E-LESSON-4 HISTORY-1

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B.A.English 2 All right are reserved with CU-IDOL HISTORY-I BAQ111 First Course Code: 4 Semester: 4 SLM Unit : E-Lesson: www.cuidol.in Unit-4(BAQ111)

HISTORY-I OBJECTIVES INTRODUCTION 33 After studying this unit, you will be able to: Indus people had their urban way of life with Analyse the religious beliefs and practices of at most simplicity and comfortable.Indus Harappan people. people had their urban way of life with at most simplicity and comfortable. Explain the interest of Indus Valley people in Art work. The name of the new civilisation was Vedic Civilisation and its people are known as Explain the origin of the Aryans Aryans. Explain the religious practices of the Aryans . . www.cuidol.in Unit-4(BAQQ11111)1) INASlTl ITriUgThEt OarFeDrIeSsTeArNvCeEd AwNitDh OCNUL-IIDNOE LLEARNING

TOPICS TO BE COVERED 4 > Aryans In India HISTORY-I > Social Life of the Aryans > Political System of the Rig Vedic Period > Religious Life of the Rig Vedic Period http://www.historyshistories.com/india-aryan-civilization.html www.cuidol.in Unit-4(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

Aryans In India 5 www.cuidol.in Unit-4(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

6 The Aryans were also having inter-tribal wars. There is an interesting reference to the inter tribal conflicts in Rig-Veda. The most famous being the Battle of the Ten Kings. Sudas was the king of the Bharat tribe established in western Punjab, and Vishwamitra was his chief priest, who had piloted successful campaigns for the king. But Sudas wished to terminate Vishwamitra and appoint another chief priest in his position, Vasishtha. This infuriated Vishwamitra, who organised a confederacy of ten tribes and attacked Sudas, but Sudas was victorious. Cattle stealing and land disagreements were possibly a common cause of inter-tribal wars. Wars were not limited to inter-tribal hostile alone. The Aryans had still to struggle with the indigenous people of northern India, who were of non-Aryan origin. The opponents were described by Aryans as Panis and Dasas. The Panis were wearisome, as they were cattle-thieves and cattle were the chief wealth of the Aryans. www.cuidol.in Unit-4(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

SOCIAL LIFE OF THE ARYANS Position of Women : Women enjoyed a very high position in society. No religious rites could be performed 7 without women. Women were both educated and highly civilized. They participated in philosophical debates and were also well versed in music and dancing. Girls had considerable freedom in selecting their life partners. There was no system of child marriage. There was also a desire on the part of married couples to have children because without children life was considered incomplete. There was a system of widow marriage. Polygamy was prevalent among the kings and the nobles. Women freely moved out of their houses and attended public functions. Females were always under the care of the males, both before and after marriage Education Great importance was attached to education during the early Vedic period. However, educational institutions in the present sense of the term did not exist. The education was mainly oral. The common method of imparting education was that first the teacher recited a Mantra from Veda which was then repeated by the students in the Gurukula.The main purpose of the education was to sharpen the intellect of the person and develop his character. The education was essentially religious in character. It is now known whether the people during the early Vedic age were conversant with the art of writing. Some scholars have expressed the view that the people did not know about the art of writing and the knowledge was transmitted orally to the succeeding generation. If that be true, it was indeed a stupendous feat of memory. But if we discount the above view and support the contention of other scholars that the art of writing was known to the people and people reduced to writing voluminous texts, it confronts us with another problem viz. what was the writing material used by the people www.cuidol.in Unit-4(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

CULTURE 8 The culture of Early Vedic people was rural in nature. The people of early Vedic age lived in the villages and were essentially agricultural people. They were conversant with the art of cultivation of land and used several instruments like ploughs, harrows, mattocks and hoes for this purpose. They usually ploughed the fields with the help of a pair of the oxen bound to the yoke.Their plough share were probably made of wood. They were conversant with artificial means ofirrigation and watered the land through artificial canals. They were also conversant with the sowing, harvesting and crushing. Generally they grew two crops a year. Their main crops were wheat and barley but subsequently they also started cultivating rice. They also used manures to increase production. The Aryans were essentially pastoral people and attached great importance to the cows. The Rig Veda contains numerous references about the cows. In fact the early Aryans fought most of their wars for the sake of the cows because they regarded them as the most valued possession and chief form of their wealth www.cuidol.in Unit-4(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

THE VARNA OR CASTE SYSTEM 9 When the Aryans came to India they were divided into three social classes, the warriors, the priests and the common people.At that time, professions were not hereditary nor were there any restrictions regarding marriage or dining within these classes. It is only when the Aryans came in contact with the non-Aryans and allowed them a place within their society, that the necessity to maintain class distinctions arose. However, the early Aryans divided the society only in two parts Dvija or twice born and Advija. All Aryans whether warriors, priests or common people were called dvija while non-Aryans and those of mixed blood were called Advija. The distinction was maintained only on the basis of culture but primarily on the basis of colour of skin or what is called varna in Sanskrit. However, during the later period of Rig veda the fourfold division, that is, chatur varna-system started to take its form. In the chapter 10 devoted, to Rig veda viz., Purushasukta it has been mentioned that God created Brahmanas Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras from his head, arms, thighs and feet, respectively. www.cuidol.in Unit-4(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

POLITICAL SYSTEM OF THE RIG VEDIC PERIOD 10 Form of Government Monarchy was the normal form of Government. Kingship was hereditary. But there were also references of democratic form of government and their chiefs were elected by the assembled people The King The king was named ‘Rajan’ the king enjoyed a position of pre-eminence in the tribe. Kingship was hereditary. He was helped by the priests as king in the both nomination and coronation Ceremony. He wore attractive clothes with lavish ornaments and lived in a grand palace. The king had the duty to protect the life and property of his people Popular Assemblies Sabha and Samiti were the two popular assemblies which we can find that the very names are mentioned in The Rig Veda. www.cuidol.in Unit-4(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

