IGNOU HISTORY NOTES : India Earliest Times to the 8th Century A.D - Structure of Polity

IGNOU HISTORY Study Notes for IAS, UPSC Exams

India Earliest Times to the 8th Century A.D

Structure of Polity

Structure

38.0 Objectives
38.1 Introduction
38.2 The King
38.3 Bureaucracy
38.4 The Anny
38.5 Administrative Divisions
38.6 The Samanta
38.7 Taxation
38.8 Judicial System
38.9 Let Us Sum Up
38.10 Key Words
38.11 Answers To Check Your Progress Exercises

38.0 OBJECTIVES

After reading this Unit you will be able to know about:

• a the nature of the polity or political organization during the period 300 A.D. to 700 A.D.,
• a the differences between the Mauryan polity and the polity during this period, and
• a the reasons why the political organization of this period is described as feudal in nature by many historians.

38.1 INTRODUCTION

The period under study was dominated by the reigns of the Guptas and Pushyabhutis in the
north, of the Vakatakas, Kadambas and Chalukyas of Badami in the Deccan and of the
Pallavas in southern Andhra and Tamil Nadu. There were of course a number of small
kingdoms and chieftaincies in many parts of the country. The major sources for the study of
the polity of this period are inscriptions, dharmasastra literature, Harshacharita of Bana
and the accounts of Chinese travellers like Fa-Hien, Hiuen Tsang, etc. Broadly speaking the
polity of this period was marked by hereditary monarchies ruling over small territories with
one or two of them assuming wider sovereign status now and then. For example, the Guptas
(from 300 A.D. to 500 A.D.) and Harsha (in the first half of the 7th century A.D.) had fairly
wide areas under their control. Their political history has already been discussed in Block 8.
In this Unit we shall discuss the main features of the political organization in the period
between 300 A.D. and 700 A.D. We shall also try to show how these features mark a change
from the political organization of the earlier periods and thus indicate that important changes
were taking place also in the political organization of the country during this period.

38.2 THE KING

Most of the country was ruled by kings. Only in a few fringe areas there lingered on the
gana (tribal republic) form of government. After the military expeditions of Samudragupta
in north India early in the fourth century A.D. most of these tribal republics almost
disappeared from the political scene. Thus the Madra and Yaudheya in the Panjab, the Abhira
in central India, etc. are not heard of again. Some of the tribal chieftaincies also slowly
became monarchies. The King took pompous titles like pararnamahesvara,
rajadhiraja, paramabhattaraka, etc. which indicate their superiority over many other
smaller rulers. During this period the divine right theory also came into vogue. The King in
keeping with this theory held such titles as prithvivallabha i.e. 'the beloved of the Earth
goddess'. He is called the fifth lokapala as the other existing four lokapalas or guardians
of the four cardinal directions were namely Kubera, Varuna, Indra and Yama. Though the 

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