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Paper 11 Politico-Social and Administrative History of Ancient India DDCE/History (M.A)/SLM/Paper-11 Politico-Social and Administrative History of Ancient India (1st Cent. B.C to 8th Cent. A.D) By Dr. Binod Bihari Satpathy 0 CONTENT POLITICO-SOCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY OF ANCIENT INDIA (1ST CENT. B.C TO 8TH CENT. A.D) Unit.No. Chapter Name Page No Post Mouryan Society and Economy in India. 1. Foreign invasion and rules- Indo-Bactrian, Indo-Parthians and the 2-22 Sussanian: Impact and significance of foreign intrusion into India. 2. Social Condition- Religious developments: Rise of Mahayana Unit-I. Buddhism, Development of art and Architecture ( Gandhara, 23-37 Mathura, Central India and Vengi School of Art). 3. Economic condition- Contact with other world, Monetization of 38-49 economy. The Age of Gupta. 1. The Guptas: Sources of Gupta History; Origin of the Gupta, Foundation and Consolidation of the Gupta Empire: Chandragupta- 50-73 I, Samudragupta and Chandragupta-II. Unit-II 2. Gupta Empire- Administration and Decline of the Gupta Dynasty. 74-84 3. Society and Economy: Development of literature, Science and Technology, Art and Architecture, Religion and Economic 85-99 conditions, Indian polity in the Post Gupta Era. 1. Post-Gupta Period, Pushybhuti: Harshavardhana: Sources and 100-108 Achievements. Unit-III. 2. Chalukya of Badami: Pulakesin-II- Achievements, Chalukyan Art 109-139 and Architecture. 3. Pallavas- Polity, Administration, Society and Art. 140-154 General review of the period from 1st Century to 8th Century A.D. 1. Arab Invasion of Sind- consequences. 155-167 2. General review of Social and economic developments:- Social Unit-IV. Structure and institutions, Caste System, Position of women, 168-178 Education and learning in Ancient India. 3. Land system: The concept of Indian Feudalism, Land Grants and 179-198 Agrarian Relation, trade and commerce. 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT It is pleasure to be able to complete this compilation work. containing various aspects of Ancient Indian History. This material is prepared with an objective to familiarize the students of M.A History, DDCE Utkal University on the various aspcets of India’s ancient past. This work would not have been possible without the support of the Directorate of Distance and Continuing Education, Utkal University. I would especially like to thank Prof. Susmita Prasad Pani, the Director, DDCE, Utkal University. As my teacher and mentor, he has taught me more than I could ever give him credit for here. He has shown me, by his example, what a good teacher (and person) should be. The compiler owes many thanks to all the reputed scholars on Ancient Indian History whose work is being used here for the sake of making the students understand the subject. I have copied, collected, and made use of the scholarly works of great scholars whose work has been mentioned in the further reading section of each chapter. The compiler of the present material claims no authority and originality on any topic of the materials cum textbook. As already been mentioned above the work is a compilation of already existing works of great scholars among whom name of a few have been mentioned at the end of each chapter. Besides the SLM of IGNOU and other Distance Education Institutions have been also consulted and used for preparation of this material for that I duly acknowledge those textbooks. Would be grateful by receiving suggestions and comments to improve this material cum textbook, from the students, teachers and also the practicing professionals Binod Bihari Satpathy 2 Unit-1 Chapter-I FOREIGN INVASION AND RULES Indo-Bactrian, Indo-Parthians and the Scythians: Impact and Significance of Foreign Intrusion into India. Structure 1.1.0. Objectives 1.1.1. Introduction 1.1.2. Indo-Greeks or Yavana 1.1.2.1. A Brief History of Bactrian Greek 1.1.2.2. Demetrius Invasion of India 1.1.2.3. Rule of Eucratides I 1.1.2.4. Reign of Appolodotus 1.1.2.5. Reign of Menander I 1.1.2.6. Antialcidas : Indianisation of Indo-Greeks 1.1.2.7. Geo-Political Implications of the Indo-Greek Rule 1.1.3. The Parthians or Pahalava 1.1.3.1. Sources 1.1.3.2. Indo-Parthian in India 1.1.3.3. Gondophares & St. Thomas 1.1.3.4. Decline of the Indo-Parthians 1.1.4. The Scythians or Shaka 1.1.4.1. Origins of the Scythians 1.1.4.2. Settlement in Sakastan 1.1.4.3. Indo-Scythian kingdoms 1.1.4.4. Western Kshatrapas legacy 1.1.4.5. The Indo-Scythians and Buddhism 1.1.4.6. Indo-Scythians in Literature 1.1.5. Condition of North-West India under the Foreign Rule 1.1.5.1. Changing Economic Scenario 1.1.5.2. New trends in Indian religions & literature 1.1.5.3. Secular literature, sciences and the arts 1.1.6. Conclusion 1.1.7. Summary 1.1.8. Exercise 1.1.9. Further Readings 3 1.1.0. Objectives The chapter discuss the political history of the north-western India on the eve of post Mauryan age. After learning this lesson the students will be able to explain • the arrival of the Indo-Greeks in north-west India and their subsequent political history. • the origin and establishments of the Indo-Parthian or Pahalava rulers in India.. • foundation of Scythian or Saka kingdoms in India their political history. • Growth of Indian economy, culture and religion under the foreign rulers in India between B.C 200 to A.D 200. 