AGRICULTURE AND SOCIETY FROM THE VEDIC PERIOD TO THE GUPTA PERIOD

Abstract [English]

This paper examines the evolution of agriculture and society in ancient India from the Vedic period to the Gupta period, tracing the transformation of land ownership patterns, agricultural practices, and social structures. The study analyzes how the Indian economy, fundamentally based on land from ancient times, developed from a primarily rural agrarian society to more complex agricultural and commercial systems. The research explores the transition from collective to individual land ownership, beginning with evidence from Rigvedic literature that suggests individual farming families owned agricultural land, animals, and gold as personal property. The paper traces agricultural development through various periods including the later Vedic era, post-Vedic Buddhist period, Maurya-Sunga period, and post-Mauryan times, examining how land classification systems, irrigation methods, crop cultivation, and animal husbandry evolved. Key findings include the establishment of various land types (cultivated, barren, pasture, and forest land), the development of artificial irrigation systems, and the emergence of complex taxation and land grant systems. The study demonstrates how agricultural practices influenced social stratification, with Brahmins gaining prominence through their role in agricultural rituals, and how hereditary occupations eventually crystallized into the caste system. The paper also examines the role of state administration in agricultural development, particularly during the Mauryan period under Kautilya's economic framework, and analyzes different categories of landowners including farmers, sharecroppers, and landless laborers.