding.The Aryans were rural people,they tamed various animals for agricultural purpose.Cows and bullocks were most precious possession.Cow was the most most respectable animal during the Vedic Age.They also used to domesticate sheep, buffaloes, horse, dogs and goats. Trade and Industry- Aryans were not only well versed in the internal trade but also had trade relations with foreign countries.

                 Religious Condition of Vedic Age The Rigveda  being predominantly a religious scripture,throws considerable light on the religious conditions and beliefs of the Aryans. The Aryan's religion was simple there were neither temples nor idols,but people used to pray different deities. The Aryans had a great respect for nature and they would find any beauty or power,they would just bow their heads and entreat mercy from the objects and invested them with supernatural or divine character. The total gods in Rigveda period is Thirty-three. Eleven gods of heaven which included Indra, Varuna, Surya, Savitri, Mitra and like. Eleven gods in mid-air like Vayu,Maruti,Prajanya etc.     3.    Eleven gods on earth itself like Prithvi,Agni,Brihaspati,Soma               e tc. The Aryans used to attach importance to a particular god according to their needs and requirements.They would even attach greater importance to another god or goddess when needs so arouse.It

        Destruction of Indus Valley Civilization According to some scholars the decrease in rainfall might have turned sindh into a desert.This climatic change might have compelled the Indus valley people to migrate from there. A few others are of the opinion that the gradual drifting of the Indus from the city might have rendered the land unfertile. Some scholars are of the view that flood in the Indus river might have destroyed the culture of Indus valley people. It is also said that the wealthy people of the Indus valley might have been invaded by the wild tribes from the hills. Some scholars hold the view that there were earthquakes or cyclones which might have caused its destruction. Moreover,the Aryans who were better equipped might have conquered the Indus valley people.

      Economic Condition of Indus Valley People The big city of Harappa and Mohenjodaro point to good economic condition of the people.They were not only agriculturists but also had a sound knowledge of various trades and commerce. Agriculture- People were chiefly agrarian.They took to the use agriculture implements such as,sickles etc.Their main agricultural produce was wheat ,barley,rice,cotton,vegetables etc.The land of Harappa and Mohenjodaro was quite fertile and people were prosperous. Domestication of Animals- Bull,buffalo,cow,sheep,goat and camel were some common animals which were domesticated by them. Industrial Achievements- The science of metallurgy was also known to the people.Their use of gold,silver,bronze,lead,tin,copper etc. for their pots indicates that the economic condition of the Indus valley people. The discovery of many spindles and spinning wheels in the houses of the valley show that the people of that age had a fairly good knowledge

                  Social Life of Indus Valley People From the various articles found in the remains of Mohenjodaro and Harappa. They were perhaps divided into four classes,viz.learned persons ,warriors, businessmen, and working class or labourers. Food- The people of Indus Valley civilization were both vegetarian and non-vegetarian.Their life was chiefly agrarian and they , therefore,mostly depended on the yield of the crops that they could grow.Vegetarians used to eat wheat,barley,rice,take milk and milk products.Non-vegetarians people eat fish,beef,mutton and tortoise.Dates were one of their favourite people. Dress- We have no definite source which can give us much information on their dressing styles.We can only guess about their dress from the figures which we have found during excavation.Both cotton and woolen clothes were used by the Indus valley people.The discovery of needles and threads confirms that clothes were also sewn. Weaving was an important occupation of the

                                                Indus Valley Civilization Indus valley civilization developed at two centres-Harappa and Mohenjodaro. Harappa is situated in the Montogmery district (now in Pakistan) which is about 180 kilometres from Lahore.This site was larger than Mohenjodaro and from the point of view of culture it gives us more source material to draw from.Another main centre of Indus valley civilization was Mohenjodaro which is situated in the Larkana district of Sindh. Mohenjodaro literally means the 'Mound of the Dead'.The distance between the two significant towns of Harappa culture is about 650 kilometres. Other Centres- Apart from Harappa and Mohenjodaro,the remains of Indus Valley Civilization have been discovered at various other sites -Chanhudaro,Amri,Lohun-jo-Daro,Naal and Rupar.Jhukar and Kelat are towns planned in a very systematic and scientific way. A visitors to the ruins will be struck to see how the town w