1.1.1. Introduction The Mauryas had done much for Indian unity by bringing the greater part of the country under one umbrella, by defending it against the generals of Alexander and Seleukos, by establishing a uniform system of administration, by using Prakrit for official purposes throughout the length and breadth of the empire and attempting to knit together the different sections of its composite population by the strong tie of a common Dharma. With the fall of the dynasty Indian history for the time being loses its unity. The command of one single political authority is no longer obeyed from the snowy heights of the Hindukush to the fertile plains of Bengal to Mysore. Hordes of outlanders pour through the north-western gates of the country and establish aggressive monarchies in Gandhara, Western Malwa and neighbouring regions. The Punjab is seized by foreigners and the Deccan by local dynasties. There now arose a number of competing power centers in different regions of India. The imperial monarchy was replaced by regional monarchies, and a centralized bureaucracy by regional bureaucracies. These changes had little effect on the continuing hold of the idea of absolutist kingship. Numerous royal eulogies, called prasastis, from the various regions, endowed the respective monarchs with superhuman qualities. Many regional monarchs had Central Asian origins, but they too in time conformed to the notions of kingship that had been maturing since late Vedic times and which reached their apogee in the Mauryan period. All monarchies, whether of foreign or indigenous origins, subscribed to the Brahmanic notions of caste and the fourfold varna system, although Buddhism provided a relatively easier route for foreigners to become adjusted to the Indian social system. The political diffusion in the post-Mauryan period and the emergence of monarchies with foreign roots, described by one historian as ‘chaotic darkness’, might be seen as signs of regression from the heyday of Mauryan imperialism; but, in reality, both the economy and the culture showed dynamism. With this background we can proceed to know the importance of the so called outlander as mentioned above in the polity of post Mauryan India and their contribution to the growth of Indian culture. The outlander about whom the chapter discuss in brief are the Indo-Greeks or Yavana, The Parthians or Pahlava and the Scythians or Shakas. 1.1.2. Indo-Greeks or Yavana The rule of the Indo-Greek kings in the northwest including parts of Central Asia, the whole of Afghanistan, and the Indus Valley, is known from sketchy references in the Greco-Roman literature and the study of innumerable surface finds of their coins. Although king-lists have been prepared on the basis of the royal names on these coins, the nature of their successions and geographical territories is by no means precise. The situation has been further complicated by the tendency of Western scholars to seek a permanent imprint of the Hellenistic civilization on Indian numismatics, art, iconography and philosophy, which is contrasted by the Indian scholarly tendency to trace the impact of Indianisation on these Indian kings of Greek origin. A vast amount of literature, mostly coin catalogues, has accumulated on this problem which virtually tried to underline the whole thing as a march of Western civilization in the northwestern part of the subcontinent. 4 1.1.2.1.A Brief History of Bactrian Greek The Greeks, especially those from Asia Minor, have been known in India since the period of the Achaemenids who had Greeks in their employ. The Achaemenids entered India in the last part of the sixth century BC. The familiarity increased manifold with Alexander’s invasion of India in 327-26 BC and the subsequent presence of the Greeks in Pataliputra and of Greek ambassadors, the most famous of whom was Megasthenes, in the Mauryan court. Asoka makes clear in one of his edicts that the Mauryan power was familiar with all the post-Alexander Greek political powers up to north Africa and the Mediterranean. What is important in the present context is to note that Alexander established a large number of cities, basically called Alexandrias, in Turkmenistan, Tadjikistan, Afghanistan and in modern Pakistan.
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