• MILITARY ADMINISTRATION 11 A large army was chieftained by the King. The army was chiefly consisting of Patti (infantry) and Rathins (chariots). The cavalry had also an essential role in the war. The ‘Senani’ was the commander in chief of all these combined army. The soldiers used the weapons like bows, arrows, swords, axes and spears. These weapons were made up of irons. They also used head gear or helmet, metal dress and shields for self-defence. For the shelter of the army forts or ‘Pura’ were constructed by the king. • JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION King was the head of the judicial administration. Delivery of justice was on the basis of laws and tradition of the society. The chief judge was named ‘Adhyaksha’. The village level cases were judged by the officials named ‘Gramavadi’. The law code was very strict and severe. Normal crimes of those times were burglary, stealing of cattle, snatching, default of loans, etc. www.cuidol.in Unit-4(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

RELIGIOUS LIFE OF THE RIG VEDIC PERIOD 12  Aryan Gods : The Aryans worshipped Indra, Varuna and surya. There were no hereditary priests but head of the family acted as priest. Gods were of different kinds but there was no ranking among the gods  Sacrifices : In those days the people used to perform daily sacrifices in which ghee and flesh were used.  Worship of Nature : The Aryans had no temples where they could worship. They believed in the worship of nature. Surya, Indra, Agni and Prithivi were their common gods.  Idea of one God : According to the Aryans, God is one; He was most powerful and strong and moved the universe.  Yajnas : In almost every Aryan family, Yajnas were daily performed. These Yajnas were very simple and did not take much time. Sometimes however, costly yajnas were also performed. These yajnas continued for days and sometimes for months together. www.cuidol.in Unit-4(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

KEY WORDS/ABBREVIATIONS 13  Trolley:- Trolley is used for trade and commerce during Indus Valley Civilisation  Agriculture:- The food of the Harappans was provided from wide-ranging areas cultivated in vicinity of the city.  Food:- The food of the Harappans was provided from wide-ranging areas cultivated in vicinity of the city. Rice was possibly grown in the Indus valley.  Downfall:- A downfall is a sudden drop in status or strength.  Aryan:- The literary meaning of Aryan is the man of ‘noble character’, and the ‘free born’.  Central Asia:- The most significant theory which accepted for a long time was that the Aryans originally belonged to Central Asia.  Hungary:- Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Its capital, Budapest, is bisected by the Danube River.  Sapta Sindhu:- According to A.C. Das, a Bengali historian, the original home of the Aryans was the Sapt-Sindhu or the Punjab. www.cuidol.in Unit-4(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS 14 1. Which of the following garments were used by the Early Vedic people? (a) Nivi (b) Vasa (c) Adhivasa (d) All of the above 2. Which among the following amusements were the past times of the Rig Vedic people? (a) Playing dice (b) Gambling (c) Wresling (d) All of the above 3. Which is the most ancient of all the Vedas? (a) Rig Veda (b) Sam Veda (c) Yajur Veda (d) Atharv Veda Answers:1.(a) 2.(a) 3.(a) www.cuidol.in Unit-4(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

SUMMARY 15  The decline of Indus Valley civilisation was not the end rather it saw the evolution of another glorious civilisation which showed its moral light and wisdom to the world till today. The name of the new civilisation was Vedic Civilisation and its people are known as Aryans.  As per the evidences, historians divided the Vedic Age into the Early Vedic Age or Rig Vedic Age (1500 B.C. – 1000 B.C.) and the Later Vedic Age (1000 B.C. - 600 B.C.).  Vedic Literature is the richest learning materials of the world. The simple and moral living style of Aryans, wide learning in Gurukula had given space to produce such a valuable literature in Sanskrit language that history can not live without it.  The Aryans contributed their effort to create four Vedas; Rig, Yajur, Sam, Atharva. The word ‘Veda’ was derived from the term ‘Vid’ which means to know. Other than Vedas, some other essential works were compiled by Vedic Aryans. These were fundamentally created to explain the thoughts and laws in the Vedas to make them more understandable. These works were like Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads, Vedangas,and Shad-darshanas. www.cuidol.in Unit-4(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

Frequently Asked Questions 16 1. Write the new civilisation after the decline of Indus civilisation. (For more information see SLM) Ans: The name of the new civilisation was Vedic Civilisation and its people are known as Aryans. 2. Write the name of four vedas created by the Aryans. (For more information see SLM) Ans: The Aryans contributed their effort to create four Vedas; Rig, Yajur, Sam, Atharva www.cuidol.in Unit-4(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

REFERENCES 17  Tripathi, R.S. (2016). Prachin Bharat Ka Itihas : Seventh Edition. Jaipur: Royal Publication.  V.C. Pandey(1986). Political and Cultural History of Ancient India-Part I, Allahabad: Vishal Publication.  Mookerji, R.N. (1947). Ancient India. Delhi: Motilal Banarsi Das PublishersPvt. Ltd..  Basham, A.L.(1967). The Wonder that was India. London: Arthur Probsthain.  Davies, C.C. (1949). An Historical Atlas of Indian Peninsula. India: Oxford University Press  Majumdar, R.C. (2017). Ancient India. Delhi: Motilal Banarsilal Publishers Pvt. Ltd.  Dhillon, S.K. (1991). Religious History of Early Medieval Punjab. Punjab: National Book Organisation. Web Resources  https://www.ancient.eu/india/  https://www.culturalindia.net/india-history/ancient-india/index.html  http://www.historyshistories.com/india-aryan-civilization.html www.cuidol.in Unit -4(BAQ111) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL

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