What was the social structure of ancient India like? – Quora

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Furthermore the egalitarian nature of the Indus River Valley Civilization is additional evidence to the absence of social classes; some historians even suggest that it is possible that all the grain was divided up equally to all citizens however this theory cannot be called a fact because the granaries that the grain was supposedly stored in might not have been granaries despite no other idea for their possible usage.

Society of ancient was divided into four groups Brahman ,kshatriya, vaisya and shudra . There was hierarchy on the basis of purity .Brahman come on the top then kshatriya ,vaishya and Shudra below all of them . Which is also called as Chaturvarna . The Brahman had job read & teach ,Kshatriya to Rule ,The job of vaishya to do bussiness. The job of shudra was to all the work excluding work done by brahman ,kshatriya ,vaishya and untouchable.

Did Ancient India have social classes? Why?

These people were engaged in attaining the highest spiritual knowledge and adhered to different branches of Vedas, the holy books of India. Being a Brahmin was described to be a difficult path of discipline of body, mind, and intellect.

What are the technology in ancient India?

Vaisyas Vaisyas are the next level in the ancient Indian social hierarchy. According to the Hindu mythology, the Vaisyas are required to rear cattle and perform the productive labor, pastoral tasks, trade and agriculture. This class includes the common people. They were provided with little rights of their own.

Because of this lack of social classes the City-States or country of the Indus River Valley Civilization (it is unknown whether it was unified or separate) is referred to as a Chiefdom as opposed to a kingdom or an empire.

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Additionally the houses of the Indus River Valley Civilization were approximately equal in size hinting that the occupants were equal in wealth as no one could afford larger houses or not be able to afford larger houses.

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The Brahmanas are particularly noted for their instructions on the proper performance of rituals, as well as explain the original symbolic meanings- translated to words and ritual actions in the main text.

Brahmins thought that people with lower jobs or colour would spoil their pure souls if they touched them , there came concept of untouchability. Sudras i.e. lowermost category ,were untouchables.

Social class system is a group of terms and concepts followed to incorporate social sciences and political theories in the society centered widely for social stratification. People used to be divided and grouped into a properly managed set of hierarchies social categories. This system was widely spread in the world for many centuries.

Did Ancient India have social classes? Why?

Ancient India can be divided in two periods , before brahmins and after brahmins. Brahmanas were commentaries on rituals, ceremonies and sacrifices of Vedas(also called śruti(what is heard)) written by Rishis and some epic books like Ramayana by Valmiki Rishi and Mahabharata by Maharshi Vyas.

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The social structure at the time of Brahmanas was like

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What was the social pyramid in ancient India?

How does ancient India affect us today?

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What was social life like in Ancient India?

And at the top were Brahmins .They thought themselves as medium to god through Poojas and Yagyas.They invented their own methods of worshiping gods.(depending on contents of Vedas).Then came many bad rituals like SATI, Dowry, Child marriage, etc.

What was the social pyramid in ancient India?

Kshatriyas/Rajputs were kings , the Vaisyas were required to rear cattle and perform the productive labor, pastoral tasks, trade and agriculture. This class includes the common people. They were provided with little rights of their own.

What was social life like in Ancient India?

What was the hydraulic structure in ancient India?

The social structure in ancient India was simple and unadulterated by the alien cultures which crept in subsequently due to foreign rule. There was joint family system as it was an agrarian society and the individual members were not having an independent source of income which causes disparity and division within the family system. The women were safe and there were no forced marriages or abduction which came later during the period of foreign rulers.

The Indus River Valley Civilization existed from ca. 3300 to 1300 BC in modern day Pakistan and North West India south of the Himalayan Mountains, east of the Pakistan Highlands, west of the Thar Desert and, somewhat predictably, around the Indus River. The Indus River Valley Civilization is also known as Harappan civilization and one of its most significant elements concerning social classes is that there were little if none at all. For this reason among many, including a lack of complex religion, some historians do not refer to Harappan society as a civilization.

Before the Brahmins social structure was of two stages king and the people in the kingdom( i.e Raja and Praja).All people in a kingdom were on the same level of respect in spite of having different jobs and economic levels.

Now if we consider the appropriate ancient Indian social hierarchy then this structure can be organized in a well-customized order. The order is described below starting with the top most level of the hierarchy and then proceeding forward in descending order.

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Even India was immensely influenced by the social class division system. In actual practice, India once used to be referred to as a class society country. Some people were considered superior while some inferior. Ancient India social hierarchy was broadly divided in four major categories and these were:

Kshatriyas / Rajputs The next level in the ancient Indian social hierarchy is of Kshatriyas or Rajputs. Kshatriya basically means a warrior. They were the people who used to be the king and belonged to royal families normally.

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Being a Kshatriya or a Rajput was considered to be a matter of respect and proud. Bravery was the perfect word to describe these people. The Rajputs eventually came to occupy the place in society of the Kshatriyas. They possessed special rights and powers in the society. This class was the governing body of the society and protection of the society was their duty.

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Taken from:The Social Classes of Ancient Egypt, Babylon and Harappa

Brahmins Well this group of people were categorized on the top of the ancient Indian social hierarchy. These were not the most rich or powerful people of the time but were very respectful and prestigious people. Even the kings used to listen to the Brahmins.

Shudras This was the lowest class of the ancient Indian social hierarchy. Eating anything or talking to these people was prohibited in the society to people of other classes. These people acted and worked as servants to the other three classes. These people were provided with very little or almost no rights and power of their own.

The division was not based on the power but based on purity. Moreover, this kind of division streamlines the society, as the tasks to be done by all the groups were clearly defined.

The division was not based on the power but based on purity. Moreover, this kind of division streamlinesthe society, as the tasks to be done by all the groups were clearly defined.

Although it is widely accepted that, when it came to social classes, there were none but there is a small amount of evidence to suggest that there may have been three main social groups albeit without a vast difference in wealth or prestige between them. The first group or the ruling class lived in the city centre and was made up of wealthy merchants and the high priests. They second group consisted of small time merchants, artisans and craftsmen. The labourers belonged to the third group, were quite poor and lived in small huts.

As social structures of Vedic Civilization has already been given, Ill talk about the social structure of the Indus Valley Civilization.

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What was the social structure of ancient India like?

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