IGNOU HISTORY NOTES : India History From 8th to Mid 15th Century - Rural Classes and Life-Style


IGNOU HISTORY Study Notes for IAS, UPSC Exams


History India From 8th to Mid 15th Century


Rural Classes and Life-Style


Structure

27.0 Objectives
27.1 Introduction
27.2 Structure of Rural Society
27.3 Standard of Living
27.3.1 Clothing
27.3.2 Housing
27.3.3 Food
27.4 Social Life
27.4.1 Family Life
27.4.2 Social Institutions and Customs
27.4.3 Festivals aqd Amusements
27.5 Let Us Sum UP
27.6 Answers to Check Ycur Progress Exercises

27.0 OBJECTIVES

India has traditionally been an agricultural coun'try, having most of its population
located in the rural areas. Any worthwhile study, therefore, of Indian society has
perforce to rake into account the life of the rural classes. This Unit will introduce you
to the following :..

  • the groups of population residing in rural areas in the 16th-18th century;
  • their life-styles and the standards of living; and
  • the customs and social institutions prevalent in rural areas.

27.1 INTRODUCTION

India is a land of villages. Even today the bulk of its population resides in villages.
And what is true today H;ould be even truer for those periods of history when
industrial production was small, never going beyond a few scattered artisan and
handicraft industries, and agriculture was the major vocation for a very large part of
its population. How, then did the Indians live in villages? This is a big question that
can itself be split into a ntkmber of smaller questions, a few of which could be :
Was rural India a homogernous group or did several groups together comprise rural
society?
8 How was production organisect in this society? What was the nature of
interpersonal relationships?
We shall in the following pages seek to answer theseproblems with reference to the
developments from the 16th to mid-18th century. 

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